2024 OND Strategy

When I think about what to focus on in the upcoming quarters, I often turn to two books for guidance: 'Good Strategy, Bad Strategy' and 'Playing to Win.' Both of these books discuss strategy but approach it in slightly different ways. However, the main idea is similar.

You can look at strategy from two angles. One way is to see it as using your strengths to take advantage of the best opportunities. The other way is to think about where you want to go and how to get there. The first approach is more about solving problems, while the second one opens up new opportunities. You can use the frameworks from these two books for both perspectives.

For this period, I’m focusing on my strengths and figuring out what actions I can take that will lead me to new strengths.

Strengths

As for my current strengths, I am a CTO with experience in sales. I’ve discussed various topics on LinkedIn, like building gravitas, personal branding, and generative AI. However, many people are talking about these subjects, making them feel like a red ocean - a crowded space.

What I see as my unique angle, or 'blue ocean,' is the combination of being a CTO with a sales background. I perceive this as less saturated. Since I have practical experience, I can share authentic stories.

I've been posting on LinkedIn almost every day, and it's really paid off. I've built a solid following of nearly 7,000 people. For a decent post, I usually get around 20 likes and sometimes a few comments. When I share some contrarian views, those posts really take off, sometimes getting over 10,000 impressions.

If you keep posting about a specific topic, you can attract a good number of followers. I think I've figured out how the LinkedIn algorithm works to some extent. It changes often, but I have a decent grasp of how to engage with the audience.

Another strength I have is communication. I might not be the best communicator out there, but as a CTO who posts daily on LinkedIn, I think I connect well with my audience. I have learned to create catchy headlines and short posts, and I try to include visuals with my text. All these elements combined are what I consider my strengths.

Where I would want to be in 3 quarters

When I think about the best opportunities to use my strengths and reach my goals in the next three quarters, I have two main objectives in mind.

First, I want to turn my application, Thought to Note, into a paid mobile app and attract some paying users. Second, I aim to secure a publishing deal with APRESS for my book, Tech Driven Sales.

Beyond these main goals, there are some additional benefits I hope to gain. For instance, I want to build a strong network with sales and technical leaders in the IT services industry. I also see the potential to create a sales training course for technical leaders. Plus, by posting daily, I can gather valuable feedback that will help me improve my content for the book. So, those are my main objectives along with some related goals.

Coherent Actions

When you're thinking about your strategy and the goals you want to achieve, the most important part is taking coherent actions. By coherent, I mean that all the actions you take should focus on that specific goal. Each action should support the others, creating a strong momentum.

This idea of coherent actions is like a flywheel. Once you get it going, it builds power and helps you move forward. It's not always easy, but if you can create that flywheel effect, you'll find it easier to progress.

For me, my coherent actions start with using my Thought2Note app to create snippets for the book. In fact, I'm dictating this message using Thought2Note right now. I plan to share these snippets daily. My main platform will be LinkedIn, but I don’t want to limit myself to just that due to potential changes in algorithms. I might also use Threads to share my posts.

By sharing daily, I can get feedback on my content and hopefully grow my following. I aim to reach around 10,000 to 12,000 followers in 3 quarters. Once I achieve that, I believe I can approach a publisher (APRESS) with my validated content and secure a book deal. That’s my hypothesis, and it’s what I’m looking forward to.

If I get that book deal, I can then connect with technical sales leaders in the IT services industry worldwide. I could interview them one-on-one or for a podcast series. This would provide me with even more content to generate using my app, which I can then share to keep building that flywheel.

This is the coherent action plan I have in mind. If I stick to this for about three quarters, which is neither too long nor too short, I believe I can achieve the goals I’ve set for myself.