Saturday, May 13, 2006

The Right Time and Place for Goal Setting


In the Dynamic Transitioning program I emphasize the importance of completing the first three points BEFORE goal setting. There is a reason for this. The 7-Point Program prepares you for setting goals AND achieving them. First you'll complete the following: 1) Know Thyself, The Power of YOU; 2) Consider the Possibilities, The Power of Blue Sky; and 3) See Yourself Succeeding, the Power of Visioning. Point 4 is Plan The Work, Work The Plan, The Power of ACTION. This is extremely important. You must know who you are and open your mind to possibilities. You must be able to SEE yourself in action. You need strategy and then tactics.
I believe in goal setting. It is very powerful to put goals on paper and track yourself or your project or your team against the goals. It can be very motivating - and the satisfaction of completing goals is also motivating. I did it! feels great.
I came across this article in a blog today and wanted to share it with my readers. "People need a sense of purpose and meaning in their lives. Life without purpose is dissatisfying, even depressing. So the advice to set yourself clear life goals seems obvious good sense. Why then do so many give up on the goals they have set themselves? From New Year's resolutions to "new me" decisions, goal setting seems to lead to failure and resignation more often than success." It goes on to talk about goal setting. There are some good suggestions in the article. I encourage you to keep an open mind and continue learning. I'll do my best to bring more to you as well.

Monday, May 08, 2006

Brand Identity

I'm asked about applying the 7-Point program work in business. Let's take the Point 1 Know Thyself, the Power of YOU. Let's apply this to a brand where the You = Brand. Brands can go through transitions, just like anything else.
What defines the brand? Does the brand "know who it is"? Confident brands - Coke, Nike, Starbucks - know who they are, and who they aren't. These brands have solid identity worldwide. They have power. The companies have invested an enormous amount of time and money defining the brand and building equity in that definition.
Does your brand "Know Who It Is?" If not, you'll want to begin with a Brand Assessment process to determine the gaps both internally and externally. You'll want to begin internally - ask key employees to define the brand in their own words. This can be a very enlightening experience in that you'll get a number of different definitions. If that's the case, you've got your work cut out for you. Brand definition is the same as Know Thyself.
I'd be happy to share more of this with you. Please email me.