Here we are in mid January, and you and I have the opportunity to change the world this year.
-or find a cure to xxx (fill in the blank of the type of disease),
or fix the U.S. economic entanglement in xxx ("China" definitely fills in the blank here),
But...each of us does have the power to make a material difference to our little piece of the world in 2016.
All of this comes down to your own personal planning, the management of your own time, your personal commitment and your belief in yourself.
"Your Personal CTW Plan"
- Work through the details
- Figure out the activities you need to do throughout this year
- Commit to continuously reviewing these every three months.
The four simple bullets above provide the framework of what you need to do to start this process, and it's a perfect example of both business and personal planning at its best. Just take some time early tomorrow morning and use these first few hours of your Saturday, before anyone else is up, have your coffee in your favorite cup beside you, have your computer booted up, but shut off your email and social feeds.
The simply write down...
I recently had breakfast with Joe Volman from Burns & Levison, a bright guy, a Tufts grad and a great lawyer who just completed a deal for us in a company where I'm a board member. In his already super-packed life, Joe has now volunteered to take over the helm of being the President of ACGBoston, one of my favorite business organizations in the city. Each of the prior leaders of this superb association like Peter Alternative, Jan Shields, Ben Proctor and Den White, to name just a few standouts, have made a huge impact not only on the organization, but most importantly on the business lives of many of their members. Sounds like a small CTW when written this way, but not so small if you are one of the recipients of that outreach, that engagement, and that connection to the perfect PE firm or investment banker.
Back in December, I had the opportunity to be a speaker for Jamie Grant's company, Year Up. Jamie was one of the co-founders of the very successful investment banking firm, Mirus Capital Advisors, and two years ago called me to let me know that he was going to lead this amazing not-for-profit that gives directly back to young students exiting high school who need that one more year of getting themselves ready for the business world or maybe for college life. My experience in talking with these young men and women in December was just simply outstanding to listen to their stories and their aspirations. Did I change the world of anyone during my talk that day? No, not really. Does Jamie and his staff? Yep, every single day!
Changed the World? Not quite, but it was personally very rewarding to have a Tanzanian senior cabinet minister recently reach out to me to let me know that he was coming to Washington and wanted to meet since he still remembered our classes together. On my side of the fence, the Peace Corps certainly changed my own world forever creating another sharp right turn into business when I came back to the US.
So, as we sit here this morning thinking about maybe going skiing or doing some other fun thing, especially on this Martin Luther King weekend, think about what it is that you can most contribute in this long year ahead, and a year in which there will be substantive change.
Where can you put a stake in the sand to "Change the World" of your business, of your health, of your kid's school, or in the community in which you live. Changing the world doesn't have to be huge; it just has to be rewarding to both you and your employees, your friends or your teammates.
Have a great weekend, and think about taking an hour early tomorrow morning thinking about your own personal plan to change the world!
Best of success, health and happiness in this coming year !
Derby Management...for 25 years
-Sales & Marketing Productivity Experts
-Business & Strategy Planning Specialists
-Senior Management Coaches for CEOs & VPs
Box 171322, Boston, MA 02117
Jack's Cell: 617-504-4222