What to do next; tactical and strategic.

Having spent some time reflecting on what I want to set as the goal for the coming few years I have been struck by two trains of thought. One of which is about reflections that relate to my immediate circumstances and a desire to improve what I do right now and a second which needs a conscious decision about where I want to end up.

My first reflection was that I like what I do; the variety, the people, the challenge and the position. These factors all make it interesting and feel like a role that challenges and stretches me to just the right degree. There are some successes, but also there is an aweful lot to learn. But I am also aware of my own ambition and that I don't feel truly content unless I sense that I am working towards something more stretching. This has led me to conclude that the ambition is to continue in the same vane i.e. software development manager, but at a more senior level. Greater responsibility in terms of portfolio of projects and number of staff. More of the same, just greater challenges. This made me consider what it was I needed to do to acheive such an ambition and my thinking was that the first assessment should be what skills do I need to acheive a role at this elevated level. This is information I surmised that I could gather from reading job specifications that interested me and which fitted the bill, measuring myself against them and then planning to plug the gaps. All fairly straightforward then, but there is still a nagging entreprenereul streak that has never been truly sated. When I started freelancing I always assumed that one day I would build a substantial independent business. More recently I have taken a different tack, but I still think I need to spend time exorcising this unfulfilled ambition. After all, if the goal I aim for is not the one I truly believe desire then I suspect it is destined to fail. In conclusion the long term strategy needs some work, but what about the imediate tactical ambition?

This leads me to the second train of thought and how to be better in the here and now. I have probably articulated my sentiments on this previously, but I will reitterate them again so that hopefully even I take notice. I am generally pretty good, I care about what I do and so I get the job done. However there are times (lots of them) when it is harder than it needs to be and I am convinced that it is not about knowing what to do, it is about doing it. In a nutshell; consistent self discipline. So I have decided on a four point plan to try and stick to the activities that I know I should be doing consistently.

• Structured Task Management - recording actions from meetings prioritising tasks and getting them done.


• Time Management - organise the day by planning it before it starts.


• Consistent Reflection - spend time each week reflecting and post to the blog at least once a week.


• Strategic Analysis and Effort - spend at least one hour of the working week progressing my own professional strategic goals.

I believe if I can stick to these activities consistently then my performance will improve. To help me stick to these I am going to construct a weekly check list to monitor my adherence to the four point plan. The question is do I need a check list to ensure I am consistently completing the check list!