“Open your calendar to 180 days from now and write three to five paragraphs of what you expect to have seen and done by then.” Jason Womack
Every day, I receive a Leadership Tip of the Day in my Inbox from the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum. Today’s struck as particularly fitting given that I am currently driving across country to live in Easton PA for 6 months (or 180 days) near my dear friend Frances Hesselbein.
I don’t often think this far out or purposely project into the future, so this is a great exercise for me. Back to the question. What do I think I’ll see and do in the next 6 months?
- September and October, I think I’ll see a lot of the United States. We are driving from San Diego to Easton. We’re taking the more northern route. Making our way from San Diego, CA through Arizona, just a tiny bit of New Mexico, and up through Colorado. Then through Nebraska, Iowa, and then Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and finally across Pennsylvania to Easton. Once in Easton we’ll set up our apartment, visit our friend Frances as much as possible, and start getting acclimated to our new town. Getting adjusted is a big challenge. Moving is like a new job – the first 30 days is all learning about the new place, where the shops are, how to get from here to there, meeting people. By 60 days, I bet we’ll be on our way to understanding the lay of the land and more about our new home, and by 90 days I anticipate we’ll be pretty comfortable. Interesting to me is that in today’s world, where CEO turnover is every year to 18 months, three months to get up to speed is too slow! Also, during this time, I’ll work with Udemy and Hastings Digital on some exciting new online leadership courses, publish and promote Work Is Love Made Visible (with Frances Hesselbein and Marshall Goldsmith), go to a Dallas Cowboys game, and celebrate my father’s 80th birthday in Pagosa Springs CO. And, I will get to experience Fall on the East Coast, which I have heard so much about. It will be a busy time!
- In November and December, I will start to see how the second half of 2019 will shape up. I plan to see Frances as much as possible, join Toast Masters International Easton and if possible write an article or two for publication. I plan to continue promotion of Work Is Love Made Visible, perhaps with an opportunity at Wharton, and to start working on my next book, which will be about leadership and communication. This is a subject I love to explore and share about. During these months, we hope to take a weekend trip to the Poconos and to visit my good friend Marian, who also lives in Pennsylvania. I’m thrilled that we will get to celebrate Frances’s birthday with her and other winter holidays as well. What an honor and a privilege to do this – and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I am thrilled!
- Finally, what do I think I will see and do in January and February 2019? It is harder for me to look this far out, especially being so engulfed in our big move right now. So, I’ll ask myself again, what do I think I’ll see and do these months? I’ll experience “winter” on the East Coast. I am looking forward to it. I’ve heard good things and bad things. I guess I will have to let you know what I think. I will be further into the writing of my next book. I may go to San Diego once or twice for work. I will be thinking about what’s next after our time in Pennsylvania. Will we stay on the East Coast, go to Colorado to stay with my dad for a time, or go back to San Diego? It is hard to say. I hope to have gotten into a good groove in Easton and to be with Frances as much as possible. What a fun and exciting time this will be!
What do you think you’ll see and do in the next 6 months? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
And what an interesting exercise to do now and then again in 6 months report back, answering what did I do and see that I thought I would? What was different and unexpected?
Looking forward to hearing about your next 180 days and in 180 days let’s touch base on this again.
Thank you for reading!