North Stars and Next Actions
What if we didn’t know truly where we were headed?
We all have our dreams, plans, hopes, and goals, informed by our gifts, worldviews, and experiences.
But traditional strategy planning both promises and requires a knowledge of all of the steps from point A to point Z.
Traditional strategy celebrates linearity, a proven path, and a specified outcome.
It requires a known ROI (return on investment) before launching into an effort.
It celebrates certain personality types that can "see" a long term vision and many of the steps along the way.
But relying on a linear and known plan cuts off the potential to realize MORE than our thinking mind can envision. And it's not explicitly designed to bring learning into the process.
Linear strategy limits our possibility by focusing on a singular outcome, known in advance.
Linear strategy is designed to induce shame and guilt when things "don't go exactly to plan" - on time, under budget. It calls for us to put blinders on to execute the plan regardless of what we learn from both "positive" and "negative" variances.
Linear strategy does not honor and celebrate the learning we go through, because we make the plan assuming our known resources and expectations at inception.
We may learn we need more skills. We may learn we’re even more gifted or interested in a specific area, or we may learn we have unexpected resources.
We may learn we don't actually want our "dream" outcome.
We can't relinquish action, because a dream without action is just a wish. But what could unfold if we relinquished knowing?
Let's try a new model defined by North Stars, Next Actions, and Waypoints.
North Stars: Name that high-level dream.
What emotions does it inspire?
Who would you be required to BE to live that dream?
How does that person spend their time? What do they say Yes to? What do they say No to?
What resources (skills, time, money, community, health, team, natural, ancestral) has this person identified in achieving this dream? Note - identification does not mean personal acquisition.
Next action: What is ONE next action that you could take that would make everything else easier or unnecessary? (h/t: The ONE Thing)
We don't need to know the whole plan. We just need to take an action. And then after that action, take the next action that appears.
We are inducing actions as a way to kickstart the identity change process. We are calling on faith before proof.
And once we start down the path, our unconscious starts putting things in front of us to support that next call.
Waypoints: What are the checkpoints and true known points through the process?
There is a balance to strike between true "not knowing" and 100% planning. These are our waypoints. These are points along the way, that might be estimated, to check-in.
For example, you may know it will take you 3 months to conduct a marketing/sales cycle, and another 2 months before that to generate content, and you intend to have a launch next summer.
But what program will you offer? How many seats, at what price? What are you being called to channel in this season? You may not know that at the outset.
These waypoints can be quarterly, or at specified times in the calendar year. They support checking in with your inner knowing on your path. "What do I need to know right now?"