Aligning Your Passions and Your Company's Values

Is it a cheat to quote someone else's blog in my blog? Maybe. But stick with me. I think the journey will be worth it!

An old friend from Simon School days, Jerri Barret, writes a great blog about her "key learnings on Marketing, Networking and Non Profit Life." (You can read it here. She works for an interesting organization called The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology. Jerri led me to a really outstanding article on building a leadership brand that your company values, by Jo Miller, CEO of Women’s Leadership Coaching Inc. Jo presented five steps described by Titina Ott,Vice President of Organizational Effectiveness with a leading global software corporation, and founder of their corporate women’s initiative. These really resonated for me:

"1. Understand your company’s vision, goals, and value proposition. These can be found on your company’s web site.
2. Understand the goals for your line of business, by asking your manager.
3. Understand your team’s goals, objectives and priorities. Ask your manager, as this is a critical part of their role.
4. Take a look at your development plan for the year. It is your responsibility to put this plan together. Map your goals to objectives for the company, your line of business, and your team.
5. Discuss your plan with your and manager, to gain their alignment. Ott states 'A plan is not effective unless your manager knows about it, acknowledges it and assists in providing the opportunities and support to execute against it.'"

The entire article can be found here.