What Tetris Teaches Us about Aligning our Values and Actions

​Let’s face it. We’re busy. It’s easy to fall into the autopilot of DOING, and not remembering to check in with yourself to ask – Am I also LIVING my values?
 
Last month’s book club session was on Designing Your Life, by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. It is the kind of book that speaks to you whether you’re seeking a new job, facing a transition, or  just in need of a personal check-in. The authors, Stanford Design Program professors, packed the book full of activities that are both fun and drive tremendous personal insights. (Check out the notes on the CliffsNotes book portal for more info.)
 
Build a Compass
One of the activities I found particularly useful is to build a compass to create alignment between what you believe in, and what you are actually doing. (The discussion of 'alignment' made me remember the game Tetris. We get so much satisfaction from creating these continuous lines that stack up so beautifully!) The compass activity is in three parts:

1. Write a short reflection on your work-view
2. Write a short reflection on your life-view
3. Reflect on what you’ve written. Think about:

• Where do your views on work and life complement one another?
• Where do they clash?
• Does one drive the other? How?

Hypothetically speaking, someone who values fun and connection and wants to create lasting family memories may be out of alignment when she can't manage to take more than two days off (and works for herself) and can't keep up with the laundry let alone plan a family vacation for winter break... you know, just as a hypothetical example. Seriously, though, we all get out of alignment, it's to be expected. These are the types of exercises to help us pause every now and then and get back on track. And it's important to focus on what action you want to take moving forward rather than get caught up on evaluating the past.

Maybe select one small change to get back in alignment. What would that look like?

After all, you’re a leader in your life—not just in one aspect of your life.

Leadership at Work & Beyond
The discussions about designing your life brought me back to how important it is to think about leadership in all domains of life. After all, you’re a leader in your life—not just in one aspect of your life. As I often say, it’s about leadership ‘at work and beyond.’ In working with leaders for decades, I find that this notion really resonates. It’s about being authentic and it’s about finding every opportunity to learn and grow.

​I rounded up some related posts on this ‘and beyond’ concept. Read on for more:

• The Surprising Secret to Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement | This post focuses on mistakes, how organizations and individuals can grow by learning from them, and how to support continuous improvement in the workplace or at home.
• The Fidget Spinner of Life: How to Create a Culture of Engagement | In this post, I provide an overview of how the Dynamic Engagement Model™  drives insights to support engagement at work and beyond.
• Being Grounded: How to Build Confidence in Others | In this post, I outline tried-and-true strategies to help someone build confidence. The strategies are relevant to the workplace and parenting.
• When You Ask Me for Tips on How to Delegate, Here’s What I Will Ask You Next… | In this post, I discuss the underlying psychological need for “control” which can hinder us from letting go of tasks, or delegating.

 
As always, let me know what resonates.