Strategy and Action: Two Keys to Success
Over the past 25 years, I have been involved in leadership positions from school settings, to community projects, to business, to personal life coaching clients. Throughout those years I have spent countless hours reading and researching what makes people successful. I have also been fortunate to have great mentors in my life like Brian Tracy who have helped me personally excel. There are many attributes contributing to success and countless books and dissertations detailing them. However, today I’m going to have you consider two attributes that remain consistent in the research as keys to success: Strategy and Action!
Let’s first address strategy. When you are trying to accomplish an important goal what do you do? Understanding clearly what the goal is, articulating it so it becomes a vivid vision, and writing it down are all key to getting started. But, just writing the goal (although very powerful) isn’t enough to make it happen. You have to strategically plan “how” you’re going to accomplish it.
There are several questions to ask when it comes to strategy:
How will I measure my success of achieving this goal?
Are there constraints of obstacles in my way keeping me from my goal?
Are these constraints internal? Am I holding myself back?
Are these constraints external? Is there something or someone holding me
back?
Are there additional skills and knowledge I require?
Whose help and cooperation do I need?
What should I do more of? Less of?
What should I start doing, or stop doing?
It is important to write these things down on paper. Don’t type them into a computer, get a piece of paper and physically write them. The neuro-connections made by physically writing makes you embed the answers in your subconscious mind. You will be able to more clearly understand each step necessary in order to achieve what you want.
Once you have these things written, don’t be like most people and put off action. Have you ever had the frustrating experience of serving on a committee and all they do is talk never taking action? Likewise, there is nothing more frustrating than when we simply sit on our goals and don’t take action to make them happen. Remember, “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me.”
We know accomplishing something we have been working toward makes us feel terrific. We release endorphins in our bodies that literally give us a “high” and make us even more effective. Think back to a time when you achieved something or did something really well. Do you remember the feeling of accomplishment? It felt great, didn’t it? Well, that’s what you’ll feel when you take action and execute your plans.
Brian Tracy says, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” Take the time to plan and strategize, then get busy and take action. How do you take action? Use the mind-storming method I learned from Brian Tracy many years ago.
Mind-storming Questions:
1. Take a clean sheet of paper.2. Write the goal in the form of a question at the top.
3. Write down a minimum of 20 answers to the question.
4. Select at least one of your answers to take action on it immediately.
5. Write that answer as a question on a new sheet of paper.
6. Develop 20 answers to THAT question.
7. Take action on ONE idea immediately.
Try these things when you are ready to move ahead with making a goal a reality. I’ll be happy to help you in any way I can. If you go to my website at http://www.eagleleadershipconsulting.com you can register to receive a goal planning kit that is totally free…my gift to you for taking the next step in making your dreams into goals, and your goals into reality.
Dedicated to your success,
Ron Stebelton
ron@eagleleaderhsipconsulting.com
As an added bonus, here is a video of my friend and mentor Brian Tracy teaching his 10 Goal Method, it is a great addition to my post. Enjoy!
