What's Your Agenda?
It dawned on me that I was someone with “an agenda.”
While driving to meet a friend, I was making a mental list of the topics I wanted to talk over with her.
It dawned on me that I was someone with “an agenda.” My initial reaction was “Uh-oh, I am one of those people” –– you know, the kind that always has ulterior motives for her actions. This realization didn’t sit well with me, at least not at first.
What does it mean to have an agenda, anyway?
Two definitions come to mind.
There’s a political agenda, sometimes referred to as an ulterior motive, that is a desire to affect change among or between people, whether within a group, a family, a work environment, or even a whole culture.
Then there’s also a meeting agenda, which lists items to cover when two or more people meet, and is an excellent way to increase efficiency.
The two definitions really weave together nicely because greater efficiency supports effecting change. Maybe having an agenda isn’t something to cringe about after all. In fact, it may be a very good thing.
To be successful in business requires healthy balance between structure and flow.
The structure of rules and practices is as essential to business as is the creative flow that makes your business such a good fit for your values and personality. Structures “hold” the creative process, enabling greater balance, and ultimately, greater success.
Planning what you want to talk about with a friend adds counterbalance to the natural flow of conversation. Beyond a plan for a casual meeting, an agenda also guides the choices you make in life. It ensures you are on the right path toward your goals, both personal and business.
My big agenda is to reframe business so as many people as possible can succeed in their work, doing what they love.
Being efficient will help people attain their goals and create work that is as unique as each of them. After some reflection, I see it’s fine to be a woman who balances her life and strives for success –– it’s fine being someone with an agenda.
In fact, we all have them. Whether we call them our mission, purpose, or agenda – they are the reasons we are in business. Gaining clarity on yours creates the structure that will enable you to make choices more easily and increase your creating a business on your own terms.
What is your agenda?
Creating effective structures that support clients to achieve their big agendas is something I do every day. Please reach out if you would like to talk about how I can help you clarify and achieve your big agenda.