Too often, our planning starts from what we don’t have. We focus on what to improve, what we lack, what we messed up last year.
My friend, educator Kristie Pretti-Frontczak suggested a strengths assessment instead. Here are her questions to kick off your thinking:
- What do you aspire to accomplish within the next year, within the next 3 months, within the next 30 days?
- What goals will move you toward your aspirations?
- If you were to rank the top three goals to begin working on immediately, what would they be?
- What do you see as your strengths that will help you to accomplish your goals?
- What do you see as opportunities to learn or grow that will help you to accomplish your goals?
- If you could have one tool or piece of information that would be key to your aspirations, what would it be?
I find her approach of starting with your strengths, instead of what needs fixing, refreshing. I’ve been using it in my new year planning, and it’s looking good.
If you have a favorite planning tool, let’s hear about it!
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Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.