[This is the third in our five-part, monthly series: Power Up Your Results: From Idea to Awesome. You can find all of the articles from this series in HUBi’s User Corner.]
You have your initiative defined, and you’ve created a step-by-step action plan. Excellent! Now, let’s talk about making sure you have what you need to actually do the work. This means gathering your resources. Resources are simply the “who” and “what” that will help you move your initiative forward.
Think of yourself as a chef. You have a recipe (your action plan), but you also need ingredients (what you need) and possibly a sous chef (who can help you).
What kind of resources might you need?
- Information: Do you need specific data, reports, or policies?
- Tools: Do you need access to a particular software, a special meeting room, or even just a specific template?
- Time: Have you set aside enough time in your schedule to work on this?
- Help from others: Do you need input from a colleague, approval from your manager, or someone to complete a specific task for you?
How to get what you need:
- List them out: Go through your action plan step-by-step. For each step, write down what information, tools, or help you might need.
- Ask clearly: When you need help from someone, be clear and polite. Explain what your initiative is, why you need their help, and what you expect from them. Give them a clear timeframe if possible. “Could you please review this draft report by Thursday so I can finalize it for Friday’s meeting?” is much better than “Can you look at my report sometime?”
- Plan ahead: Try to get your resources ready before you need them. This avoids delays later on.
Gathering your resources effectively helps you avoid getting stuck. It sets you up for smooth progress and keeps your initiative moving forward!
“Try This!” Challenge:
Look at the action plan you made for your initiative. For the first two or three steps, list any information, tools, or help from others you might need. If you need help from someone, draft a quick sentence you could use to ask them.
