Many of you know the name Brian Tracy, just as you would Tony Robbins or Jack Canfield. The three are what I would consider the godfathers of current day personal development, just as Napoleon Hill, Earl Nightingale, Wayne Dyer and Werner Erhard were back in the day. I’ve had the occasion to spend more time with Brian lately by virtue of a real estate deal one of my companies is working on. The mention of his latest book, Get Smart!, came up in our conversation yesterday, so I immediately ordered it on Amazon and Audible.com, I recommend you do the same.
As I was reading the book, I was reminded of a strategic planning method that Brian has espoused to for years: what he calls the GOSPA method. GOSPA is an acronym which stands for Goals, Objectives, Strategies, Priorities, and Actions. I realized that this method would be applicable to you for use with my Personal Strategic Plan, so I want to share it with you today, with attribution to Brian Tracy.
Personal Strategic Planning with the GOSPA Thinking Model
Using the GOSPA method of thinking in your Personal Strategic Planning, and carefully considering each action you must take, dramatically improves your decision-making abilities. It forces you to use both long-term thinking and slow thinking together (get the book to understand the value of these, and other, forms of thinking):
Goals
The specific, measurable, time-bounded, results you want to achieve over the long term.
Objectives
The interim goals that you will have to achieve to accomplish your major goals. Imagine that your goals exist at the top of the ladder – your long-term aims – and your objectives are the rungs of the ladder that you must climb to achieve them.
Strategies
The various ways that you could accomplish each objective. For example, in business, one of your objectives will be to achieve a certain level of sales. You can use a variety of different strategies to achieve your sales targets.
Priorities
Those activities that are more important than others in achieving your goals and objectives. Apply the 80/20 rule to everything. What are the top 20 percent of actions that you can take that can account for 80 percent of your results?
Actions
What specific, measurable, time-bounded activities must you take to implement your strategies, achieve your objectives, and accomplish your goals?
Your Homework
Download my Personal Strategic Plan and select at least one life area to apply the GOSPA method to help you think clearly and at your very best in planning your future.
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