Jesse Jacoby
Think of the number of articles or even books you have read that tell you what the first thing is that you should do when you start something new or revisit something that’s older. If you’re starting a new project, then the first thing might be to decide what your goal is. Even that has a “first” element to it. Among the choices, which one should be first?
If you’ve been given a new job, then you might think about what you should do before you do anything else. If you’ve been promoted into a managerial role, these thoughts will occupy your mind to a greater or lesser extent. The same thing will occur if you’re made the new team leader. Identifying what should be first is a challenge.
The irony of “firsts,” however, is not found in figuring out what to do before you do anything else. Instead it comes from assuming that everything should be first.
Consider how many of those articles or book that you’ve read that say, “Do this, and nothing else.” There won’t be many. Usually the idea of what to do first means, “Here are 10 things to do first.” Of course that’s an oxymoron. Only one thing can be first. Whatever follows is second, third, fourth, and so on. And that means that if you’re going to be effective at doing anything first, then you’re going to have to recognize exactly what that means. Quite simply it means what it says, and no amount of pretending or wishing will change that.
Deciding on that “first” thing isn’t easy. Perhaps that’s one reason why there are 10 first things to do instead of just one. You think that you’ll be more effective if you try to do them all.
Let’s think about team leadership. Suppose that you’ve just been made the team leader. What is the first thing you should do? Articles list a myriad of choices: communication, how the team will educate itself or progress on its projects; norms; rewards, and so on. All of these things are important, but how do you decide what is more important than all of the other good things that you know you ought to do?
There are several possible answers. One is to think about the result that you want. Stephen Covey, in his bestselling book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, says that you should begin with the end in mind. That’s important.
What’s another way to determine what to do first? Gary Keller and Jay Papasan in their book The One Thing ask, “What is the one thing such that by doing it everything else becomes easier or unnecessary?” The answer to that certainly will eliminate a lot of desirable, but not preeminent ideas.
Another way to look at this is to ask yourself what is essential, or what matters most. Greg McKeown, in his book Essentialism separates those who focus on it from those who get caught up in the peripheral – the non-essential.
All of these ideas are good, and any one of them may help you to decide what to do first.
Let’s look at this from a slightly different angle.
There’s an old saying that “you get only one chance to make a first impression.” There’s our word again: first. What is teaches us is that the initial contact we have will set the tone, the context if you prefer, for all that follows.
Let’s go back to our example of the team leader. It doesn’t matter why that person was chosen. It is fait accompli. What matters is what happens next. The end is important, but it is only a piece on the process once that gets going. Knowing the one thing to do is another cog in that process. Doing what is essential is also part of that process. But what do you do before the process begins? What truly is first? It all hinges on that first impression.
The funny thing about this is that it’s unlikely that you’ll even think about it. In the main, team leaders think about their new role. They think about how they’ll lead, how to assign the various tasks to the people who are best suited for them, how to resolve conflicts, and how to reach the goals they’ve been assigned.
All of that comes after the first thing. The first thing is that first impression. Whatever impression you make will determine how everything else goes thereafter. Like the paw prints of a cat that’s walked across freshly laid cement, your prints will be on everything you do once you’ve created that first impression. And just like concrete after it is hard, it will be nearly impossible to change it.
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