Just coming out of my power week this first week of January, which is something I do at the end of every year. During that week I take a step back and reflect on where I came from, any progress I have made, where I am currently, and where I would like to go. That one-week allows me to really chart a good course for the next 12 months.
When I have worked with investors to help them improve their processes and make better decisions, one of the biggest challenges is becoming comfortable with change. We must first admit that we are not perfect and look at areas for improvement. I have a series of steps that I utilize to plan out exactly how to make those improvements.
Step 1. Decide on your mission
What are you really trying to accomplish, how are you going to outperform, how are you going to generate additional returns or add value for your clients? All of these should be considered. You should also think about what your mission is both personally and professionally, and also decide exactly how you define yourself.
Years ago, when I was really focusing on Stephen Covey’s work (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People), I wrote a personal mission statement. This year I rewrote that mission statement for the first time in many years. It was an extremely unique exercise and interesting to see how my mission statement has evolved over the years.
Step 2. Set goals
Once you have figured out your mission, you need to set goals. You know who you want to be and now you need to figure out exactly what you need to do to get closer to that idealized vision, for example, who you want to portray of social media.
This process is all about setting goals and finding your strengths that you can build upon and the weaknesses you need to address. As in investor consider the parts of your process that are solid and the parts that there are some gaps. Break down and detail your process from the moment you sit down in the morning and first power up your computer and work through your routine.
Step 3. Set priorities
Now the moment comes when the planning is done and you know how you wan to improve things, but you have to put the plan into action and execute it. I am at this particularly painful stage where my planning is done and I have to execute. This means setting intentional priorities every week, reflecting on who I want to be, the goals I have to get me there and focusing on the priorities that are going to really help me attack those goals and make significant progress.
My question for you this week is in two parts; take a look at these steps and determine:
1. How well do you think those steps are in alignment for you?
2. What can you do to address any misalignments?
RR#6,
Dave
Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. Please see the Disclaimer page for full details.
