Month: January 2022

In the first part of the past decade, I used to pick 3 areas/themes I wanted to prioritize as part of my annual review. I had mixed success with them. Some years, they worked out great. In others, they didn’t at all.

The only common factor in my successful attempts that I identified was simplicity.

There were years when I had a hard time remembering my themes and sub-themes. A recipe for failure.

So, I’ve gradually simplified both my templates and my goals. I don’t expect to see more than 2 priority areas. If there are more than 2 and if they’re hard to remember, they’re unlikely to get done.

This drives home an important related idea. If I struggle to remember a list of goals I deem important, imagine how hard it is for our teams and organizations to remember lists of priorities.

Simplicity in prioritization and communication go a long way in helping us get things done.

I was thinking about an anecdote* from a book by late Vanguard founder John Bogle. This was an exchange Bogle witnessed at a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island in New York.

The late novelist Kurt Vonnegut informed his pal, Joseph Heller, that their host, a hedge fund manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from his wildly popular novel Catch-22 over its whole history.

Heller responded – “Yes, but I have something he will never have…enough.”

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This is an incredibly powerful quote in the context of money. The question that follows as we think about the new year is – what about other aspects of our life?

Are we seeking wealth of a different nature – an awesome financial investment? Or is it status? Social media followers? A promotion?

These questions bring us to 2 central questions –

(1) What game(s) are we playing?
(2) When will we have enough?

Best to define what winning is like before we start playing.

*I’ve shared it a few times on this blog – but not enough. :-)