Do You Know Your ONE Thing?

Are you a list maker?  I am.  I have been for years.  Early in my career, I “learned” that list making is an essential skill of effective managers.  I just found out; I may have been doing it all wrong.
Last week I read a blurb about a book published in 2013. It won 12 book awards, was published in 40 languages, and appeared on 575 bestseller lists (including New York Times Bestseller, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller, #1 Amazon Bestseller, and USA Today Bestseller). I had never heard of it.  The One Thing: the Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan.  The whole premise is that pursuing multiple goals simultaneously actually suboptimizes your efforts and diffuses your success.
For years I’ve prided myself on being a great multi-tasker, even as I read the research studies that showed the opposite is true.  As I started this book, I began to question my long-held beliefs as I read about the power of focusing on accomplishing one thing.  But, as the book continues to reinforce, it can’t be just any one thing.  It has to be the most important one thing, the one thing that is the first domino to fall that propels the next “one thing” to fall and then the next and the next until your success is undeniable.
“If today your company doesn’t know what its ONE Thing is, then the company’s ONE Thing is to find out.” Having worked with 25 clients who have won the Baldrige National Quality Award and dozens of recipients of other Baldrige-based awards, we think you might want to consider your organization’s ONE Thing to be adopting the Baldrige Excellence Framework as your business model.  It’s truly transformative and leads to exemplary results.  Come to the Quest for Excellence to learn more. (See link below for more information.)
Another question really challenged me. “What’s the ONE Thing you can do this week such that by doing it everything else would be easier or unnecessary?”  I’m still trying to pare down my to-do lists – for work and for my personal life.  I haven’t gotten there yet, but I’m committed to getting them down to three things, then two, and finally one.  This will be my grand experiment in January 2025.  Will you join me?

Baldrige Foundation Webinars

Culture eats strategy for lunch. However, without a framework to deploy strategies, there may not be anything to serve on the plate. This talk features a strategy deployment model used within an academic health system. The culture transformation journey of this organization includes a redesign in what and how things get done. This session is applicable across industries, as many lessons learned transcend industries and serve as a foundation for performance excellence.

Train, get certified, and unlock your true leadership potential by enrolling in any of the 400+ educational programs offered by the Baldrige Foundation Institute for Performance Excellence. Elevate your skills through cutting-edge curriculum designed to cultivate effective communication, strategic vision, and team empowerment. Join us today to embark on a journey of professional development. These programs are highly customizable, and you are encouraged to contact Josh Racette, Vice President of National Programs & Development, at jracette@baldrigefoundation.org to learn more. To view additional information about all educational opportunities offered by the Institute for Performance Excellence, please visit   www.baldrigeinstitute.org/education.

Communities of Excellence 2026

Are you ready to collaborate with other leaders in your community to achieve meaningful change? Join us for Building Strong Teams for CollaborACTION, a six-week online course designed to help you prepare a multi-sector team of partners who can effectively work together to address shared priorities.
Throughout this six-week course, you’ll learn:
  • How to form a cross-sector team of partners that will work together in addressing a chosen priority.
  • Evidence-based practices in effectively gathering such as the right group composition, key roles, and onboarding and communication processes.
  • Successful skills to maintain engagement and act on your team’s priorities.
Course Dates: Wednesdays, February 19 – March 26, 2025
Time: 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. CT
Location: Online
By the end of the program, you and your team members will have:
  • A digital guidebook full of tools and resources to guide your team.
  • A first draft of an Engagement Plan that defines the “why,” “who,” and “how” for building trust and driving transformation.
  • An outline for a pitch deck to inspire others to act.
  • Pre and post teams’ readiness assessments to measure your progress and identify opportunities for increased impact.
Cost: $465 per participant *Discounts are available for teams of 3 or more.
Don’t wait—spots are limited!  Click here to register now and take the first step to building a stronger team.
Join Building Strong Teams for CollaborACTION and make a difference together!  For questions about this exciting new course please email Stephanie Norling, President/CEO at snorling@communitiesofexcellence2026.org.

Join us at one of the Alliance’s Best Conferences.  We’ll be there conducting a half-day workshop on the first day!

https://tncpe.org/excellence-conference/
https://tncpe.wufoo.com/forms/tncpe-excellence-conference-and-celebration-2025/

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