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Why plan in January?

The past few years January new year planning didn’t work for me. Maybe it was life circumstances, the hectic nature of year end or the fact that I enjoy fall so much I start thinking about what I want to accomplish next then. In any case, this year is different.

After rebranding and relaunching my practice on November 1, 2017, focusing on outreach in November and early December, and spending extended time with family in December it was refreshing to start the new year planning for a change. My first step was to revisit the Shift Strategies Methodology.

Vision is the beginning of the process of managing change using the Shift Strategies Methodology that lays the foundation of strategy and direction. Vision answers the question “Why?”. It is a perfect start to planning for a new year.

What that means in my personal and professional life are fairly well aligned these days. It lies in my belief system, my values and my purpose and this year especially in how I want to level up my business. I refined this when I relaunched Shift Strategies, so it was a quick revisit for me.

I envision a world where people effectively manage change. That starts with me and extends from me in my efforts to assist others. For me that means being thoughtful about what I create in my personal, professional and community life, and remaining adaptable and flexible with what unfolds as I plan and implement.

Anytime I have a quandary, need to make a change or solve a problem, I start with vision and that ensures what I create and how I respond aligns with what I believe in, my values, who I am and how I operate.

Then I move to culture. Culture answers the questions “Who?”. It is the foundational relationship layer that enables people and organizations to manage change using the Shift Strategies Methodology.

This is time to check in on my values of humanity, authenticity, connections, change and greater good. Am I embodying these values in what I am planning and how I interact? Am I surrounded by the right people? Do I have the right relationships to accomplish what I desire? This is a time of shifting for me as I embark on this new Shift Strategies practice expansion. My circles are changing. I am redefining my tribe. I will revisit this often in the year ahead as the unfolding continues.

I want to pause here and reflect on vision and culture as they are often overlooked except in the early stages of beginning something and yet they are fundamental to keeping us on track. So many of my conversations with people who are struggling to solve a problem or create the change they desire, who want to change a pattern in their personal or professional life or business have long since forgotten why they started down this path in the first place and who they need in their tribe right now to do the thing they most desire. It is essential to check in on your “why” first and ensure your “who” supports it.

Process and Results coming soon in the next blog.  Follow future blogs.    

If something is not working for you: business growth, job, health, relationship, money…you name it.

If you want to improve something: community engagement, department performance, employee satisfaction, job advancement, business results…you name it.

If you don’t even know what the problem is, but sense it could be better.

We have a framework for managing any kind of change you want to make.

Shift Strategies Methodology is designed to help you manage change in your personal and professional life, business, organization or community.  The process is integrated and iterative by design, so as you work with it to accomplish your objectives, you can revisit your plan using the framework to ensure the results you intend are achieved or to change course and/or redirect as needed.

This year it worked for me to plan in January.  I’m excited for 2018 to unfold and track my progress.

We help you Shift.

We help you manage change.

We help you connect.

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