Flawless Execution and High Engagement

Those of you who still have a job (I know you’re out there….) can you afford to wait until you are served notice? Be proactive….plan!

The meaning of “work” has shifted. As a boomer, my folks were of the generation that believed any job that paid the bills was worth fighting for, and eventually dying in. Forget “job satisfaction”…that’s why they call it “work”. “Put down the guitar, get a haircut and get a real job!” Not so any more, thankfully.

In the mid-90’s I got involved in Managing Personal Growth (MPG) from BlessingWhite (www.blessingwhite.com ). As part of certification, I completed the two-day values identification / career management process. By “values” I don’t mean the real kumbaya-type stuff. Besides family happiness, my core values include helping others, creativity, learning new things, and freedom from constraints.  So many major “AHAs” came out of that two-day workshop and my subsequent involvement with MPG that I won’t list them all, but two deserve noting:

1.  If your own values are disconnected from your company’s, and if your work does not satisfy your true core motivators, you’ll be miserable and will not be a top contributor. Self and company both are short-sheeted.

2.  If you take the time to establish your own values-based vision, mission and objectives you will stand a much better chance of surviving job loss and transitioning to a new and meaningful professional life. I will personally testify to that Truth….twice. I am currently seeking work for the second time in nine years, and my values-based plan is once again my Keeper of Sanity. It has yet to land me a new gig, but at least I know I’m looking in the right direction. I can even handle a “survival job” as long as it is in line with my values.

Except for a few tweaks, my overall strategy has stayed pretty much on course. At the very top is my Vision: Leave a Legacy. That is pretty much wide open—needs meat. Two key areas of influence became my Objectives: education / secondary schools through school-to-career; and business and industry, by focusing on engagement, alignment and execution. My approach to the latter is just as values-based as I can covertly get the message across. Ops managers, bless their hearts, do not care for values-based discussions as a rule. They are too busy running things. Don’t tell on me, please!

Further down my strategic hierarchy are more detailed tactics and action plans, which I am executing right now.

My peers were not so fortunate as they did not have quite as firm of a grip on their ideal future. Some of them thought I had finally cracked. I was smiling while the majority were racing to get control over the last few kleenex in the box.

The greatest disciples are those who convert to a religion. I have done everything in my power, both covert and overt, to guide people toward getting in touch with their values and setting a course for a brighter future. Especially in the nasty climate we’re in right now, if you can’t grab hold of your values you’re in deep, deep trouble.

To sum up—identify what really drives you beyond position, power and however much coin you need to be comfortable.  Establish goals and objectives, and craft your strategy for how you’re going to achieve them. Then, execute the plan and be true to your values. You’ll live longer, be more fun to be around, and be much more productive to boot.