Get Stuff Done

In this episode of "The Game Changers" podcast,  Eric Boles and Dale Dixon dive deep into the topic of productivity and getting things done. As successful business leaders, Eric and Dale have learned the power of productivity and how it can transform your business and personal life.

In this conversation, they share practical tips and insights to help you boost your productivity and accomplish your goals.  Eric and Dale provide actionable advice to help you maximize your time and focus on what matters most.

They also discuss the importance of overcoming procrastination and building momentum, sharing personal stories and experiences to illustrate the power of taking action and staying focused.

Whether you're a business owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to level up your productivity, this episode is packed with valuable insights and strategies to help you achieve success. Don't miss out on the power of productivity - tune in to "The Game Changers" podcast today!

Transcript

[0:00] At the end of the day you gotta get stuff done you got to make a play in football we should say this way. 

[0:08] Do your job well it's hard good point but do your job like what's your sign and we were you've been equipped to make sure it happens so the key is. 
We just got to be clear on what. 

[0:22] Productive and what's not unleashing your best in life and work this is the game changers with Eric Boles and host Dale Dixon. 
Shifting to getting stuff done welcome to the game changers podcast I am your host Dale Dixon, help Executives perform in front of a camera and I'm the chief Innovation officer for a Better Business Bureau Eric bowls coaches trains and inspires leaders to unleash their potential and the potential of those around him round them you can find him at the game changers inc.com Eric great to be with you a great to be you're my brother. 
So our topic today is this idea of Shifting what's happening in the workplace to. 

[1:10] I would say almost get back to what we were trying to do before the pandemic and that is get stuff done so tell us the the Genesis story for this conversation that you share with me before we hit the record button. 
So one of my clients pharmaceutical organization from one of my clients that I do a ton of work with they. 
I felt like especially through the pandemic are they demonstrated the kind of care that kind of concern you have for your people making those adjustments we all know Allah all the supply chain issues that were taking place all the uncertainty that was taking place and I believe a lot of companies were doing everything in their power to the best of their ability to equip their people to manage those changes both personally and professionally to the best of their ability. 
With that being said I believe after all that's happened in all the investment that's been made and where that's been made. 
Now it's about where's pivoting this ship is Pivot to now it's time to perform, like I get it we've gone through a lot of difficulty we've been through some things but now it's time to get results because you know at the end of the day that I say often. 
The scoreboard doesn't care. 

[2:28] Until the ball crosses the goal line right like so everything you gotta go through scoreboards not going to change until you actually score point and it just seems like in the marketplace there's been a re-emphasise on performance like okay it's now time to perform and when we talk about getting stuff done it's not just activity, like it's not okay we need to get stuff done but that doesn't mean just busy for being busy or tons of activity what we do need though is high-leverage activities that actually change the scoreboard. 
I had an interesting conversation yesterday deal yesterday deal with a client where I'm doing a with this leadership team and we're going to spend a couple days. 
In our conversation they made it very clear and we talked about together, we don't want to have conversations about the concept of success so we're not getting together that have successful conceptual conversation. 

[3:29] We're getting together to get very clear on successful game-changing activity that leads to the kind of results they want that is a totally different conversation because it requires like. 
Feedback it requires I like to suck all it like. 
There's a zero-sum game to it like that there's an analysis it's like a truth bearing analysis where we're evaluating going does that activity that we are involved in. 

[4:00] Are we defining that is getting stuff done like is that translating to results if it's not, we need to be able to say no that this in yes this and I think there's more organizations leaders and managers of teams who are coming together having those conversations because anything else is just a distraction so we had to get to the very things as actually eating to results. 

[4:25] So I'm curious to dissect this and better understand. 
How we got to this place and I'll posit a theory okay that and use the analogy of a balance board or a bosu ball so if you've ever seen one of these basically you stand on the board and you've got to maintain balance it does not have a flat bottom for a bosu ball is basically one of those exercise balls cut in half so it has a flat surface on the bottom but you have to stand on top of this and try to maintain your balance on this squishy, ball so that's the analogy and I'm thinking was covid our bosu ball or our balance board where somebody walked up to us and tried to push us off. 
Balance and it took us three years to our two years to find our balance and now we're saying okay we're Back in Balance we know where we're at what we're doing where we're going but we've got to get productive again yes yeah is there some of that or there's some other things that you're seeing with clients yeah because first of all I love the analogy with the bosu ball in the process because because we had to get balance that way. 
There are a lot of how do I describe it from a physical standpoint. 

[5:46] My joints Mi even my ligaments even my balance have actually gotten stronger because of so now we're like now that you're stronger you best the purpose of getting using those of that equipment, isn't just to be good on that equipment so the goal isn't just to be really good at balancing on the bullshit know that it translates to it gives me. 
I should be more stronger more balanced more effective. 
In the stuff that translates right so as an athlete I use that a lot too to help equip me. 
But it needs to be translated to the field where now it makes me that much more effective I think what we've gone through, from covid to post covid-19 things to right now has been there to set us up to take advantage of what's in front of us right now which is we're stronger now now again. 
They're hit wins without question but I believe every group has. 
In them in what they need to create the change in forms Improvement that's necessary and so that shift in mindset is viewing what we went through during covid-19. 
As preparation to push the gas pedal down not to sit back and relax like now was the time to go from potential to action. 

[7:07] So what are some of the ways I'm going to keep using this ballot balance analogy what are some of the ways that you. 

[7:17] You balance or is it a flip of a switch that hey we've spent those last two to three years. 
Working on our balance and now we've got a. 
Transition into the get stuff done type of mindset or is it hey been there done that it's time to get stuff done flip the switch, I actually kind of like the second like I don't I don't I think we need to flip the switch and just go I think over over. 

[7:48] Thinking this we got what it takes let's go because some of the they work you put in on in getting balanced it reveals itself when you're playing so you can't you can't that's not something you do ahead of time okay when this happens we got enough balance no you got bounced so go so go you will be able to course correct you will be able to adapt on the field you're a better athlete now than you were before go make plays now we're going to give you a game plan right we're going to week with these are the plays we're going to run this is what we want to do. 
But at this at the end of the day you got to get stuff done you got to make a play in football we should say it this way do your job. 
Well is hard a good point but do your job like what's your assignment and we would you've been equipped to make sure it happens so the key is. 
We just got to be clear on what's productive and what's not it's the benefit of covid-19, unwanted was you know allow people sit back and really determine what matters most from a personal standpoint right like we a lot of lot of adjustments and stuff people are able to make. 
But now we have to ask those same kind of Truth bearing Converse questions to ourselves like in everything that I'm doing each week. 

[9:05] Is it translating to really getting stuff done where is their waist where it's some of those difficult conversations I got to have like we got an 80/20 everything right now, we just do there's no getting around it do I'm a big believer in using. 
Both the Pareto Principle which is the 80/20 rule in Parkinson's law all at the same time right you know I believe we got to determine the few things that make the biggest difference and then we got to give ourselves a limited amount of time to get the most important things things done because the more time you give anything the longer it takes and so we're in one of these moments I've been one particular group that I'm working on us if you guys in the business of getting stuff done, then get stuff done constantly start getting stuff done in every meeting you're in start getting stuff done and every interaction that you're having that means sometimes you got to shorten them doesn't mean you don't care it just means if I was going to give this meaning an hour I'm now giving you 30 minutes that means people got to get to the. 
And it's the discipline of that people always think I'm you know when I say hey cut your meetings and how well we need to get a lie that's true but you have this belief that alignment really takes a lot of time it does, it just takes really real conversations so it's just forcing you to get to the point faster sooner and you've already have enough built in. 
Rapport to do that now I understand that new leadership team first coming together and there's a process for that but in most cases. 

[10:33] If we people really evaluate it they're starting to start discovering how much waste exists. 

[10:39] You don't have this conversation with you one of the things that I enjoy doing and you know and obviously I with the Jetson. 
Peter was my coach when I was with the Jesse with the Seahawks now and in so but Pete who you know I love the death he endorsed my book he's been a huge supporter I'm a big believer help eat those everything and so there are Time For Peace allowed me to come to practice, even bring clients there to practice you know to doing training camp and one of the things I enjoy the most is hearing from my clients say when I'm most Amazed by. 
Is the pace what I'm most Amazed by is the efficiency like all that effort I am seeing is being used efficiently. 
And I'm like yes because it's not enough to just get on the same page or not aware of the work well together you got to wait work well together at PACE, at speed could the game happen faster so you can do that effectively it then translates to game time. 

[11:48] Now we got it because there's a balance of everything is a balance of knowing your job it's a balance of being able to act out move at your job at PACE is a valence of being able to react to what's going on and that was the purpose of training camp that was the person over the offseason that's the purpose of all that and I've been trying to encourage leaders like that was the purpose of the panipat use it that way yeah the pandemic and always have but use what you gone through to now prepare you to take advantage of opportunities are going to take advantage of because you're tougher than you were before and so that's why I always enjoy, bringing the leaders who I've had that opportunity to coach and let them witness most people just think they're watching football oh man you are watching like. 
Organizational Mastery right you're you're you're watching you know 11:22 guys on the field on different teams obviously with all kinds of different motivations and desires and all of them are paid the same and everything's not equal and fair but at one moment man the pace the focus everything, the 80/20 everything into until they're only doing the high-leverage activities that make the biggest difference. 

[12:56] So this just flashes me back to one of those. 

[13:02] Those influential times in my life I was fortunate enough to make friends with one of the coaching staff at Boise State University shortly after the Fiesta Bowl. 
Everybody remembers so years Oklahoma yes yes so the. 
My son was playing football and it was Pop Warner kind of young kid football. 
And the team was struggling and I was talking to this friend of mine about it he was like well let me come watch practice and so he came and watched practice with me and about five minutes in he said I see the problem. 

[13:42] He said. 
And I said well what do you see tell me what are you seeing the professional at this and he said watch the coaches none of them are running. 
To your point they're not at PACE and they're not setting a pace for the kids and when I and it was the, it was the strength of leadership in action. 
That that really just came alive there on that football field as he explained how. 
He explained the pace of practice and what that needs to look like so that it carries on to performance on the field so it was it was really cool to be able to live that exactly what you're talking about one of the things that I it's in these are little things but leaders who, emphasize you know a I need my people to get stuff done we need to your stuff down as it sounds good I'm always asking question okay so so what are you getting done. 

[14:44] So what are you getting done I don't care if it's a small thing what are you getting done what is what are you scratching off a list whatever where are you moving the chains where are you doing so if you ever go to a practice and and and I love honor and peed on this but there's energy he he's the oldest coach in the league and there's nothing but energy coming from him like constantly he's talking he moving but what you also notice is no one standing around. 
22 so the rest of the team is not standing around just watching a group there's something for someone to do at the whole time so what doesn't happen is there's rules in place now, in terms of the length of time people the players can have in practice is collective bargain right so you can't practice this for four hours. 
Well we only got two hours for practice there's a set amount of time so what you do with those two out, the amount of time is not as important as how you allocate that time in it and that also includes how fast you transition how fast you move how fast people engage. 
Well Al all the time may make your meetings count I mean make everything you do count what have if you're going to get stuff done. 

[15:59] If we have a meeting on Monday and we're going to meet again the following money and I got my leadership team together and we come back the following Monday. 
And we don't even review what got done since last Monday. 
And we just have another one I mean we I mean it's unbelievable not only have we lost the time of that week. 
We are now using attention currency which we have sold we don't have an unlimited amount of, on things that should have already shifted to something brand-new and this these are the I was called that I call it low-hanging fruit but what it really is for a lot of us. 

[16:38] I think it was Earl Nightingale said this I thought it was such a brilliant statement he said one time he he goes the opposite. 

[16:48] Of fear. 
No no no he said the opposite of Courage is not fear I thought it was he says the opposite of Courage is conformity. 

[16:59] And he says we have to fight you have to have enough courage to fight against Conformity its Conformity that gets in our way and so there's a lot of wasted time and organizations not because people are fearful, they've just been conditioned to waste time. 

[17:13] Right like yes it's just normal and so when you were talking about your son's pop warner team those kids are just going to naturally model what they're witnessing, so if there's energy you're going to see energy if there's not there's not so I talked to leaders all the time I see you complaining about a organization of waste time, you know it's my father you said best son if it's raining in the congregation it's probably, cloudy in the Pulpit right we gotta get it right there so we love giving leaders action. 
Items things that they can go back and do and I've picked up on three specific things that you've outlined for us and we can dive dive deeper into these three and definitely add to them but number one you gave us the the charge that we need a game plan and everybody needs to know the game plan which leads to Clarity and not only Clarity of the game plan but Clarity of one's role inside the organization here's what I'm doing to help the team moves the ball down the field and then the third item is you do it now you are productive now and you are productive in every area you make productivity a habit so the meetings are productive. 

[18:31] When you would I want to obviously we talk about Clarity roll again plan now again. 

[18:40] The game plan the ultimate goal is to make sure the activities that we do our high-leverage activities. 

[18:49] Is is a if I'm going to have to cut a tree down and I'm swinging like crazy right I mean obviously we know the analogy of sharpening acts but we also want to make sure we're cutting at the root level we're not cutting in the middle I mean we and so sometimes you have to talk enough about going you know where I'm going okay. 
There's activity we need to do but we need to make sure the activity we do what result is created and so this is why I'm a big believer in the 80/20 rule in such a strong way like okay we need to get stuff done. 

[19:18] But let's make it but in order to get stuff actually done the stuff has to matter so what's the stuff that matters what's the what's the end result we're trying to get to and what's the most expedient fastest most effective way to get that done it. 
If getting it done it may require us to be a little uncomfortable good, it's probably going to be something with it especially if we're fighting against inertia or fighting against Conformity which is we have a tendency to waste time guess what we're going to have to go a little bit extreme the other direction. 
To make sure we don't keep letting that happen so that that means we're going to have to have some you know hay some of the stuff we're doing last week we're not doing this week all right you know hey here's engine on the calendar can we get to the most important thing on the agenda first we're not doing the reporting out then you just get to the conversation we need to have right from the beginning here's a result we want all these little disruptions are necessary to get that sense of urgency back because that's where we're at. 

[20:21] Point number two and that you were saying that were you talking about do it now one of the reasons is so powerful like it is I would say a momentum's of leaders best friend. 
And momentum of result of taking advantage of a moment in the moment you can take advantage of most mostly it's now so take the moment of now use it and you connect enough of those together you've now created momentum but you don't put off momentum do you have to take action now so what's up like I told self people all the time like. 

[20:55] You sitting there at your desk. 
A prospect or an opportunity comes in it comes to your mind my call now I call now don't just do it now like I thought it'd get in the habit of doing things now I don't care if you have to put it on your a mantra I got one of the leaders at work before number years used to run T-Mobile. 
He was at Starbucks with me and and he actually put a little sticky note on every one of his places and it just says do it now. 

[21:29] In the amount of time not only time to be saved. 

[21:34] But the amount of impact he had from these little actions that he just acted on, like most of the things that we if we do it right now it doesn't take a whole lot if we were just to get the ball rolling especially leaders so at leader ask this or speak to this or follow up on this and these little things create momentum and then you turn around and like man we've come a long way why is that. 
Because we took action but what was the key to taking action doing it now like everybody talks about here's the action items we got okay but what I'm really curious and when are you starting hopefully today hopefully right now hopefully as soon as you walk out of the room because the probability that you act on it. 
Tomorrow is actually decreases by with every hour that goes by yeah. 
You have it okay well and you know why it's free tomorrow because tomorrow never comes it's always tomorrow I always do it tomorrow. 

[22:46] I love it I love it man I love it you know one of the things I just to encourage everyone out there I took my core. 
I believe everyone's score everybody agrees with worry Tom I do it everybody ready just get going I really do I believe it was like but it's time let's go let's go man I love sports I love being a part of teams I love air and people say all the time like you know is not whether you win or lose it's how you play the game and I love the statement but let me tell you like usually winning is a result of making winning plays okay so they'll yeah it isn't just about winning it isn't just about losing but I will tell you, I can handle losing a game. 
Because other teams better like I can handle losing a game when we left everything we got on the field and I can walk off going hey we gave our best the next one we do better but man I cannot stand losing a game. 
And because we didn't have urgency because we need were organized because we were doing the things that actually matter because we didn't practice well see no one. 

[23:49] Usually that Mantra comes out when it allows us not to have to have a truth berry exercise you know about what did we do to prepare for that and many times we lose gains out of the think we have control over I mean we sell the time there's a lot of teams who win but the majority of the teams Lutz that's the fact well most teams lose it's not that most teams win its most teams lose because they do things that are more in alignment with losing plays in Waiting place. 
But that's what practice is for that's what in in business that's what meetings are they're preparing us to go execute but we don't have meetings. 
And then not go play that's like going to a football game and watching teams just huddle up come to the line of scrimmage and then go back and hold up again. 

[24:37] You didn't pay to go watch that man you pee you only want to see you huddle enough, to entertain me with running a play there's so many companies men all they do is have holes like they literally the Huddle and don't run a play it's mind-boggling it's unbelievable and we do that all the time. 

[24:58] You're reading somebody's mail write about, tell you Erickson doing it with love doing it with love bro I'm like I'm talking to myself but believe me absolutely well I think it's time to go out and get stuff done let's go and so thank you for the Fantastic conversation any final words for us. 
No just just again it works its progression over Perfection progression over Perfection and that's why we keep moving at PACE and we course correct as we go. 
That we course correct as we go but the key is we gotta go. 

[25:38] Absolutely you get stuff done to unleash your best in life and in work thanks for the encouragement the eye-opening encouragement we appreciate it we'll just make a quick request to folks, would you rate and review this podcast wherever you are listening to it we would. 

[25:58] Appreciative and the rating hopefully we've earned the five stars a review just a sentence or two on, the impact it's having on having on you today to go out and get something done immediately so we would have definitely appreciate that. 
Pushes the podcast higher in search results for people looking for this type of content and we're gaining more and more listeners every. 

[26:20] Thanks for your help with that you can find Eric at the game changers inc.com also pick up his book and we in. 
Joy this opportunity to be with you each and every week have a fantastic. 

[26:35] The game changers unleashing your best in life and work with Eric Bowles and Dale Dixon. 
Eric is an executive coach leadership expert change consultant and keynote speaker. 
Read his book Moving to great and find him at Eric bowls.com connect with Dale at Dale Dixon media.com. 

[26:54] Music.