Career Success Partners

2012 Personal Plan - Step 17 - Use Support Analysis to Create Possible Strategies

Day 17 of 31 days to Creating Your Inspiring Personal Plan for 2012

Back in Step 12, you identified some supporting elements of your Vision statement. These elements are things that you rate highly, along with pursuit of your Core element. Some examples: If “family” is not the core element, then I expect that “family” is an important support element for many of you. If your vocation (or your desired vocation) was not a core element for you, then I expect that some measure of vocational success is an important supporting element for many of you.

In the last step (Step 16), you focused on brainstorming possible strategies for accelerating success with regard to your Core element. In today’s step, you move on to the Support elements of your Vision statement. For each supporting element that you have included in your Vision statement, write down at least two different strategies of how you could accelerate success with regard to that element.

Just to be clear, if your Vision statement includes four supporting elements, then you should be adding a total of eight potential strategies to the list that you started in Step 14 (and which should have approximately fifteen potential strategies already on the list).

Click HERE to continue reading the full "17th Step" article -- Use Support Analysis to Create Possible Strategies.

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: Andy@CRGLeaders.com, 239-285-5575

Photo Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

2012 Personal Plan - Step 16 - Use Core Analysis to Create Possible Strategies

Day 16 of 31 days to Creating Your Inspiring Personal Plan for 2012

In the last step (Step 15), you focused on brainstorming possible strategies for leveraging your strengths, a key element of your Vision statement. In today’s step, you move on to the “core” of your Vision statement. Remember the “core” is that part of your Vision statement that is most important to your fulfilling your Life Purpose (Step 12).

For this step, add at least five potential strategies to the list of potential strategies you started developing back in Step 14.

The question you should ask to develop these five potential strategies is “how can I accelerate my success at making the core element in my Vision statement become a current reality?” “How” at the 40,000 ft level represents a strategy. I am noticing that some of you, in your eagerness to set 2012 goals, are missing the strategy focus and speeding right on to throwing up goals that you have carried, sometimes for years, as a strategy.

Hopefully, the following illustration will clarify the difference between a strategy and a goal. “Being a best-selling author to accelerate the growth of my coaching practice” would be a strategy. “Completing my book on ‘Mastering Change’ in 2012” is a goal. The former has longevity beyond one event; the latter might be the 2012 goal that would fit under the strategy of “Being a best-selling author to accelerate the growth of my coaching practice.”

I urge that you not truncate the process. You deserve better than to go into 2012 with a rehash of goals that, in many cases, haven’t been all that effective for you in the past. We are working at the strategy level now; please be patient, we will soon move to goals. Keep in mind that having goals that aren’t built on sound strategies is a recipe for disaster. Or, at minimum, a recipe for mediocrity. You really deserve better!

So, look at the core element of your Vision and start writing down ways you might accelerate success in achieving your Vision. For now, don’t constrain your thinking by limitations that you might feel you have with regard to time, money, or the like. Consultants, coaches, mentors, etc. this is a time for you to give yourself the benefit of your very best thinking. Step out from thinking about yourself and imagine you were counseling someone with your wonderful strengths.

Click HERE to continue reading the full "16th Step" article -- Use Core Analysis to Create Possible Strategies.

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: Andy@CRGLeaders.com, 239-285-5575

Photo Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

2012 Personal Plan - Step 15 - Use Strengths Analysis to Create Possible Strategies

Day 15 of 31 days to Creating Your Inspiring Personal Plan for 2012

In Step 4, you were to get input about your strengths from people who knew you well. Now, it is time to put that input to powerful use. Before showing you how, I want to share some background.

For far too many years of my life, my corporate planning work and personal planning focused as much on “curing” weaknesses as it did on making better use of strengths. Over the last decade, I have come to believe that corporate winners and individual winners place much more focus on leveraging their strengths. In other words, the put more focus on how to better use their strengths.

I hope that you have built into your Vision statement the philosophy of leveraging your strengths (using whatever words resonate best with YOU). If you have not done so, I encourage you to reconsider doing so as described in the second half of the instructions for Step 12.

If you agree that making better use of your strengths could accelerate your success, then the relevant question becomes “how can you better use your strengths to accelerate your success?” “How” at the 40,000 ft level represents a strategy.

For this step, add at least five potential strategies to the list of potential strategies you started in the previous step (Step 14). As you hopefully did yesterday, set aside judgment as to whether you can actually do what you dream up for this step. Remember that:

 One definition of insanity is expecting changed results without changed behaviors.

For you to have a significantly better year in 2012 than you had in 2011, some things will have to change.

Click HERE to continue reading the full "15th Step" article -- Use Strengths Analysis to Create Possible Strategies.

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: Andy@CRGLeaders.com, 239-285-5575

Photo Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

2012 Personal Plan - Step 14 - Use Gap Analysis to Create Possible Strategies

Day 14 of 31 days to Creating Your Inspiring Personal Plan for 2012

I am delighted to be hearing about empowering Vision statements that participants have created. Through Twitter and Facebook direct messages, some participants have been sharing the personal Vision statements that they have crafted over the last week and then polished in Step 13. As promised in the last step, if you would like to see my Vision statement, email me yours. (Connect with me on either Facebook or Twitter and request the email for your send. Doing so will not add you to any mailing list; I am using the exchange offer solely as a means to give participants a little added motivation to complete their Vision statement. If I just posted mine, some would be tempted to just read it and not get on with actually writing their own Vision statement.)

Remember, as I explained yesterday, because of the sheer number of participants in this process, I will not be able to offer suggestions on improving your statement. But, hopefully my vision statement will help you to continue to polish yours. My personal Vision statement is not returned to you by auto-responder so please be patient as to how quickly I return mine to you. (If you haven’t received mine within 48 hours, please resend yours. Also, be sure to first check your spam box since I will not have been white listed by you and my email to you may get caught in your spam filters.) Email me your Vision statement to obtain your copy of mine as yet another tool to polish yours.

With your Vision statement in hand, you are now ready to move on to creating strategies for accelerating success in making your Vision become your current reality. One of my favorite mantras is:

Dream it.
Plan it.
Then, just do it!

For one solid week, I will be working with you to create the strategies that will enable you to turn the Vision statement that you find empowering into an accurate statement of how you are living your life. In the next six steps, I will show you how to generate fresh ideas on strategies that can accelerate your success. Then, on the seventh day, you will choose from among the many possible strategies to select the five or six that you are most excited about pursuing.

The key to getting the most from this process is to really, really open you mind up to new approaches to accelerating your success. The most empowering Vision statement will be worth little if you choose to implement it by just continuing to do the same “old things.” In today’s step and that of the next five sessions, I need you to brainstorm. Set aside your judgment as to what you can do, what you have the resources to do, etc. Your task for this week is to surface some great potential ideas on things you can do to accelerate the speed at which your empowering Vision becomes a statement of how you are currently living your life.

In today’s step and in the next five steps, I will be sharing with you a new methodology, each day, for surfacing powerful strategies. Write down every idea that comes from the process this week. Resist the temptation to judge the ideas as you will get to do that in the seventh session.

Click HERE to continue reading the full "14th Step" article -- Use Gap Analysis to Create Possible Strategies.

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: Andy@CRGLeaders.com, 239-285-5575

Photo Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

2012 Personal Plan - Step 13 - Polish Your Vision Statement 'til It Shines

Day 13 of 31 days to Creating Your Inspiring Personal Plan for 2012

Today is step 13 of the 31 step process for crafting a personal plan for 2012 that will inspire you and accelerate your success in 2012. Although not quite half way complete with the steps, you are over the hump. As described in the last step (Step 12), drafting your Vision statement is the “hump” in the process. And, if you have completed each of the previous steps, you are over the hump.Congratulations!

Today, ease back some and reflect on the awesome progress you have made in less than two weeks. You now have written:

• Six elements of your Desired Legacy (Step 7)
• Life Purpose Statement (Step 8)
• Draft Vision Statement (Step 12)
• First pass at list of Opportunities for 2012 (Step 6)
• First pass at your Planning Assumptions for 2012 (Step 5)

You also hopefully have a better perspective on all that you accomplished in 2011 (Step 3) and the strengths with which you are blessed (Step 4). And, you have identified role models for key elements of your Vision Statement. (Step 11). Awesome!

Tomorrow, in Step 14, we begin the process of crafting Success Strategies for 2012. These will then be translated to 2012 Goals. The 2012 Goals will then be tied to metrics that will enable you to track your success in 2012. And, worry not, if you keep doing a step each day, you will have a well crafted plan in less than three weeks from today.

Today is a great day to polish your Vision Statement. Here are some polishing tips:

1)   Your Vision statement should be aspirational (for you). It should include the essence of what you aspire to live your life like. As an example, “to be a spiritual leader” is an OK core to one’s Vision Statement. But, if one truly believed in the importance of what one is doing, one would want to maximize the reach of one’s message. Thus, a more aspiring core would be “to be a pre-eminent spiritual leader” or, perhaps, “a spiritual leader with widespread visibility.” Make sure that your draft Vision Statement has the richness that modifiers and quantifiers add to the key elements of your Vision Statement.

Click HERE to continue reading the full "13th Step" article -- Polish Your Vision Statement 'til It Shines.

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: Andy@CRGLeaders.com, 239-285-5575

Photo Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

2012 Personal Plan - Step 12 - Create a Vision Statement

Day 12 of 31 days to Creating Your Inspiring Personal Plan for 2012

Congratulations! You have reached the “hump” point in the 31 day/step process for building a compelling personal plan for 2012.  You are starting to build much needed “completion muscle” that will make the remainder of the process increasingly easy. (If you have reached this point without having done the previous 11 steps, please complete the previous steps before starting in on this step, the seminal step in the process. If you somehow have just come upon this page, you are fortunate because you can still develop a compelling plan for 2012 by starting here.)

It is time to build your Vision statement that provides the engine to the life purpose you defined in Step 8. Built correctly, your vision statement should have you living your life in a manner that assures your desired legacy (Step 7) will become a reality. Your Vision statement will also power the goals you will develop over the coming week and pursue in 2012.

A thoughtfully crafted personal Vision statement will empower you.

You will operate with a greater sense of knowing where you are going in life and how you will get there.

Today, you will draft your personal Vision statement and the step for tomorrow is to then polish that statement. For today, just get something written down on paper. Don’t just thing about it. Get something down on paper. Writing or typing is empowering. Set aside expectations of perfection as this step is just about creating a draft for your own eyes. If you are prone to delay drafting because of perfectionism, please read this excellent, quick-read guest blog post by the very talented Janet Vanderhoof:Perfectionism: What a Killer!

To prime your drafting, gather the following inputs needed for this task:

• Your list of six attributes of your Desired Legacy (Step 7)
• Your statement of Life Purpose (Step 8)
• Your list of elements you want to weave into your Vision statement (Step 9)
• Your list of role models for each of the elements you wish to weave into your Vision statement (Step 11)

(You will be using the results of Step 10 in the validation process of your Vision statement.)

When you have these materials arrayed in front of you, select one element that you want to be the cornerstone for your Vision statement. It should be the element that you feel strongly best connects to your life purpose. For some, this most important element might be a vocational passion. For some, it might be a passion around family. For some, it might be a passion with respect to the Divine. And, for some, it might be to master a skill or craft.

 Click HERE to continue reading the full "12th Step" article -- Create a Vision Statement.

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: Andy@CRGLeaders.com, 239-285-5575

Photo Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

2012 Personal Plan - Step 11 - Select Relevant Role Models

Day 11 of 31 days to Creating Your Inspiring Personal Plan for 2012

Yesterday, I promised you that I would be lightening your load with today’s step. And, I really like to stay true to my word. So let’s have a little fun that will help speed your success in 2012

Tomorrow, you will take your first shot at drafting your personal vision statement. When you see the assistance I am going to give you tomorrow, I know you are going to be able to draft a vision statement that will empower you.

But, before I show you some tools for drafting your vision statement, you need to do one last preparatory step. It is a step that participants in the process routinely tell me is one of the easiest steps and one of the most fun.

If you are following the steps sequentially (and I sure hope you are), you know that in Step 9 you developed a list of elements that you will be weaving into your vision statement. In Step 10, you demonstrated how these various elements weave together by supporting one another.

Now, I need you to identify one role model for each of the elements you are going to weave into your plan.

Lets say that you have identified being in good physical condition as being an element you want to weave into your vision statement. (And through the weave analysis in the previous step you have seen how being in good shape would be helpful in all [or almost all] of the elements you want to weave into your vision statement. So, I need you to identify a relevant role model that you respect or admire with regard to being in good physical shape. By relevant, I mean relevant for you at your stage of life, vocation, etc.

Click HERE to continue reading the full "11th Step" article -- Select Relevant Role Models.

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: Andy@CRGLeaders.com, 239-285-5575

Photo Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

January - The PERFECT Time to Plan Your Best Year Ever

Okay .... the holidays are behind us and the reality of a New Year is upon us.  Many of my clients and friends (including myself) had the intention to formulate their goals and plans for 2012 before the end of the year -- during "available" holiday period time.  But .... as most of us found, the much talked about "available" time got consumed with other (and probably equally [or more] important) holiday and family activities.

 

So....what to do?  Make JANUARY your 2012 Plan development month.  Set a personal goal of formulating a COMPELLING personal and professional Plan for the year before the end of January.  Doable?  Absolutely!

 

In support of the above contention, I read an excellent article today posted on one of my favorite blogsites -- www.LifeHack.org (check it out).  The article, "Why You Should Start Your New Year in FEBRUARY," makes a number of compelling points (Read the full article HERE):

• The Holidays are Hectic - You’ve just come off of a hectic holiday season – and for some of us that started back in early November. You’ve been on the move since then, attending holiday parties, eating copious amounts of food and frantically trying to wrap up all of your open loops before the end of the year hits. 

• Make a SINGLE Resolution on January 1st - If you make a single resolution to take the first month of the calendar year to focus on the future through reflection and planning without the baggage of a worn out body and mind, wouldn’t you have a higher chance of achieving what you set out to do?

• Focus On a Quality Plan in January - Make January a month of setting yourself up rather than sprinting in to the new year with full intentions and not enough energy to see them through over the long haul. Remember that a year is a marathon, not a sprint.

 

To assist you in your effort, I offer the TWO following powerful PLANNING TOOLS, both of which I highly recommend ... and one of which I am PERSONALLY USING (as noted below):

• Launching 2012 with an Inspiring Personal Plan -- The 31-Day Success Plan offered (for free) by Accerate Success Blog host, Dave Carpenter (this is the one I am personally using and the one a number of my clients are using).  I am presenting Dave's Plan through a series of postings on MY own blogsite, Career Success Partners, and my Community site, Career Success Community over the coming days and weeks (check it out).

• Goal-Setting and Actions Workbook -- Presented later this week by Scott Dinsmore's "Live Your Legend Blog" (check it out).

January is a great month to reflect, inventory your prior year achievements and prepare and plan for the months to come.  You'll be MUCH better prepared in January to devote the quality of time and effort needed to formulate a powerful and compelling personal and professional Plan for 2012 -- one that will enable you to look back at the end of 2012 and call it YOUR BEST YEAR EVER!

 

Take the plunge .... BEGIN TODAY .... CHART YOUR COURSE for the best year of your life in 2012.

 

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: Andy@CRGLeaders.com, 239-285-5575

Photo Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

2012 Personal Plan - Step 10 - Weave the Elements of Your Compelling Plan

Day 10 of 31 days to Creating Your Inspiring Personal Plan for 2012

I am seeing and hearing lots of evidence that some of you are getting ahead of yourself, or at least ahead of this process. If you are already crafting strategies, tactics or goals for 2012, you are speeding ahead. You are trying to put the roof on the house, when we haven’t completed the foundation and yet done the framing of the house. Love your can-do, get-it-done attitudes. But…

The ones who will get the most from this process will be those who proceed step-by-step.

From those who are doing so, I am hearing about some wonderful foundations being established. Some of you are already having breakthrough thinking by building a strong foundation as to all that you can do with the right plan and committed follow through in 2012. Awesome!

So let’s stay focused. The goal for the week is to have you create a compelling Vision.  Yesterday, inStep 9, you were to list the elements that you want to craft into your compelling vision statement. You were also to listen to the special audio that addresses the six barriers to companies and individuals creating compelling Vision statements. If you didn’t listen yesterday, here is another access point for that 20 minute audio.

I urge you to listen to this audio and absorb the message before trying to complete Step 10 because of the information that is applicable to the step that is included in the audio.

As described in the audio discussion of the six barriers that individuals experience that keep them from optimizing their thinking about their potential, many people suffer from conflicting ideas of what is most important in their lives. They compartmentalize their vocation, their family, their health, etc, and subliminally have these important elements fighting one another, rather than supporting one another.

Your personal Vision will be truly compelling when you truly believe that the various elements that are important to you are woven in a way that they support one another rather than fight each other.

Click HERE to continue reading the full "10th Step" article -- Weave the Elements of Your Compelling Plan.

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: Andy@CRGLeaders.com, 239-285-5575

Photo Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

2012 Personal Plan - Step 9 - Define the Elements of Your Compelling Current Vision

Day 9 of 31 days to Creating Your Inspiring Personal Plan for 2012

I hope that reflection on your life purpose (Step 8) was beneficial. Now that you have done so, you may enjoy reading about my own search for meaning. Just keep in mind that the life purpose you craft needs to fit YOU. Do NOT craft a life purpose to please others, or to impress others. What you want to discover is the life purpose that creates passion, for YOU, in all that you do. One that will help you to Live in the Zone throughout 2012.

Here is a summary of my search for meaning in my own life and my current thinking as to my life purpose.

Now comes what I believe to be the most challenging step in the 31 step/days process. This is where the magic happens for you. Step 9 is building a compelling Current Vision for yourself that you would like to carry through 2012. You begin the process in this step and then will refine the product of this step in steps over the remainder of the week.

Because this subject is so challenging, I have supplemented this writing with an audio which provides addition guidance on how to complete the steps involving this all important area. I urge you to listen to this 20 minute audio on creating a compelling
Current Vision after you have read through the following description of Step 9. The audio link is at the bottom of this post.

Note the reference to a “Current” Vision. Whereas one’s life purpose tends to become a permanent part of you (not that it can’t change, but changes are likely to evolve very slowly), one’s vision needs to change with the times, as well as with the changes you will experience in your life.

Your Current Vision should come from a fresh look at how you can use the strengths identified in Step 4to support your living your life “on purpose.” Please, please, please don’t short change yourself by defining your Current Vision as what you currently are (unless you feel you are currently optimizing your personal performance). Take a fresh look. And, don’t yet factor in your Planning Assumptions (Step 5). Think bold!

Think about your Desired Legacy (Step 7). Think about your Life Purpose (Step 8). Consider the feedback you have gotten about your awesome strengths (Step 4). Reflect on all you did get accomplished in 2011 (Step 3).

What kind of person would you like to be in 2012 such that if you passed unexpectedly, friends, colleagues and loved ones would remember you as living a life on purpose? Living a life where you used your strengths admirably. Living a life compatible with what you want your legacy to be.

Click HERE to continue reading the full "9th Step" article -- Define the Elements of Your Compelling Current Vision. 

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: Andy@CRGLeaders.com, 239-285-5575

Photo Credit: BigStockPhoto.com