by Thembe Khumalo
I have been very conscious of purpose in my adult life and tried to ensure my big decisions aligned with my life purpose. But what I didn’t give much attention to, until recently, was my daily purpose: embarking on each day with a clear and singular purpose in mind. Most people know roughly what they need to get done in the course of a week or a month. But often, the more senior you become the more you are required to attend to a wide variety of responsibilities. And as you become a generalist, you can easily start to find your days gobbled up by a myriad of small moves that leave you far from your original destination.
One of the best pieces of advice I ever got from a mentor was to only do work that only I can do. In other words, avoid doing tasks that you can delegate. A simple example he gave is that when he is in a meeting with someone more junior, he doesn’t take notes. This means the other person is wholly responsible for capturing and sharing what happened in the meeting. They recognize that responsibility and so have to take it seriously. It also means after the meeting he is free to pursue the next thing on his agenda and isn’t busying himself with cleaning up and sharing notes.
So fine; this works when you have a team and there are things you don’t need to get involved in (like taking notes). But what about the multiplicity of things that do need only you. There are client contacts that need your personal touch, and the mentee who has a pressing concern; there is a board report you need to complete, and some figures that need your keen eye over them before they go to the bank; there is a problem with a supplier who is charging more that they quoted and you are the one needed to negotiate with them, there is a child who needs her mother and no one else will do.
The list of demands can go on and on. And if you are not careful it can gobble up your days but still leave you wondering why you haven’t achieved your most important goals.
Here’s something that I’ve found helpful with my business, and I believe it can help you stay on track with you work and life too. Every 3 or so months, I look over my high-level business plan for the year. This plan is presented very simply in power point so it’s all bullet points (though of course it took a lot of thinking and reflection to get there. It helps jog me out of complacency when things are going well, and when they’re not it helps me stay focused on what really matters. This is invaluable for helping me re-assign energy. For instance last year there were projects I wanted to launch that I had all but forgotten about, but since reviewing my annual plan, I realized that I need to follow up on someone who was working on financials for the project, I need to brief someone else who was doing visuals for the project, and I need to share the idea with someone who could provide specific information to set me on my path. These people had all been in my reach all year; but without that all-important jog to connect their presence to what I wanted to achieve; they would have remained an under-utilized resource in my life.
Because I live in Zimbabwe, I want to give recognition to the fact that the environment will not always be your friend. You may find the path to achieving your goals becomes rocky or untenable. In such situations you can pivot, regroup or adjust your plan in line with what you believe is possible and within reach. But before you ever change a goal, I urge you to examine every possible way in which it can be reached. For example, if it can’t be done in your country, can it be done in another country. If it can’t be done this year, can it be done next year. If you can’t do it alone, can you find a partner who can help you achieve it. Being able to adjust is critical to achieving a life of purpose. It certainly doesn’t mean we completely throw away the very concept of planning.
Of course, this idea is premised on you having planned in the first place. If you haven’t, it’s a great time to put together that high level life or business plan. In 2019, I gave myself a full day to answer questions and respond to the prompts that solidified my goals. Then I put it all in a slide deck.
Questions you might find useful are:
what worked well for me in the last season and what was a bad idea?
What is my best and most valuable gift to the world and how will I present it this year (or season)?
Who are the 5 most important people in my life and how will I serve them this year?
What’s one thing I want to do before I die which can be done this year?
Although it’s convenient that we are at the beginning of a new year and decade right now, you don’t have to plan only at the beginning of the year or even the month. Start wherever you are, make some decisions, and watch your life start to move in the exact direction you want it to.
Thembe Khumalo is one of Zimbabwe’s leading voices when it comes to brand-building, business growth and personal development. A winner of multiple awards both at home and in the region, she is the founder and Managing Director of Brandbuilder, a high-performance brand strategy firm that helps entrepreneurial leaders and SMEs achieve visibility and growth through comprehensive brand strategy, creative execution and social media content strategies. Known for her clarity and courage, Thembe Khumalo’s leadership track record includes board positions in listed, unlisted and not-for-profit entities. With more than 20 years in the media and communication industry, she delivers a network of high-level relationships across many industries in several African countries. | thembekhumalo.com | www.brandtobuild.co | askus@brandtobuild.co