Maxwell: Rely on bottomline thinking

This article is a continuation from THIS POST. It is advisable to read it before you read this article.

What is bottom line thinking?

1. It is all about our mission in life. It deals with the enduring legacy that we want to create. It asks questions like 'What is the objective of my life?', 'What is the key reason for my doing what I am doing?' etc
2. Bottom line thinking is doing a root cause analysis of our lives.

Why should we rely on bottom line thinking?

1. It provides greater clarity. It can be used as a guide to ensure that our activities are aligned to a larger goal.
2. It helps as a benchmark to assess every situation we find ourselves in.
3. It helps us make the best decisions.
4. It generates high morale. By pointing out the big picture of our work, bottom line thinking generates high morale.
5. Think bottom line today for future success
• Identify our bottom line
• Identify resources, plan of action and plan of execution

How to rely on bottom line thinking?

1. Identify the bottom line: Be as specific as possible. Go to the essence of what we are trying to achieve.
2. Make the bottom line our key decision point in ANY decision that we take.
3. Create a strategic plan to achieve our bottom line
• Once the bottom line is identified, a strategy should be devised to achieve it.
• When the bottom line of each activity is achieved, the BOTTOM LINE is achieved
• We should have ONLY ONE bottom line
4. Align team members with the bottom line
5. Stick with one system and monitor results

Thinking questions:

1. What is my bottom line?
2. Am I always focused on it?