Put an empty fish bowl on your desk.
The fishbowl represents your life; 83 years total, plus or minus.
It has capacity, but it’s finite.
Now, decide the five most important things to you.
Health? Fun? Family? Work? Learning? Health? Spirituality? Marriage? Friends?
Now find five rocks, one to represent each of your priorities.
Place the five rocks in the fishbowl.
After they’re in, then you can start filling in all the spare spaces with gravel, sand, water.
But make sure to put the five rocks in first.
That’s strategic planning. And it applies to personal life and to business as well.
Today the IABC-Madison chapter heard Joan Gillman tell about choosing her five rocks. Joan is Director of Special Industry Programs, Executive Education, for the UW-Madison School of Business.
Joan’s office acts as a conduit between University resources and the business community. Part of her role is co-hosting a daily radio show, “On Air with In Business,” focusing on local business issues. Joan’s career is one of her five rocks. She loves what she does.
Joan was formerly Director of Madison’s Small Business Development Center, which serves 15,000 businesses (and those thinking about going into business) by offering counseling and courses in the areas of marketing, management, finance, and business feasibility.
