Personal Productivity
Do you have a strategy?
AUTHOR: Francisco Sáez
Well, you should. Especially in these times. Because the current crisis is not going to leave things as before. Yes, some day it will end, but the way that companies and individuals look at each other will never be the same.
It is increasingly important that we are able to manage our own personal brand. As Tom Peters predicted in his 1997 article The Brand Called You, we must be aware that we are our own brand to stand out and prosper in this new world. Whether you work for a company, you are self-employed or even unemployed, you have to know that you are the CEO of an organization called Me Inc.
And, as a senior executive of a company, you should take care of its strategic management, that is, the process of defining the organization’s objectives, developing policies and plans to achieve these objectives, and obtain the necessary resources to implement those plans.
This process must be realistic and try to exploit your advantages (skills, differences, power…) in the environment to which you are going. Having a strategy will provide you direction, but before defining it, you should be clear about the following terms:
- Mission. Is your reason for being. The mission describes what you are capable of providing (product/service), who you serve (market) and what sets you apart from the others (competitive advantage).
- Vision. It is what you aspire to. How is the future you want to have?
- Values. What is important to you as an individual? How do you relate to others? Your values will help you make many decisions.
- Goals. They are different directions to which you want to head to improve yourself. They are qualitative in nature.
- Objectives. They are specific milestones you want to accomplish in a specified period of time.
- Strategy. Finally, the strategy in a comprehensive program of actions. It should cover at least one year and be broken down into more detailed monthly or quarterly plans, so you can get focused and track it properly.
Before you start selling a confusing brand, write on paper all these concepts and call it Strategic Plan. Then review it every month. All your projects and actions must contribute to your strategy, which in turn must be connected to your vision and purpose.
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