The V2OMM

WE'RE BACK BABY!

I missed you—did you miss me? For those who don’t know, I took a four-month break from work (and this newsletter) between August and December. During that time, I focused on relaxing, recharging, and rediscovering joy in the little things: reading, running, meditating, spending quality time with friends, and simply savoring life. It was incredible.

I also used this time to reflect deeply on my life's journey—exploring what I value, what drives me, and how I envision both the near and distant future. These moments of introspection didn’t require a massive time commitment, just a few hours spread across several evenings. Yet, they proved to be profoundly worthwhile. In fact, I found the process so fulfilling that I decided to share it here, in case you’d like to do something similar.

If you do, I promise it will be time well spent. You’ll emerge with a stronger sense of self, greater confidence, and a renewed sense of purpose. Do I sound like a stereotypical LinkedIn influencer? Maybe. Am I overpromising from a simple newsletter? Perhaps. But will these exercises genuinely help? Without a doubt.

I’ll break this series into four parts. Today’s article provides a brief overview of the process, while the next three will dive deeper into the core areas of focus:

• Values & Vision
• Obstacles
• Methods & Measures

Let's get to it!

A Reimagined V2MOM -- the V2OMM

If you're familiar with the concept of the V2MOM, the areas of focus I’ll discuss may sound familiar. The V2MOM is a goal-setting and planning framework popularized by Salesforce and its founder Marc Benioff, originally designed for corporate goal-setting. I’ve used it extensively and successfully throughout my career in that context. However, when I tried applying it to personal goal-setting and planning, I realized it needed a few adjustments to truly fit.

Let me present to you the V2OMM.

Values and Vision

In Benioff's original V2MOM, the first "V" stands for Vision—what do you want to achieve? What is your ultimate goal or objective? The second "V" stands for Values—what principles or beliefs guide your efforts? I’ve always felt this structure was a little backwards, particularly in my case as an individual doing planning and goal-setting.

I believe you can’t set an accurate or meaningful vision for yourself without first understanding your values—what drives you and what truly matters to you. If you start with a vision before clarifying your values, you risk setting goals that conflict with your core beliefs. Pursuing such a vision can become incredibly difficult, if not impossible, because it won’t align with what fulfills you. Instead of progress feeling natural and energizing, it will feel like an uphill battle—something you have to push through, rather than something that flows from within.

In future articles, we’ll begin by exploring how to take inventory of your Values—those core beliefs that drive you, inspire you, and make you who you are. Only after understanding your values can you effectively define a Vision for yourself, and I’ll guide you through that process as well. Together, we’ll explore the different areas where you might shape your vision: your career, relationships, community, and even your spirituality.

Obstacles

In the original V2MOM, obstacles referred to external factors that you or your organization needed to overcome—economic conditions, competitors, technological changes, and other challenges standing in the way of your goals. Anticipating these obstacles was crucial because it helped prepare you for success. When you’ve thought through potential challenges in advance, you’re less likely to be caught off guard and better equipped to navigate them.

In this personal version of the V2MOM, however, the focus shifts inward. Here, we take inventory of our internal obstacles—the doubts, fears, and patterns that hold us back. These often have roots in our life experiences, sometimes stretching all the way back to childhood. It’s a heavier topic for LinkedIn, but I'll outline the process and let you decide how deeply you want to explore it.

Methods and Measures

The Methods and Measures in this personalized version of the V2MOM are conceptually similar to those in Benioff’s original framework. The key difference is that here, they come after addressing Obstacles. This ordering is intentional—I believe that only after evaluating your Values, defining your Vision, and understanding your personal Obstacles can you truly grasp who you are and where you’re headed. From there, you can focus on the methods you’ll use to achieve your vision and the measures you’ll apply to track progress.

Methods are the specific actions and strategies you’ll implement to work toward your vision. Some may be small, daily habits and rituals that create incremental progress. Others may be larger efforts, spanning weeks, months, or even years, as you steadily and intentionally move closer to your goals.

Measures are the milestones and objective markers that track your progress. Interestingly, I argue that measures are the least critical part of the V2OMM. If you commit to your methods and consistently take action—both big and small—progress will come naturally. Measures should serve as tools for fun and motivation, not as sources of frustration. If you find yourself discouraged by your measures, it may be time to rethink your approach to tracking progress. We’ll explore this in more detail in the relevant article.

Putting It All Together

In the next three article, we’ll dive deeper into each part of the V2OMM:

• Values and Vision
• Obstacles
• Methods and Measures

I’ll share the approach I took and found valuable, but my goal isn’t to prescribe a rigid framework. Instead, think of it as a guide. Take what resonates with you, adapt it to fit your needs, and build on it in ways that work for your personal journey.

I’m genuinely excited for these upcoming articles. Personal growth and development are topics I find fascinating, and there’s nothing quite like the feeling of seeing growth within yourself. Helping others on their own growth journeys is equally rewarding.

I’ll see you in the next article!