V2MOM - Why Simplicity Matters
Have you figured it out yet?
The V2MOM technique has officially entered the professional development ‘zeitgeist’. This clean and simple method for goal setting, collective alignment, and project management is now being used in organizations of all sizes and across a wide spectrum of industries.
For those who have not yet caught on…
V2MOM is a business coaching framework created by Marc Benioff (Founder of SalesForce), that focuses on 5 key areas:
Vision
Values
Methods
Obstacles
Measures
The brilliance of the method lies in its simplicity. It is intuitively comprehensible. It just makes sense, even if you’ve never heard of it before.
Complexity is normal - V2MOM is not.
Let’s agree on one thing: There’s no shortage of complexity. Professional service business owners know it. Creative solo entrepreneurs know it. Freelance digital nomads know it. We are never going to run out of ways to overcomplicate things and get stuck in the weeds.
And yet, our first instinct, when faced with a challenge, is to get bogged down by the details, create endless lists and mind maps, and postpone any actual decision-making until we can consult with someone who is unavailable right now. WHY DO WE DO THIS???
The answer is simple: We aren’t ready to face the truth.
Simplicity bears the truth in terms that are too clear to ignore. When we allow ourselves to view a problem in the bright white light of simplicity, we are forced to bear witness to our own shortcomings, our own mistakes, and the ways in which we are perpetuating our own struggle.
YEESH. So not cool…
When it comes to building your business, understanding your contribution to the corporation you work for,
or creating the experience of freelancing you desire, you're going to need to get real and stay real.
Phrased in V2MOM Terms:
Vision
What do you actually want? Not kind of want or could want or should want. What do you and only you, truly envision for yourself?
Values
Why? Who is the person behind this vision? Who is the group of humans that make up this organization, and what makes them tick? Why do you get out of bed in the morning, put on an actual outfit of some kind, and fire up that laptop?
Methods
How are we going to get where we want to go? What skills, capabilities, and advantages do you or your team have that will allow you to reach your vision in a way that aligns with your values?
Obstacles
What’s stopping you? Don’t overthink this one… it’s usually something infuriatingly obvious and, let’s face it, preventable. It’s usually some version of YOU. And that’s okay. It’s normal and you don’t have to stay stuck forever.
Measures
What quantifiable set of metrics can we look at now and compare to later? Let’s find some verifiable factual statements that can serve as our definition of success. We’ll know we’ve made it to our vision when ________ .
And that’s it. Seriously.
Work through these 5 areas and you’ll have your to do list for the year. Stay accountable to your V2MOM board, and you’ll actually ACCOMPLISH whatever is on that to-do list.
Having worked in professional and personal development for a few years, I can make a couple of promises right at the outset:
This is going to be uncomfortable. The clearer you get about where you want to go and why you aren’t going there, the closer you’ll get to the hardest truths in your life. (Once again… YEESH.) Just because it’s simple, doesn’t mean V2MOM is easy. In fact, quite the opposite. So GET SUPPORTED. Find a buddy that you can do it with (like we were for Emily here), hire a coach, or reach out to a mentor who has done this type of work before. DO NOT go it alone.
You can do this. The reason you want what you want is that you are meant to have it. There is a lesson for you in this and if you (and me and literally all of us) can get in there and face whatever part of you is holding you back, you will find clarity and resolution. You can and will transcend this chapter in the story of your business.
Keep it simple. Keep it real. Keep it tuned in to the eGuide Blog at all times.
Coach Clayton
Help Someone. Have Fun, Be You. Learn & Teach. Finish What You Start.
