I’ve been thinking about what I’m going to do next year. Maybe you have too. They call it “Strat Planning”. The things I want to do, the places I want to go, the much money I want to make, who I want to share my life with. When I was doing this work I ran across an article on CNN about all those we have lost this year. The list is a “who’s who” in most of our lives. People like Princess (Star Wars) Leah, George (Wham!) Michael, Antonin (Supreme Court) Scolia, Zsa Zsa (Green Acres) Gabor, John (I’m an astronaut) Glenn, Greg (ELP) Lake, Arnold (I play golf) Palmer, Florence (Carol Brady) Henderson, David (Major Tom) Bowie, Nancy (Just say no) Regan, Gene (Willy Wonka) Wilder, and all the rest.
I don’t know why, but when I read this article I had a flash moment. One of those certain moments when everything just seems to make sense. Some call it an “uh huh”. And then I saw how it relates to Strat Planning.
Much of Strat Planning focuses on what I call the “3M’s” – money, metrics, and more. For many of us it evolves around money (making more) and weight (having less). We set a goal in our mind, we write it down on paper, we tell others to keep ourselves accountable. Then we go about devising plan to get what we say we want. I’ve read lots of Strat Plans. I’ve been in group discussions about Strat Planning. I’ve even lead important company-wide meetings on the topic. But I’ve never read a Strat Plan that focuses on the memory you leave behind.
So in this certain moment on this January 1, 2017 I want to offer a different perspective on your Strat Plan focus for 2017. I want to talk about how we can remember you.
1. Have Impact
Make an impact on people. You don’t have to be a movie star, a rock star or a shooting star. You just need to be you. And you need to make an impact. Touch us emotionally. Make us feel something that we associate with you and only you. Do something daring and shake up our day beyond the normal, usual and mundane. Make an impact on us.
2. Be Consistent
Remind us about you regularly. Why you are awesome, what you can do for us, how you can help us. We have sooooooo many other things going on in life every day and usually every moment too. Tie that string with your name on it around our finger.
3. Be Exclusive
You need to bring us something we can’t get somewhere else. If we need it and you’re the only one who can provide it, then we will need you. And because we need you, we will remember you. We might even tell the others.
4. Beat Expectations
If you write anything on your bathroom mirror with lipstick (or a Sharpee) it should be just 2 words: “Beat Expectations”. If you set out to do just this one thing every day you won’t just be memorable, you will be remarkable. But to do that you first need to know our expectations are, and to know that you have to ask. It’s amazing how many never do.
5. Be the Best
We won’t remember you if you’re “good”, “really good” or “good enough”. We will remember you if you’re the best. Because if you’re the best you will be different than all the rest.
6. More Effort
Try the hardest. This is especially important if you really aren’t the best or really not that good at all (and hey, a lot of us aren’t). Make the extra call, bring the flowers, run one more lap. Try harder and we will remember you. This holds true for customers, children, and lovers too.
7. Have Passion
Show us how you love everything around you. The people, the things and the places you occupy. Don’t just hum, sing. Don’t just talk, make your point. Don’t just ask politely, pound the table (appropriately). Don’t just say you care, prove it. Don’t be boring, be bold.
Do these things and be these ways and we will remember you.
And how we remember you should be the first part of your Strat Plan for 2017.
Dammit.
Good luck and have a good year.
Joe Still
2017.01.01
Cite
“Take without forgetting, and give without remembering.”
– Bryant H. McGill