Strategic Planning and Vision Boards

Strategic planning is something that likely everyone in business is familiar with. Its value in the corporate world has been known for years, and there are countless firms and consultants for hire that will help a struggling business find their footing. One of these consultants, Mr. Rainer Strack, has extrapolated this strategic planning from the corporate world into the lives of individuals. The purpose? To create the lives we want to be living.

As Strack explains: “Life strategy is an integrated set of choices that positions a person to live a great life.” By using tools from the corporate world, his method helps people find answers to the questions below so individuals can make better decisions that ultimately lead them down the paths they would ideally choose to walk. Basically, Strack and his team broke down the questions they pose to a business:

1. How does the organization define success?

2. What is our purpose?

3. What is our vision?

4. How do we assess our business portfolio?

5. What can we learn from benchmarks?

6. What portfolio choices can we make?

7. How can we ensure a successful, sustained change?

…and adapted them for individuals:

1. How do I define a great life?

2. What is my life purpose?

3. What is my life vision?

4. How do I assess my life portfolio?

5. What can I learn from benchmarks?

6. What portfolio choices can I make?

7. How can I ensure a successful, sustained life change?

With this method, users can examine which areas of their lives need improvement (positive emotions, relationships, vitality, etc.). They can then get into some self-reflection on what makes them tick, what their skills and values are, and will come out of this step with a statement of purpose and vision. In an even deeper level of self-examination, Strack and his team have users actually break down how much time they spend on common things in the 168-hour week. Everything from health and wellness activities, to time-wasters like excessive social media use are on there. Once those are quantified, users can decide on which of these areas actually need the appropriate amount of time, and which things they can kick to the curb. As Strack explains in the accompanying video, some users actually uninstalled their social media apps from their phones during the consulting process once they realized how much time they were spending on things like Instagram and TikTok.

This incredible approach to self-reflection will take a few hours, but in the end, it’s possible you’ll end up with a single page summary of what you want your life’s plan to look like. There’s even a printable worksheet to go along with it that can be filled out to help the process along. Check out the full article here and get ready to strategize your life in a whole new way.

The Art of Unlearning

This blog has often featured articles about the joy of lifelong learning. Indeed, scientific research is now showing that embracing learning and our ability to change our minds in the face of new information is connected to wellbeing and longevity. There are times, however, when we must “unlearn” the things that no longer serve us. This is no easy task. Letting go of ideas and belief systems that got us to where we are today is difficult, but ultimately necessary for our growth as professionals and as humans in general. Hortense le Gentil has published a new article in Chief Executive Magazine with some insights on how to heighten your human potential as a leader.

Transitioning from a position in which technical skills were crucial, to a position of leadership, which requires the ability to inspire others is a daunting task. In her new article, le Gentil lays out three steps to reconnecting with the emotionally intelligent side of oneself, to become what she terms a “human leader.”

First, identify the mind traps in the way. These “mind traps” are simply old ways of thinking that become obstacles in a new role. The expertise that allows us to rise in the ranks and succeed in business will usually be ineffectual when it comes to leading others. Letting go of what we see as part of our roles or identities can be scary, so le Gentil recommends taking it slowly, which brings up her second step, changing the mind.

Second, operate a mind shift. Ask three fundamental questions each time an assumption pops up: Is it true?, Is it relevant?, and Is it still helpful today? Sometimes there will be easy and simple answers to these questions, sometimes not. Spend some real time on self reflection; journal, meditate, take a nature walk alone, get a coach or join a leadership peer group like Vistage! Shameless plugs aside, the importance of this step cannot be overstated.

Third, embrace a mind-build. Once the old ideals and expectations are dismantled, we can begin to build new ones that are more in line with the reality of being a leader. How do we want to be remembered, perceived, etc.? Le Gentil recommends the powerful exercise of writing one’s own eulogy to really get at the heart of how we wish to be seen. This is not a one-and-done deal, either. Connecting with the inner self and what makes us human is something that should be done every day, even for as little as 10 minutes.

Le Gentil has helped thousands of leaders grow into their roles through her coaching and through her writing. Do yourself a favor and check out her full article here, or check out her book, The Unlocked Leader here, and share them both with the other leaders in your life.