View your work and your life through a strategic lens, make smart decisions based on your insight and your intelligence, and implement those decisions.
Let’s first consider some common myths about business roles:
[extracted from E-Myth Revisited, by Michael Gerber]
- The Entrepreneur works on the business; devising and implementing functions that include marketing, planning, building, and reviewing revenue and profit. He/she is the dreamer, lives in the future, thrives on change, and craves control.
- The Manager focuses on hiring, training, mentoring, and growing talent. He/she is the thinker, tends to live in the past, clings to the status quo, and craves order.
- The Technician works in the business. He/she is the doer, loves to tinker, and lives in the present.
In reality, as an owner or principal of an organization, particularly an entrepreneurial one, it is imperative that you work at the best and highest use of your time, typically in the role of the entrepreneur and manager more than the technician. The problem is that most of us start our businesses and prefer to work in the technician role. That’s the fatal flaw.
Establishing Values, Mission, Vision, and Goals
Now that we’re a bit more firmly planted in reality, let’s clarify the notion of values, mission, vision and goals, and let’s discuss strategies for identifying, refining and implementing yours.
- Values are enduring beliefs that you and your organization hold in common and endeavor to put into action.
- Your firm’s mission is its enduring purpose.
- A vision is a picture of a desired future that supports the mission, or an image of the future we seek to create.
- Goals are those things that you envision for yourself at some point in the future – I suggest 10 years out. Think about each of the areas bellow, and picture what you will be doing (and with whom):
- Fun and adventure
- Health and wellness
- Relationships
- Personal development
- Finance
- Professional
Given this information, ask yourself:
- What are you in the business of doing? Define it, write it down, pare it to the essential value proposition.
- Why do you do what you do? Again, get to the essence.
- How do you do what you do?
- What distinguishes you from your competitors?
- And by the way, do you know who your competition is?
The old adage holds true: If you fail to plan, you will plan to fail.
In our next post, we’ll identify strategies that can help you regain control of your life. Until then, please contact Pivot Growth Partners with questions or needs regarding executive coaching, team training, talent strategy or career coaching: info@pivotgrowthpartners.com or 440.914.0722.