Work backwards

One of my pet peeves with the standard strategic planning process is the focus on the organization – crafting a mission statement and then determining how to achieve that mission.

Here’s a thought – use a specific audience as your starting point instead of your organization. What do they want/need? What compells them to become (stay) your customer/client/supporter? It’s a sure bet they don’t care about your strategic plan measurements.

Tags: strategic planning

The Power of Humor

Friday’s thought: “If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you.”- Oscar Wilde

Well, I don’t know if they’d actually kill you – but I do know that a little humor makes virtually any interaction easier. After all, most of what we do in business (and life) isn’t really “life and death.” When you’re getting all riled up, stop and think, “Will anybody care about this in five years? Or even five months?” As Wilde also said, “Life is too important to be taken seriously.”

Back in the day, when I was managing large groups of people, I found I got my best results when I used a light touch and encouraged laughter. (It’s also good to be able to laugh at yourself; we all need that perspective.)

Tags: human resources, leadership