I found an idea for this post due to the fact that I feel like I am not accomplishing things in a timely manner. Actually, I am borrowing it from 50 Tricks to Get Things Done Faster, Better, and More Easily. In this article, this line about what “Ubiquitous Capture” means caught my attention: Always carry something to take notes with — a pen and paper, a PDA, a stack of index cards. Capture every thought that comes into your mind, whether it’s an idea for a project you’d like to do, an appointment you need to make, something you need to pick up next time you’re at the store, whatever. Review it regularly and transfer everything to where it belongs: a to-do list, a filing system, a journal, etc.
This in turn lead me to this thought: The Three Musketeers got it right – “All for one and one for all!” Like 17th-century musketeers who understood if one was in trouble, they all were in trouble, those who get great results operate with unspoken commitments that go beyond self-interest.
Accountability is essential to being a musketeer. People respect, trust, and want to work with colleagues who don’t hide their mistakes, invent cover-ups, or blame others. Those who step up, own a problem, and work to fix it build relationship capital. In an era where it’s difficult to trust the messages or the messengers, behavioral integrity is at the root of influence.
They are not from the same article. I am now quoting Six Ways to Get Things Done When You’re Not The Boss.
I realized that my Musketeers were not working with me all the time and that I needed to change that. At my old job, I felt like the motto was “One for one, and all for me!” There were many people who took great pains to talk about everything they did right. They did this and they did that and if you see me in action, you will be amazed. Well, I wasn’t. I was actually tired of it. Here’s to the Three Musketeers and a future that holds those ideals. It might be hard to find such a place as this, but I know it exists.
“Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.” ~Lyn Yutang
