Do the things that it makes the thing to be done! Building your reputation as a closer.

Do the things that it makes the thing to be done! Building your reputation as a closer.

Phathizwe Malinga Phathizwe Malinga

Phathizwe Malinga

Driving Digital Transformation in the Glass Industry

Published Apr 4, 2016
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Being a closer is probably one of the least talked about, but most admired traits in a human in leadership. So what is a closer? It is someone who habitually wraps things up. This is the kind of person who, if they are involved in the thing, they will do the things that it makes the thing to be done. Where you want the closer, is on complex things, slippery things and just plain old difficult-because-of-elephants-that-live-in-rooms things. To have the reputation of being a closer requires you to wrap these notoriously difficult things up ALL of the time.

So why can't mere mortals difficult close things?

Besides the usual and obvious interruptions we face daily that have the ability to kill momentum, and the lack of clear deadlines that have us procrastinating for far more pressing matters, what stops us mere mortals from habitually completing things?

Fear! We generally fear three things that lead us down the road to failure.

  1. We are afraid of others not being impressed with our achievement. So, we substitute final product with "effort towards final product". Stop being impressed by busyness.
  2. We are afraid of setting the bar too high. If we get known for getting it done so quickly, everyone will expect that of us all the time. Stop Fail-proofing the future.
  3. We are afraid of sometimes ending the fun. We enjoy the project so much that we think life will go back to dreary once we're done.Closers get more fun work

When it comes to not closing in general, the opposite to this last fear is even more common, and that is, we lose excitement before finishing the thing.

And finally, one more common cause of failing to close things, is something I akin to the case of the yips. Yips, in sports, are involuntary muscle spasms when completing the most mundane task. In golf, this is usually a very short putt. As the player attempts to simply tap the ball into the hole, he twitches in a way that causes him to miss the putt.

The Yips, according to the Mayo clinic, are caused by anxiety and over-thinking. And specifically, over-thinking negatively. I think we, in the business world, tend to suffer from the yips from time to time. We over-analyse, hesitate to choose based on past failures, and generally miss enough "action windows" that we end up not closing the thing in time.

So what do you need to do to close these things?

  1. In the case of yips, we need to stop ruminating over the negatives. Thoughts are not actions.
  2. See the pieces of the puzzle. Not being able to breakdown the thing into sub-tasks is a good signal of not understanding the work required.
  3. Estimate effort. Being a perfectionist doesn't help anyone. Do the most in the allotted time, not the best regardless of time.  People appreciate projects completed in time, not perfectly executed tasks.
  4. See the Puzzle daily. As you finish each piece, look at the puzzle daily, "remember yourself" what the end game is.
  5. Use Peer Pressure. If you're constantly not finishing. Declare your work to peers who are known to complete work. Be accountable to them.
  6. Celebrate what you’ve done so far. I say, have milestones and celebrate them along the way. Encouragement is important. But be careful in what you celebrate, avoid celebrating busyness.
  7. When you have to, kill Projects. Be ruthless. Work with facts. Don't be a dreamer. Sometimes projects are unsalvageable. You need to develop the ability to kill projects that, if completed, will no longer add value at all. This is different from not closing. This is being able to recognise that the winds have shifted. One of the attributes a closer is admired for, is the ability to call it as they see it. This includes calling the time of death of doomed endeavours.

What techniques can you use to close things?

As always, the ability to close 100% of the time requires for you to be aware of the type of closing that the thing requires. The following techniques can help enhance your awareness, motivation and follow-through.

  1. Daily Accountability Meetings. I'm a big fan of what programmers call the daily stand-up. What did I do yesterday, What do I plan to do today, What problems am I having that caused me not to complete yesterday's stuff. This is where your roped-in peer can help you push through any difficulties and remain honest, especially with yourself.
  2. Eyes wide open. Always attempt to model reality by looking at it, not hearing about it. Be at the coal-face, see the facts for yourself. Avoid working on representations of the truth.
  3. Practice Focussing. I recommend mindfulness meditation.
  4. Visualisation training. Try and see the "puzzle" daily, not just the pieces. Don't just see the completion of the thing, see the benefactors of the thing using the thing. How much easier their lives become because of it. Even better, where you are the benefactor.
  5. Cure your yips. In order to cure yips, most golfing guides focus on the following technique: Slow down the motion; maintaining the angle of the putter; and keeping your eyes fixed on the contact point after contact. The principles of this technique are about slowing down enough to become deliberate, quietening the mind by focussing on what is required now and increasing patience. Just listening to our daily actions (worrying about the pieces) and not looking for the effect caused by our actions (worrying about the puzzle) teaches us to be patient and to trust ourselves and process.

How do you get invited to the buffet?

Your colleagues need to know you as a closer in order for you to become a closer. In order to be known as a closer, one needs to focus on the following three things.

  1. Become dependable. You can do this by
    1. Living up to your promises. When you plan your work better, you can hit the nail on the head more, in terms of planned vs. actual delivery.
    2. Raising your hand. Assuming more responsibilities. Once you plan better, you know how much more you can do in a day, a week, a month. Take on more work.
    3. Be a solutions provider, not a problem pointer. Be resourceful in solving the problems that you'll come across along the way. Your tasks are small enough for you to understand their complexities, and you have your peer circle that you can lean on.
  2. Be A "Yes, when you can" kind of person. Don't be afraid to say "No" when your plate is full, or when your values won't allow you to do the thing, or when you know the thing will add no value, despite it being done.
  3. Birds of a feather. Your peer circle is a reflection of the values you hold dear. Build friendships with people you see as reliable. They'll rub off on you.

In summary

to build your reputation as closer you need to

  • Understand what distracts you from finishing
  • Cure your ills by putting in measures that keep you moving forward
  • Be known as dependable, start that rumour through action

Do the things that it makes the thing to be done!

References

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