Poet e.e. Cummings isn’t always the easiest
author to follow. His writings are often veiled in deeper meaning.
In his poem, “Effie’s Head,” he describes an encounter with God at the death of
Effie. There is tremendous wisdom in this poem that calls to mind the
great intentions of humankind often thwarted by lack of action.
cummings speaks to six crumbs as God looks inside
Effie’s coffin, each which speak to what could have been but never was.
These six crumbs (or words) are ones you should banish from your
organization. They are: may, might, should, could, would, and must.
These words used in organizations are barriers to
action. I “may” be able to get the task done by the deadline speaks to a
lack of commitment. You “might” consider using the prototype only speaks
to what is possible but lacks specificity on how to take action. I
“should” change the proposal to address the customer’s need for schedule
flexibility only talks to what options you have but no path to implement
them. The team “could” talk to the customer to see what they need has no
commitment to closure and lacks accountability. I “would” like to
implement the product change to align with the market will never get you to
realize the potential. Finally, when you “must” finish a task, you speak
to the obligations you have to address, but lacks the energy to make them
happen.
How many times have you left a meeting believing
that others (or yourself) are committed to action only to find things left
unfinished just when you needed them? In my experience, discussions at
meetings are often filled with these six words. When used to evaluate
alternatives, these words can open doors, but when it comes to commitment, they
have no place in the discourse. Are these six words keeping you from
making progress? If so, make a commitment to eliminate them from your
vocabulary when you know it is action that is required. Intention
alone—no matter how well meaning—is the enemy of results.
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