Purpose, Goals, and Plans

In 2013 while studying Strategy and Innovation at Oxford I was walking from the Said Business School to an evening lecture by Michael Porter.??His talk was on a new way of viewing progress in the world called a?Social Progress Index?- a replacement for the traditional GDP view of progress, with more social and environmental factors considered.??(It really is a fascinating way to view human progress – for more info check it out here:?https://www.socialprogress.org )

The lecture hall where Porter was speaking was about 9 blocks from the business school.??On my way I happened to notice a tall man in a suit walking in the same direction as I was.??He walked purposefully but with a slight limp.??I thought I knew who it looked like but wasn’t sure.??Clayton Christensen was very gracious when I introduced myself. He smiled, shook my hand, and we walked together for about 6 blocks.??He asked what I was doing in Oxford, and I shared with him how we were discussing his disruptive innovation models in our classes on strategy and innovation. He said he once studied at Oxford as a student and really enjoyed it. To this day his approachability, gentle spirit, and friendly demeanor stick with me even though it was so long ago.??

Clayton wrote a book in 2012 called “How will you Measure Your Life” where he asks the tough questions about establishing a purpose for your life, using your time on earth to advance this purpose, and in the end how important faith and family are in deciding true measures of a life well lived.??(It is a great read – check it out on Amazon). When I met Clayton I hadn’t read this book yet, but I did look up an article he wrote from 2010 in Harvard Business Review on the same topic (https://hbr.org/2010/07/how-will-you-measure-your-life ).??I was struck by Clayton’s recommendation at the end of the article:?

“Don’t worry about the level of individual prominence you have achieved; worry about the individuals you have helped become better people. This is my final recommendation: Think about the metric by which your life will be judged, and make a resolution to live every day so that in the end, your life will be judged a success.” Clayton Christensen (1952-2020)

About that same time I did a weekend seminar in Chicago from Alan Zimmerman called “Journey to the Extraordinaire” where he took us through a process to examine our life and set forth goals to live a better life at work and at home.??It was a great session and just like Clayton’s article in HBR, it caused me to think about the tough questions.

These two interactions, coupled with work and family demands that were increasing, caused me to step back and start to develop what I call my “Purpose, Goals, and Plans” each year.??The picture above is from all the binders over the last 10 years.??It is a simple, 7 step process but one that I find effective:?

1.?????Write down your personal and professional goals for the next year. I have 6 each, for example.

2.?????Get a binder and enough tabs to have one for every goal in step 1.? On the tab write down the goal area, on a paper in the section write down all goals for that area, target dates, and who can help you be accountable.

3.?????As the year goes by, keep track of your goals and any progress. Make notes. Update goals.

4.?????As the year goes by, revisit your purpose to edit/refine, as well as remind you what it is.?

5.?????At the end of the year, look back and evaluate what went well, what didn’t, how to improve.?

6.??? Look back on the year and recognize the important people in your life.? For many years I sent them a certificate (very formal!) with a personal note of appreciation, noting in detail about how they impacted my life.

7. Make a new binder with goals for the next year. Meet with your members of your personal board of directors at least once a year to gain their input as necessary, and recruit any new support you need to get where you want to go.

Pro Tip:??As the year goes by, use the binder to collect momento’s, pictures, artifacts, of your life journey.??For example – programs from grade school / high school graduations, 5K registrations with my daughters, etc.?

For an example of what my annual goal process looked like, check out the SlideShare link above.?

I have found it has been a very important part of my life to have this annual process in place.??It has helped me find balance between work and non-work, meaning in all the things I spend my time doing, and focus on what is most important.??Lastly, it has turned into quite a system of record of all that I have done each year.??Kind of like a year book, but highly personal and motivating to review and contribute to over time.??

Good luck in your journey and I hope you found this post helpful.??I am sure there are many ways to accomplish the same thing when thinking about your Purpose, Goals, and Plans. I would love to hear how you approach annual life goals, how you integrate them into your life, and how you have adapted them over time.??I’m sure many will be interested in hearing your insights as well.??

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