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| Vol.3.55 | |
Next Step Clarityby Vince PoscenteAuthor of The Ant and the Elephant, Invinceable Principles and The Age of Speed Knowing next steps can be confusing or crystal clear. How clear you see the future is directly proportionate to next step clarity. It's obvious that if you are confused about the future that you want, you will be confused about what to do today. This confusion can be lifted through a simple, two-step process. Step one: Identify a future that feels right. When I started in the speaking business it was painfully obvious that there was no demand for an Olympic athlete who placed 15th in the Games. On the flip side the future that I had to create was to be a world-class presenter. For the sake of making the future clear, I set a future goal of being in the top 10 speakers in the world. NOTE: There is no "top 10 speaker ranking" officially recognized. But let's not let details get in the way of a good goal. The point was that it felt right. When Coke had a crisis moment in the mid ‘80s it made a critical shift in how it saw the future. (Remember New Coke and angry consumers waving back - with one finger in particular?) With the help of Dallas consultant, Dr. Jim Cruipi, Coke changed it's vision statement. The original statement was entirely forgettable and generic. They changed it to something that's prevalent over 20 years later. "Put a Coke within reach of every human being on the planet." This goal really doesn't make practical sense. If you worked at Coke, how could you realistically put a Coke within reach of everyone in the world? That's not the point. What was the driving motivator to Coke employees? A Coke within reach feels right. Being in the top 10 speakers in the world didn't make practical sense but it feels good. It feels right. The next step is to eliminate inconsistencies. Inconsistencies become glaringly obvious when the future is clear. The daunting thing about this whole process is you'll immediately discover everything appears inconsistent at the beginning. My skill as a speaker and my business operation had serious flaws. My speech's opening, middle and close were lame. My brand distinction, marketing materials, preview video and content were inconsistent with the "Top 10" future in one way or another.
Am I one of the top 10 speakers in the world? Let me answer it with another question. Is a Coke within reach of every human being on the planet? About five years ago when my name was called as an inductee to the Speaker Hall of Fame with the likes of Ronald Reagan, Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins and Earl Nightengale I'd have to say, it felt right. I'd better leave you now. I have still have some inconsistencies to clear up. Until next week it’s full speed ahead,
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© 2010 Vince Poscente. All Rights Reserved. |
But the next steps became amazingly clear. Eliminate one inconsistency at a time. Do this and eventually you find yourself in the future you imagined.