Postcards from the Digital Age
Finding Time to Shape the Future
Last year I missed my usual annual evaluating
and planning time.
Traditionally,
the speaking and consulting business falls off the edge of a
cliff right after Thanksgiving. I'd learned to use that time
to take stock of my life and my business and plan for the year
ahead. But last year my father died.
It
was right about this time last year that my dad went into the
hospital for what would be his final visit. When I visited him
there, on the other side of the continent, we got that time
to say things to each other that every father and son should
have.
"I'm
not going to win this one," he said. Then swinging his hand
with the trailing IV tube he said, "I'm passing you the torch."
I flew
home to North Carolina crying and writing. I wrote the column
that became "Saying Goodbye to My Dying Father."
My
father died on January 4, 2004. I wrote about that in my column
as well. For years I've used my column as a basket to collect
the pieces of my life.
After
that, there were memorial services and comfort to give and receive.
There was also a giant hole in my life. A center of gravity
was gone and I was off balance.
It
took months for me to start to get my feet under me again. It
was a slow process. It's still not complete.
Now
it's time for my annual evaluating and planning. I've started
evaluating the many opportunities for next year.
Several
consulting and business development projects are promising,
but they demand time and attention. The time for them needs
to come from somewhere.
That's
why this will be the last of my regular weekly columns. I need
to take the time that went into researching and writing each
weekly think piece and use it for other things.
I won't
stop writing. For years I've had two research projects going.
One is on "What Great Leaders DO Differently" about the behaviors
that set great leaders apart from others in the areas of planning
and supervising. It expands on a book I wrote a decade ago.
I've
also been working on material I'm calling "Beating Goliath:
How to Prosper Against Giant Competition." Both research topics
need to turn into books.
There's
also a wealth of intellectual property that I've developed over
the years that I want to turn into digital and print products.
Several clients want to work with me to develop information
products to build their reputation and their business.
I'll
write book reviews and articles, too. There's no chance that
my keyboard will gather dust anytime soon.
But
this is the last regular column. By this time next month some
of my development projects will begin to bear fruit and I'll
let you know about them. And I'll start a mailing list for my
book reviews.
Thank
you for allowing me to fill your email box with musings and
observations about so many things over the years. Thank you
for allowing me to share pieces of my life with you.
I wish
you the best in your life and business. I hope you'll contact
me if I can ever help you in any way. And now, it's back to
planning and evaluating and shaping the future.
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7 December 2004
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