“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?” Luke 14:28
It is 2019. This is your opportunity to make this the best year ever. I want to share with you a model to guide your 2019 family or personal planning. During 2018, I refined Mugisa’sWinningTheGame™ Strategy model that helps leaders develop an organic strategy ideal for the new era. MWTG has four steps – context, perspective, strategy and change.
Who are you? How old are you? What is your background? What is your current station in life in terms of career achievements, social status and networks. What is your current strategy and what has it achieved for you in terms of stakeholder success (family, friends and community); financial success (passive income, monthly income and retirement planning) and personal development (self-study, spiritual and exposure through travel); and processes (working smart for consistent success). If you can provide clear facts and figures to the above, you gain clarity of your context.
How do you see the new developments in your home, community, country and world affecting you? What changes must you make to respond to those new developments so that you are not left out or disadvantaged. At the start of 2000, the buzzword was automation. This was the new wind of change. All companies were automating. And to keep your job, you had to go take personal initiative to attend class or do self-study to learn how to use computers. Many people who ignored learning how to use computers ended up losing their jobs. You cannot bury your head in the sand in this era and expect to thrive.
How will you win in 2019? Make an organic strategy -define your preferred choices of how to win with your customers and partners against the competition. Then make a set of activities to be done to succeed. You make a strategy only when two things are present – an (i) opportunity or (ii) a pressing issue. It is difficult as a person to exploit any opportunity unless the key personal challenges are addressed. That is why most planning starts with identifying the most pressing business or personal challenge. Get a piece of paper and list all your current challenges. Identify or write one statement to summarize the most pressing challenge in the form of cause and effect. If you lack education, you could write your challenge as “low grades at A level and University has affected my ability to get a well-paying job.” The critical part lies in clarity of the personal / family / organizational problem definition. The best doctors are so because they are so exceptional at diagnosis phase. They are good at understanding patient history and symptoms to know exactly what their patients are suffering from. Thereafter, treatment and dosage is easy.
If your problem diagnosis is accurate, you could consider a strategic possibility of “starting a small business selling fried quality Chapati at Church daily.” Initially, it may be tough. As Christians get used, clients will come.
Stop making mere resolutions. Make concrete strategies. Define clear scorecard targets to monitor execution. The fewer the targets, the better. Set clear priorities and a budget to make it happen. You will have a wonderful 2019.
May God bless you and your family with great health, wisdom and genuine friends to thrive in 2019 and beyond.
Bernabas M. Mugisa, Mr. Strategy, helps plant the seed of transformation. Visit mustaphabm3.sg-host.com to start your journey of transformation.
