A Lesson in Strategic Planning

 

At the end of last year, my coworkers and I say dow for about 2 hours, and we discussed what we wanted to get out of the next two ear assignment. For me, this is my first time working in the Public Sector and technically in the seat of Governance for the nation.  Our meeting was really about how we would discuss what we wanted to get out of this experience with our boss but the task aside, I was forced to think on what it is that I actually wanted to achieve through the period. 

Coming to Work as a Jamaica House Fellow though it may have seemed like my only option a the time, was a great shift from the fast-paced life I knew in the private sector to the relatively slower-paced, rules strict-policies based public sector. I was on a trajectory towards executive management and was beginning my ascent, earned and handed to. While it seemed for quite some time that I was left out in the cold, and relegated to vicarious position, not junior staff, not executive but somewhere juxtaposed within, my days at my former employer, unless a promotion was in order were numbered. Working from home and my eventual layoff required soul searching what I truly want careerwise and in life. I mulled over starting over in a new country, Canada and Australia have pretty good immigration systems for sole applicants. But what became clear is that I needed to start to shape my career's shape the destiny and not be moulded by the graces, decisions, and indiscretions of others. That I needed to stop waiting to be noticed but assert myself enough, in other words, I needed a Nudge. 

Nobel Laureate Richard Thaler in his book Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, defines a nudge as follows

"A nudge is any aspect of the choice architecture that alters people's behaviour predictably without forbidding any options or significantly changing their economic incentives. To count as a mere nudge, the intervention must be easy and cheap to avoid. Nudges are not mandates. Putting fruit at eye level counts as a nudge. Banning junk food does not."

However given that my situation was more of a shove than a nudge, I posit that it had the desired outcome: behaviour change. As such, it was now my new goal to be strategic about my future outcomes. Use the knowledge I'd acquired over the years to my benefit rather than just store it. 

Specifics on a Strategic Plan

My first assignment as a fellow has been to work with a special commission set up, as its ongoing I can't give any details here but what I will say, is that when I arrived there was no structured plan around the strategy. Therefore, I used my private sector background and a little help from the internet(that is what is there for anyway ) to bring together a strategic plan. But the problems that arose as a collective were there was no clear guidance, so being the result-oriented person, I sought an end target and worked towards it. The long and short of it, at the last minute the chair decided to do her own thing, which angered my but the lesson was, be careful what you take ownership of and focus on the goal. 

"Don't get stuck in the forest looking at the trees." 

But given the setbacks, hurt feelings and time wasted, you learn that God has a way of working things out. New and better opportunities will come, so don't get bogged down with the semantics if you're aware of where you heading. 

An important point too is to stand your ground, speak up for yourself and defend your position. People eventually respect those they can't walk all over. Being firm and direct is something I didn't do at the end at my previous job a paid bitterly for it. 

From now on "I'm kicking butt, and taking names."

But always be careful to respect people no matter who they are and their position because Karma is bitch and you don't want that.