In honor of Steve Jobs, let’s take every opportunity to pursue our dreams and focus on what it is most important to us. In the hours since his passing I have reflected on how much he not only emphasized in his words but more importantly lived his life pursuing his Read more…
Overcoming the temptation to procrastinate can be challenging with the constant inflow of email, calls, seemingly pressing but not critical tasks, and 24/7 social networking. But you don’t want what you aren’t doing to stand in the way of your own success. With two businesses and family priorities on my Read more…
An effective, supportive network can serve as your own personal advisory council and see you through life’s twists and turns. While it can be tempting to reserve networking for job hunting, cultivating your network on an ongoing basis is a powerful strategy for meeting your business and career goals. The best networks are Read more…
In the midst of never ending projects, emails, calls, colleagues stopping by to chat, and social media updates, do you have a clear perspective of which are the most important goals you want to achieve in your professional and personal life?
It is so easy to be pulled into the maelstrom of seemingly urgent tasks and lose sight of what will really take your career to the next level, or more importantly, feel most satisfying to you personally.
What are the top three professional goals that will take your organization and career to the next level? What about in your personal life? What is truly most important to achieve and how will you know you have succeeded?
Whether you are an entrepreneur or a professional serving a large or small private sector company or a nonprofit, keeping your eye on three overarching goals and the milestones and measures to get you there is critical for success. The same is true for your personal life — for example, striving to keep work/life balance through getting regular exercise and/or spending quality time with your family.
It is easy to be distracted by the endless mundane but seemingly urgent everyday projects and talks, but they do not position your organization or your career for the future.
Does your organizations have three clear goals and messages that are most important for success?
Do you keep an eye on changing trends in the marketplace, your constituents’ needs and wants, and the impact of constantly changing technology? And then regularly update your goals?
Having overarching goals for your organization gives staff a shared understanding of your future and your priorities. It is also vital to know the strategies, milestones, and measures that illustrate what success looks like.
It is common over the years for organizations to have a wide variety of products, programs, projects, and procedures that evolve to meet different staff’s interests and expertise. But do they serve the mission and guiding strategies for the organization? Or do they eat up time that could be better utilized to ensure the future you envision?
What is the most critical factor that individuals and organizations need to succeed in any personal or professional challenge? Reflecting on my conversations with hundreds of people from California to Cleveland to Washington, DC and New York who have shared how the economy has impacted their businesses and personal lives, I believe the answer is resilience.
A strong, resilient spirit sparks the optimism, ingenuity, and foresight to explore new opportunities, adapt to a constantly changing marketplace, and see opportunity in the possibilities ahead.
Adversity happens. There are situations you cannot control, it’s how you react to them that counts. It’s how you try to foresee what might happen in the future and proactively plan that will see you through.