Do Big Things: The Simple Steps Teams Can Take to Mobilize Hearts and Minds, and Make an Epic Impact
Craig Ross, Angie Paccione, and Victoria Roberts
John Wiley & Sons (August 2017)

Here is a science-driven system for creating the thinking, actions, and collaboration necessary for high-impact success

As I began to read this book, I was again reminded of an African proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Organizational teams come in all shapes and sizes. In the business world, the emphasis is on solving problems, answering questions, and/or seizing opportunities that will help to achieve high-impact results.

In their book, Craig Ross, Angie Paccione, and Victoria Roberts share their thoughts about how and why great success can be achieved “when the best of each teammate is forth in relation to people around them.”

For example, here are the seven steps within the DBT Framework, accompanied by a few annotations of mine:

1. Commit to the human imperative: “Identify and align as team members to the human thinking and actions essential for delivering the business imperative.” Buy-in is usually an act of faith that must NEVER be betrayed.

2. Embody success (and leverage failure): Both positives and negatives tend to be highly contagious.

3. Choose to make three decisions: “Contribute, Activate, and Connect across the business.” Commit to a best effort and to helping everyone else to give their best effort.

4. Exercise your barrier-breaking authority: “The team determines what stands between them and success – both real and perceived.”

5. Focus on what matters: “The team uses the ‘3 Mind Factors’ [please see Pages 123-131] to concentrate on and deliver what causes big things to be achieved: the relationships and teamwork necessary to succeed.” Long ago, Stephen Covey said that executives spend too little time on what is important and too much time on what is urgent. I agree.

6. Energize around a shared reality: “Team members use the ‘Energy Map’ [please see Pages 144-163] to address issues with a similar frame of mind, enable people to better tell the truth, and function with authenticity.” It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of dissent that is both thoughtful and principled.

7. Mobilize hearts and minds forward: “Empower the team to own their role in delivering a stronger future.” Hearts must be touched just as minds must be convinced. Both.

All this is explained in greater detail in Pages 13-14.

Also, here are two of four new beliefs that a team must have to do big things:

1. To develop the team, you must develop the whole team: “Culture change occurs as the members of the team, armed with greater shared awareness and consciousness, move through daily interactions repeating and reinforcing their new skills. Natural accountability to elevated norms takes place as individuals can sense that everyone is changing.”

2. In order to succeed, speed and efficiency must be combined with team members’ collective skill of adaptability: “When team members develop greater emotional and cognitive plasticity together (and every step in the DBT Framework supports in accomplishing this), they build the capability to adapt in a way that sticks.”

All four new beliefs are discussed in much greater detail in Pages 30-35.

Long ago, Henry Ford suggested, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re probably right.” However compelling and inspiring a vision may be, however, most limits really are self-imposed but there remains the need for understanding HOW to “mobilize hearts and minds, and make an epic impact.” In this volume, Craig Ross, Angie Paccione, and Victoria Roberts provide an abundance of valuable in formation, insights, and counsel that – together – explain that HOW.