Critical Success Factors

Success to me is reaching my personal best in anything I do.  However, sometimes I take on too much, which greatly impacts my ability to deliver.  I am keenly aware of this weakness and do not view it as a negative but as something I can consciously correct.  In my defense, I have been taking on too much in order to prove myself at my job.  This has worked out to my benefit because I have received numerous promotions throughout the years.  I am hardest on myself and what I mean by deliver is a final product.  Now that I have reached what I consider the pinnacle of my career, I can now step back a bit and focus on exactly what priorities I need to pay attention to and how I am going to develop plans to execute these priorities.

To begin with, in my recent promotion as Chief of Staff and Chief Communications Officer at the College, I am in a better position to write these plans since I will no longer be the individual in charge of manning the "weeds."  I will now rely more heavily on my staff to dot the "i's" and cross the "t's."

I am excited to take on these new roles; both of these roles rely heavily on my project management skills; one relies heavily on my organizational skills while the other relies heavily on my visual and personal affinity to all things digital.

There is another factor, however, that I need to remember.  I am now more responsible for producing results on time and on budget so my ability to pay close attention to the priorities of both of these jobs is important and I cannot let myself be interrupted by "shiny" things that interest me.

Critical success factors that will need to be considered as I move forward include:

1. Delivering relevant content on the web, digital and social platforms
2. Delivering relevant information and policies to employees in a timely manner
3. Hiring or promoting the right individuals and empowering them to do their best
4. Continuing my efforts regarding process improvement and innovation

The Balanced Scorecard and Me

I have wondered for many years if I should open my own business.  The thought of it is daunting but as I move through this master's degree program, I learn more and more how important it is to have a plan before you embark on any business.

That said, I am going to identify below, what I feel the key factors would be if I were to open up my own consulting business.

The Balanced Scorecard will help me plan and proceed with my business in organizational consulting:

1. Knowledge, Education and Growth Perspective:  I will need to make sure I employ and retain talented and good people allowing for professional development and personal growth while on the job
2. Internal Business Process Perspective:  I will be committed to ensuring the internal processes are maintained, upgraded and/or updated as necessary as this will be the most critical piece of my business
3. Customer Perspective:   I will provide the best customer service ensuring customer satisfaction every step of the way
4. Financial Perspective:  I will hire the best CPA I know (and I know a few) to help me budget, stay on budget and invest in the future of the company.

I will keep my employees informed and will provide feedback as much as possible.  This will only help all of us to grow, which will be my personal commitment to my employees. I would be my own customer. That is how much I am committed to the success of this idea.

Personal Aspirations

If you asked me six months ago what my professional aspirations were, I would be writing a different story.  However, there have been many events that have taken place over the past six months that have begun to pave the way for a potential new direction in my life.  Before this blog post I never considered a strategy toward self-actualization and here I realize at this point in time how utterly important it will be for me to come up with specific strategies to help me chart the course for my future.  Please know that I have no regrets; I have had a very rewarding and wonderful career at Molloy College.  This does not mean I will be leaving my position.  I will be planning for my future while continuing to help the College grow.

Strategy.  What is a strategy and why do I need one now?

Strategy, according to BusinessDictionary.com "is a method or plan chosen to bring about a desired future, such as achievement of a goal or solution to a problem."

I was very involved in the strategic planning process at Molloy College and will apply most of what I learned from that process to my own strategic plan, which will follow a similar timeline (5-10 year plan).

Do I go out on my own and start my own business?

Do I go part-time and stay home with my family?

Do I continue with grad school so I can teach online part-time?

Where do I take my many years of experience with intuitiveness, strong people skills, public relations, marketing, digital and social media, strategic planning, etc.?

I cannot look at this as an end but a beginning...the dawn of a new day...

Actually, today's reality probably began long before now.  Signs have been presenting themselves to me but I thought they were just reminders to have me keep pushing myself forward to make my mark at the College, make more money, have a better job, and more responsibility.  What I don't need now is more responsibility. I will keep things simple, stay focused and take care of myself in the process.

One day at a time.

Strategy for me now is to lay it all out on the table through a SWOT analysis; evaluating my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.  First, however, I need to define a marketplace for me to move into - a new industry?  I have long thought of becoming a writer of novels and books on leadership and process improvement.

Strengths:  people, intuitiveness, generosity, trust, friendly, digital, web, social media, reliable, dependable, organized, love of writing, process improvement, innovation, and energetic.

Weaknesses:  taking on too much at once, not delivering on time, burn out, and putting others before myself.

Opportunities:  Teaching online; writing novels - both of these things are within my control to begin.

Threats:  Finishing Grad School, getting an online teaching job; Competition in the publishing business.

It is my hope that my current employer will offer me the opportunity to teach online.  As far as writing books and novels, I need to just start writing.  I will follow these 10 steps:

10 Steps to Writing a Book

References

Business Dictionary

The Three Most Important Characteristics/Qualities of a Globally Minded and Culturally Competent Leader in the 21st Century

1. Charisma
2. Other-Centered Focus (includes Diversity of thought and Inclusion and Good Listening Skills)
3. Day 1 Forever Approach

It is difficult for me to choose three characteristics of a globally minded and culturally competent leader in the 21st Century.  However, once I combined a few into one skill it became apparent to me that there are many facets to each quality.

1. Charisma:  In order to be followed, one must lead.  Without likeability and the trust factor (charisma), leaders of today will not make it past many access points in the global world of today.  
2. Other-Centered Focus:  It's one thing to "Win Friends and Influence People" in our domestic economy but clearly another to do the same with cultures quite different than ours.  It is extremely important for today's leaders to become aware of the culture and backgrounds of each corporation's and country's people.  This will greatly impact on the success of any attempted outcome.
3. Day 1 Forever Approach:  Like Jeff Bezos from Amazon.com, Inc., if you put your customer's needs first, you will stay ahead of the curve, which is extremely important in today's e-commerce industries and digital world.  People are vying for the same consumers.  One must stay ahead of the curve, not simply stay in line with it, in order to survive.  Please click on the photo, below, to hear all about Day 1 Forever and the following link to see just how successful Jeff Bezos really is:  Jeff Bezos Day 1 Forever

As for me, I emerged as a leader at the young age of 12; captain of twirling team and drum majorette.  To that followed captain of Blue and Gold sports night in high school, ski club moderator, mother, grandmother, staff president, and now Chief of Staff.  There are a lot of successes in between but these are the most memorable and rewarding to date.

I have to say my best characteristic is my compassion coupled with my sincerity and honesty.  My least favorite characteristic is my sensitivity, which sometimes gets the best of me.  I have learned through the years to manage my reactions to things and not take them personally but every once in a while, when faced with adversity, I have to remind myself to walk away and not react, which is always the best approach.  I am honored and blessed to have learned many life lessons along the way but one thing I will never change is my willingness to help others - always.  I always strive to be a mentor and build people up rather than putting them down.

References

https://www.recode.net/2017/4/12/15274220/jeff-bezos-amazon-shareholders-letter-day-2-disagree-and-commit