I would consider myself a type A- personality. Like I have a label maker… but its low key… I think planning can be a great tool to realize the steps you have to take to reach your career, life, or other personal goals. However, it doesn’t really capture everything that matters. Until my junior year summer internship, I had never heard of marketing operations before it became my internship role. It felt like the right opportunity to me, not because it was in my 5-year plan, but because it sang to my “Why”. One of the most popular Ted Talks of all time was given by Simon Sinek called “Start with Why—How Great Leaders Inspire Action.” The talk focuses on a model called “The Golden Circle” which is meant to show how a company should map its purpose.
The Golden Circle has three rings:
WHAT- What a company does (what goods or services do they sell)
HOW - What is the value prop that distinguishes them from competition (the process)
WHY – The purpose/belief of your organization to exist
Sinek uses Apple as an example in his talk:
WHAT- We make computers
HOW- Our products are beautifully designed and easy to use
WHY- We believe in challenging the status quo and doing things differently
However, I tweaked the model to have a “Why” plan to help guide me in some cases rather than a plan based on “How” and “What”. My five year plans constantly change, but always revolve around reaching my "why" goals.
Here is my Personal Career Golden Circle tweek:
WHY- What makes work feel fulfilling to you?
HOW- What kind of role and company would allow you to do that?
WHAT- What projects do you work on
Here is what my model looks like for me:
WHY- I want my work to be impactful, solve problems, and be creative.
HOW- I’m a marketing operations specialist
WHAT- I work on creating solutions for gaps or problems within the enterprise marketing org
Now, when I think about my career and my plan I always start with why.
CHEERS, KELLY