Do Big Things. Paccione Angela V.

and then applied them again. Our empirical data are collected from partnering with teams from 37 countries in 25 different industries, those on the Fortune 500 list, multinational companies, and small businesses alike.

      As we saw the pattern reveal itself, we wondered: Does the methodology work more effectively with a certain type of thinker than another? And across all functions of a business? Using a phenomenological approach to answer those questions, we've tracked applications and outcomes within teams made up of multiple age groups, representing those in commercial, production, research, finance, legal, and in multiple industries. Additionally, we've broadened the scope of work to include nonprofits and those in government and academia. By so doing, we captured the experience and developed a thorough, contextualized description of the process teams were using to do big things.

      No matter what culture, country, industry, function, or team, the results have always been abundantly clear: We've tapped into something profound. Regardless of the circumstances within or around the team, there are specific steps successful teams take to create the thinking–actions–outcomes necessary to do big things.

      These forces of success, now obvious upon post-assessment, can be purposefully used as a system of success for teams today. Why wait until after your team has done something significant and then share stories of glory? It's far more useful to tell those stories in advance; you reduce risk (and its sibling, stress) when you know how a story ends. By naming and simplifying this method, the outcomes can be replicated and scaled within your organization and team. Now, your aspiration of doing big things is actionable.

The Do Big Things Framework

      Here it is. We won't make you read to page 127 to get what you're looking for. Let's get busy being who we know we can be. Right now.

      It's called the Do Big Things (DBT) Framework. It's the method teams practice (whether they know it or not) to transform how they think and act together so they can deliver transformative outcomes. The DBT Framework provides the language teams use to transform and quickly elevate their power and effectiveness. It's how everyone on the team aligns to a powerful and singular focus necessary to achieve the big objective in front of them – and deliver the greatest impact to the business while seizing the opportunity to be better human beings along the way.

      Importantly, the Do Big Things (DBT) Framework is how team members realize the best of themselves and the team's collective significance. Now, the whole person is showing up in big ways.

      The steps within the DBT Framework equip any team to standardize – meaning agree and align – on what it means to operate in daily interactions in a manner necessary for success. This, of course, is not typical in most organizations.

      “Our deliverables are all standardized,” a portfolio project manager in the entertainment industry told us. Quality standards? Not negotiable. Safety standards? Don't even think about questioning established processes. Timelines, customer care, and budgets? We rarely budge, the manager said.

      But what about how teammates behave? Treat each other? Their conduct when under pressure? “Entirely negotiable. Nothing is standardized,” the manager answered. “And that's exactly why we're insanely busy but getting nothing important accomplished.”

      As with the thousands of teams we've partnered with, we're deeply honored to deliver this to you. Here's why: The DBT Framework doesn't require any of us to change who we are. Instead, it activates and amplifies the brilliance we already possess. Don't buy the lie that your team doesn't have what it takes. We all have the wisdom within us and the ability to create the whole heart necessary to overcome the obstacles in front of us. The work of doing big things does not require doing more; it is a method to being more.

      This wisdom is one of the primary reasons why the DBT Framework is so powerful: Its mechanics are always turned on, and always available to us. What's necessary is to make the complex, simple; the mundane, inspiring; and that which seems to take forever, achieved quickly. The vision for the team becomes the reality now.