Can, Want, Do. The three core drivers of performance and achievement for individuals and teams. Today, let’s explore the combination of these three drivers as a whole a bit more fully before we get into the specifics of each and how we can simply and powerfully leverage them personally and for our teams.

These three combine to make results happen—and none of them by themselves is sufficient to do so. Can, Want and Do are not the proverbial three-legged stool of equals. They are a formula for delivering and improving results, once you know what you want to do.  Before Can Want and Do can work their magic, you must know what you want to accomplish– something that creates more value than what you began with. Can, Want and Do are no substitute for vision and purpose or, for a business, a business model that “works” by creating profit when executed.  Simply put: Can + Want x Do = Results.  First, you must define what you value and the measured results you will achieve.

Value

Can, Want and Do are the building blocks of growing value. Most of us first think of value in the financial sense of the term. How much more money do we have today than yesterday, last week, or the year before?—and how that money compares to others with whom we compete or compare ourselves. Growing $ value is certainly important– and essential for a business in order to survive, grow and continue doing things that create other forms of value. Growing financial value is one of many forms of creating value in the complete definition of the word. Value can include social good, survival, pride, personal growth, making a difference (more on meaning to come in future posts) and more. What brings value to you in your life?

Can, Want and Do are the ingredients that let us achieve whatever we have decided we value. By building, improving and measuring Can, Want and Do effectively, we significantly multiply the potential of creating whatever we choose to value—including financial growth.

CAN: Do I (and my team) have whatever it is we need to do what we would like to do?  Do we know how to do it? Are we good at doing it? Can we get better? Do we have the tools to do it? Supplies? Are we better at doing it than others? If not, it might be time to get better at doing it or let someone else do it and do what you are better at doing than anyone else.

Can is essential. If there is something we value that truly can’t be achieved, we need to redefine what we value and let go of that dream until a time comes when it is achievable.  (That’s rarely true but does apply to some goals. For example, traveling to another solar system with today’s technology). With a challenging and possible to achieve goal, figuring out what it takes to say Yes, we can! is an essential part of the formula.

WANT: Is this something We/I truly want to achieve? Do we intensely and passionately value it? Are we committed to it? Could we become more committed to it–so we do it even better, faster, more cost-effectively and with more value creation?  Can we grow our Want to an even greater and more powerful level? Does everyone on the team want the same result? If not…what are we going to do about that?

Without Want we can have all the Can in the universe—but very little Do will happen. To the degree Do does occur without much Want, it will be easy for someone else who has more Want to out-Do us, even if they have less Can. Because they will use the Can they have with greater energy and purpose—eventually building more Can as a result of their Want.

Want is in the middle of Can, Want, Do—because without Want, neither Can nor Do will create much value.

DO: Nothing matters until we Do it.  Before that, it’s just a dream. A possibility of what could be real. Of course, everything starts as a vision of what could occur. It is the aligned, purposeful and always improving execution of that vision, powered by Want and Can that makes it real. There are lots of tools to help us focus, align and measure our Do so we get better at our Doing every day.  Doing and doing better all the time is where Can and Want meet the road and make whatever we choose to value happen.

Did you notice the multiplier in Can + Want x Do = Results? Doing multiplies the commitment in Want and the ability in Can into actual, real world value. Without Do, Can + Want = 0.

Future posts will explore Can, Want and Do as distinct concepts.  I’m hoping this will become a conversation among us. So bring on your ideas, reactions, debates and build-ons!  I will certainly share insights and examples on what I have learned from those who taught me—and hope that you will share your insights and experiences too.

My next post will explore the deepest, most important Want of all.