KPIs won't matter on your deathbed.

Planning for 2023 is at the top of all of our minds, which is why on this week’s episode of The Crazy Ones, we get deep into it.?

My co-host, Jesse, shared a unique and impressive framework for approaching strategic business planning.?

He kicks it off with a 10,000 foot view of the business, or what he calls the “desired future state” or “DFS.”

But what about our own, personal desired future state? Don’t we need those as well? Because all the budgeting and planning in the world won’t satisfy you when your own personal north star is hiding behind the clouds.?

Most strategic business planning focuses on potential impact to the business without taking into consideration the impact on the business owner.?

I’ve approached a stage in my career where I’m no longer willing to white-knuckle it and “do whatever it takes” to build my business, so I take a more holistic approach to thinking about the year ahead.

This starts with something called moonshots, which is my personal version of Jesse’s DFS.?

First, I ask myself what would I do if there were no way to fail? Dream big here.

Then, I consider the lifestyle that I want to have and use that as a filter for everything that comes next. If what it takes to achieve my goals means sacrificing my personal priorities, it’s not a goal.?

Then, I ask myself why do I want this goal? Are my intentions right or is this desire rooted in ego???

Then I get real and ask myself, is this goal realistically possible? While moonshots are important, it’s important to temper your goals on the reality that you have today.?

If it is, I ask myself what is required to do the work to achieve this goal, and more importantly, am I willing to do it? Having what we want is great, but not at the expense of our day-to-day happiness.

And then, I ponder, will I enjoy what comes with that success? For example, when I’ve built big businesses with investors and large teams, I don’t find myself enjoying my work. And once your company is successful, it’s kind of hard to back out.

It’s so easy to let our business dictate what our life looks like, but with clarity around what we want our life to look like, it becomes possible to dictate what our business looks like.?

Because when you’re laying on your deathbed, OKRs, KPIs, and EBITDA (or any acronyms for that matter) don’t matter.?

Here’s a gentle reminder that our most precious commodity is time, so invest it wisely.

Speaking of investing in yourself, here’s one great way: The Flight Planner takes you through my framework for setting your moonshots, goals, and annual intentions all the way to tracking your habits, weekly priorities, and daily to-dos. Order the Flight Planner here (it also makes a great gift!)

– Sophia?