A Personal Strategic Plan

By Kris Matz

I’ve been listening to Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat 3.0 on CD. The work is about globalization . Many of you reading this probably are thinking ‘boring!’ but it’s a really interesting book. (Although it is long – there are 21 discs in the box.)

This morning while I was driving to work he presented an interesting idea in a section titled The Untouchables – being an expert on three things. In an interview with Marcia Loughry, she related a story to Friedman stating that a previous superior suggested to her that she should always strive to be an expert in three things 1) her current core ‘bread and butter’, 2) something closely related, and 3) what she’s going to do next. This concept has helped her stay ahead of others, increasing her value. Friedman warns that a person’s areas of expertise are going to have to shift and change as the environment around them changes and they grow – as would be expected.

Think of the personal value that can be created with this idea! Most business plan strategically – but most people don’t do this for themselves. I think I could benefit from this idea personally and professionally….could you?