Planning to Achieve…

It’s that time again.  The beginning of the new year:

In the beginning there was the Plan

And then came the Assumptions…

And the Assumptions were without form…

And the Plan was without Substance...

And Darkness was upon the face of the Workers…

And the Workers spoke among themselves saying,

“It is a crock of sh&! and it stinks.”

And the Workers went unto their Supervisors and said,

“It is a crock of dung and we cannot live with the smell.”

And the Supervisors went unto their Managers saying,

“It is a container of organic waste, and it is very strong, such that none may abide by it.”

And the Managers went unto their Directors, saying,

“It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength.”

And the Directors spoke among themselves, saying to one another,

“It contains that which aids plant growth, and it is very strong.”

And the Directors went to the Vice Presidents, saying unto them,

“It promotes growth, and it is very powerful.”

And the Vice Presidents went to the President, saying unto him,

“It has very powerful effects.”

And the President looked upon the Plan and saw that it was good.

And the Plan became Policy…

And that is how sh&! happens.

                   Unknown Sage

Setting personal goals is a more serious matter.  Geoffrey Albery suggests:

The first and most important thing about goals is having one. 

Don’t have a template?  Here’s one:

4-quadrants; leveraging the “Principle of Balance”.  Financial and Personal Development speak for themselves, yes?  There’s a Family goals quadrant.  Are you family oriented?  OK, go ahead and write down a couple of your family goals; we’ll wait.

Not sure about Fulfillment?  Our Unknown Sage offers this:

Life is measured by the number of moments that take our breath away.

I like to keep a list of breath-taking moments.  Achieving one reinforces the awesome power of wonder; reminders of  God’s blessings.  After all:

Who wants a dream that’s near-fetched?

Howard Schultz

So here’s to pursuing goals, a balanced life, and far-fetched dreams.  May 2025 be our best year yet!

GAP

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Checklist? Check…

We went on a vacation this past September.  We always enjoyed going on vacation; even more so perhaps back in the day when I was working fulltime: 

A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking. 

Earl Wilson 

When preparing for our trips we use a checklist.  I’m a huge fan of checklists.  I suppose I developed this appreciation during my 40+ years as a sales professional.  In his book The Checklist Manifesto©, Atul Gawande put it best, this way: 

You want people to make sure to get the stupid stuff right.  Yet you also want to leave room for craft and judgment and the ability to respond to unexpected difficulties that arise along the way. 

“…get the stupid stuff right…”  I love that! 

In my experience, one of the most common opportunities for issues to “arise along the way”  comes during that phase of the software selling motion referred to as “The Demo”.  There are terrific resource available to those of us involved with product demonstrations.  One of my favorites is this Self-Evaluation Form provided by Julie Hansen.  However, Atul might say to Julie, it’s actually what happens before the demo that counts. 

I can remember to this day a demo I was scheduled to deliver to the Missouri Dairy Association back in 1985 (the Dark Ages).  They were interested in hiring my company to craft a custom “Personal System” but for dairy cows vs. actual people.  (I know, right?)  Because it was a custom project, I worked with my development team to go over MDA’s specs and come up with a workable solution. 

Once we thought we were ready, I traveled to Springfield, Missouri to demonstrate a mock-up.  Before leaving on the trip, I checked and doubled checked that I knew the log-in to our development system; I had my demo flow scripted and rehearsed; I brought a “Memorandum of Understanding” outlining the parameters of the project (e.g. price; development timeline; implementation; training; ongoing support; the works).  I didn’t have an actual checklist, but I was confident I had all my bases covered. 

Arriving at the prospect’s offices the first thing I realized was I was the only one suited-up.  Cowboy hats, belt buckles, and boots were preferred by my prospect.  I totally missed the “stupid stuff” about checking on appropriate attire.  However, they were accommodating (amused, too I bet!) and we settled in to a cramped and dusty office for the meeting. 

I successfully logged in and tested my connection to our development system (located in Chicago).  Everything was going according to plan.  That’s when Atul’s “unexpected difficulties” arose.  A message was broadcasted across my screen that the HQ IT staff would be “rebooting the development system in 5 minutes.  It will be offline for the next 2 hours”!

You guessed it…  in all of my preparation I forgot to confirm the development system would be available at that specific date and time.  (We never took the demo system down during business hours.  I assumed… well… you know how that saying goes!)  I was unable to reach the development team in time to prevent the impending doom.  As we were all were gathered around my PC we watched the system (and my deal) go dark. 

That trip contributed to my fledgling Dark Ages Computing ® library of experiences and my growing appreciation for checklists. 

When I returned …  I was ready for a vacation! 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Planning 2022?

I reviewed my 2021 Annual Achievement Plan over the holidays.  Thinking Covid had disrupted every aspect of my life I was pleasantly surprised to see all I had accomplished last year.  Perked me up a bit for 2022.      

Too disillusioned for planning you say?  Our Unknown Sage understands: 

In the beginning there was the Plan

And then came the Assumptions…

And the Assumptions were without form…

And the Plan was without Substance...

And Darkness was upon the face of the Workers…

And the Workers spoke among themselves saying, “It is a crock of sh&! and it stinks.” 

And the Workers went unto their Supervisors and said, “It is a crock of dung and we cannot live with the smell.” 

And the Supervisors went unto their Managers saying, “It is a container of organic waste, and it is very strong, such that none may abide by it.” 

And the Managers went unto their Directors, saying, “It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength.” 

And the Directors spoke among themselves, saying to one another, “It contains that which aids plant growth, and it is very strong.” 

And the Directors went to the Vice Presidents, saying unto them, “It promotes growth, and it is very powerful.” 

And the Vice Presidents went to the President, saying unto him, “It has very powerful effects.” 

And the President looked upon the Plan and saw that it was good. 

And the Plan became Policy… 

And that is how sh&! happens. 

Too busy for goal-setting perhaps?  Geoffrey Albery suggests: 

The first and most important thing about goals is having one.  

When writing goals I believe it’s wise to leverage the “Principle of Balance”:

I remember while leading top sales teams, I would occasionally hear one of my Producers say that being family-oriented was more important than sales/financial success.  OK… but I believe one of the best ways to care for our families is to be successful. 

The Principle of Balance reinforces the importance of writing, family goals.  Go ahead – take a moment to write down your 2022 family goals; we’ll wait. 

The importance of the Personal Development is another key to achievement.  As the business book title suggests, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There ©.  

That leads us to the quite personal quadrant of Fulfillment.  Our Unknown Sage puts it this way: 

Life is measured by the number of moments that take our breath away. 

Yes, I advocate writing an Annual Achievement Plan; with measurable goals; tracking milestones; striving to make each year my best year yet...  I also believe in the power of imagination; the presence of magic; and the blessings God bestows.  

Go ahead - add your list of fantasies to your 2022 Plan.  And “DREAM BIG!” James Collins in Built to Last © called them: 

Big, Hairy Audacious Goals! 

In our life, dreams and fantasies should be big, hairy, and audacious; always “taking our breath away”.  After all: 

Who wants a dream that’s near-fetched?  

Howard Schultz 

When we realize the fulfillment of one of our fantasies, don’t cross it off the list.  Keep it as a constant reminder of the power and awe of living our life to the fullest! 

Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting, Holy sh@#, what a ride! 

Unknown Sage 

So here’s to 2022 – may it be our most fulfilling year yet! 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

2021 – A year of Fulfillment?

 What kind of year will 2021 be?  Well, to make it fulfilling I believe it’s always best to start at the beginning…by writing out our Annual Achievement Plan.  

Too busy for planning or goal-setting?  We could take a few baby steps.  Let’s begin our beginning with a point of reference: 

The first and most important thing about goals is having one. 

Geoffrey Albery 

Of course, planning for success is more than just thinking about a few goals.  Unwritten goals without corresponding milestones are merely “hope” and as the business book title suggests, Hope is Not a Strategy©. 

As we write down our goals with corresponding milestones, I believe it’s also wise to leverage the “Principle of Balance”: 

I remember while leading top sales teams, I would occasionally hear one of my Producers say that being family-oriented was more important than sales success.  OK… but one of the best ways to care for my family is to be successful in sales (or whatever career one pursues). 

I do agree that to be balanced it is important to have family goals as part of our Annual Achievement Plan.  It could be taking a family vacation; dedicating time each day with the kids; “unplugging” while at dinner with our spouse; calling Mom and Dad each week.  All those “little things” that make a big difference to our loved ones. 

Go ahead – take a moment to write down your 2021 family goals; we can wait. 

The importance of the Personal Development quadrant in our plan is another key to achievement.  As the business book title suggests, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There©.  Writing goals in this quadrant reinforces the Principle of Balance. 

That leads us to the Fulfillment quadrant.  Fulfillment in life is quite personal.  Our favorite, Unknown Sage puts it this way: 

Life is measured by the number of moments that take our breath away. 

Although I advocate writing an Annual Achievement Plan; with measurable goals; corresponding milestones; striving to make each year my best year yet...  I also believe in the power of imagination; the presence of magic; and the blessings God bestows on us. 

The idea for this quadrant came from a former colleague of mine, Peter Goodwin.  He believed in the annual planning process, but added a unique twist to his that I have since adopted.  Each year I write down a list of fantasies that if I could be so blessed in my lifetime, I may realize. 

Go ahead - add your list of fantasies to your 2021 Plan.  And “DREAM BIG!” In a business context James Collins (writing about companies in his book, Built to Last©) called them: 

Big, Hairy Audacious Goals! 

In our life, dreams and fantasies should be big, hairy, and audacious; such achievements should always “take our breath away”.  After all: 

Who wants a dream that’s near-fetched?  

Howard Schultz 

Then, when we realize the fulfillment of one of our fantasies, don’t cross it off the list.  It should remain on our Annual Achievement Plan every year with the date of the fulfillment.  That will serve as a constant reminder of the power and awe of living our life to the fullest! 

Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting, Holy sh@#, what a ride! 

Unknown Sage 

So here’s to 2021 – may it be our most fulfilling year yet! 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.