What are you doing?
Knowing what the fuck you are doing is about more than goal setting. Thinking about where you want to go isn’t enough.
The future is always unpredictable but thinking a few moves ahead will keep you from getting fucked over by someone that has their shit together.
Modern opportunities are winner take all because of how difficult it is to play catch up against disruption. Most successful disruptive technology either becomes a giant itself or is acquired to sink its chances of competing.
Focus on speed. No, not how quickly you can read your emails – nobody gives a fuck about that.
It’s about about how fast you can turn the tide of your company.
Having a serious impact on your industry is more attainable than it sounds.
First, focus on the Personal strategy. Pick something to master that you are uniquely good at, or willing to put more time in than your competition.
Second, determine the likely Company strategy. Normal analysis of industry, markets, etc. apply here. Understand where they expect to make bets to win. If they are likely to lose, find a department that’s likely to win. If none exist, get out.
Lastly, Bridge them together by placing bets. Bet on new technology. Bet on new competitive edges. Use the right sponsors to move yourself into the right group. Being ahead of the curve on change can pay off in major ways.
First attackers are hard to catch. For example, if you are always the first to learn about new bassoon reed testing technology, you’ll end up being the most experienced person in the company in that segment. It will be impossible to put anyone else in charge of it.
No need to step on toes. Make your leadership look good while getting ahead. If you can’t win because you are being held down or back, get the fuck out.
Need a simple example? Cool.
- Personal – Become an expert in data analytics
- Company – Go after a new territory (e.g. Asia)
- Bridge – Build a roadmap to use a data-driven approach to determine where to create beachheads and what products would be best to offer to the new Asia market.
Once you have a plan in place, you can get leaders on board. Tell a story that brings each person in your journey look like a hero until you get where you want to go.
