Marketing genius Seth Godin is constantly brimming with career and life advice.
One of his strengths is pointing out that both are interchangeable: the universal truths that inform our "real lives" apply to our professional selves, and vice versa. You cannot be two people at once — or at least, it won't last that long before you're found out.
While looking through his blog, we came across this great post on the "Hierarchy Of Success."
Godin says it looks like this:
1. Attitude, 2. Approach, 3. Goals, 4. Strategy, 5. Tactics, 6. Execution
Most people spend too much time on the execution, without rethinking their strategies and tactics, he says:
"Big news: No one ever succeeded because of execution tactics learned from a Dummies book.
Tactics tell you what to execute. They're important, but dwarfed by strategy. Strategy determines which tactics might work.
But what's the point of a strategy if your goals aren't clear, or contradict?
Which leads to the first two, the two we almost never hear about.
Approach determines how you look at the project (or your career). ... As far as I'm concerned, the most important of all, the top of the hierarchy is attitude."
The marketing guru says asking all the right questions from the beginning is crucial. For example, "When will you quit?" and "What sort of decisions do you make when no one is looking?"
The answer to those questions will help you know if what you're doing is even worth pursuing at all.