Essentialism: A Conversation on Setting Human-Centric Goals With Grace for the Season Ahead with Claire Diaz-Ortiz, Author, Speaker and Innovation Advisor
An Excerpt from Rank & File Magazine
Claire Diaz-Ortiz wears many hats. This mother of three was Twitter’s former head of corporate social innovation and philanthropy, who was known as the “woman who got the Pope on Twitter.” Nowadays, she’s an eight-time author, speaker and advisor to startups and social enterprises.
Prioritize and pivot. These are the two virtues, she says, that have always propelled her forward and helped her navigate one of the toughest battles of the modern-day workplace: finding a balance between your personal life and purpose-driven career.
Claire’s primary takeaway from her experiences? Be an essentialist: “Paring down to the essentials is the path forward for most people in life and in work.”
Claire sits down with Rank & File to talk about setting human-centric goals for the new year, allowing flexibility and learning how to make priorities a singular word.
Allowing Flexibility During Seasons of Change
Entrepreneurship is, by its very nature, unpredictable. To keep up with the fast-paced environment, we can’t push against change by using strict goals that are set in advance for the entire year ahead; rather we should welcome and explore unexpected opportunities.
When it comes to approaching goal setting for entrepreneurs, Claire doesn’t hesitate as she advises, “Startups are much better suited for quarterly goals.”
As an early employee of Twitter, Claire understands the volatility of the startup life. “I think one of the biggest things that can happen in a startup environment, in life and entrepreneurship, is that you might set these great goals in January and then by March you realize that, hey, if you keep pushing towards those goals, you’re not actually going to be making your best contribution.”
It’s common for opportunities facing a startup to look differently than the way we originally plan. This means we can’t fiercely hold on to our goals just because at one time they seemed like a smart choice. Claire knows this is a common hardship many entrepreneurs face when approaching their goals. It’s not a case of “resistance that is keeping you from hitting those goals. In reality, it’s that the situation that has changed.”
Learning to identify when it’s time to pivot, and if our time can be better spent elsewhere, will help us grow.
“It’s important, particularly for entrepreneurs, small-business owners and startup folks, to realize that what is essential is always changing. It’s so hard to stick a flag in the ground and stake your claim on one strategy or one idea if you’re a startup. You have to be flexible enough to see opportunities.”
This idea of constant change is one of the components that shaped how Claire approaches her goal-setting process. “I think the biggest thing you have to remember is if you’re in a season of flux in your life, or if you’re in a startup, which means you’re constantly in a season of flux, you have to be able to be flexible in your goal setting. Goal setting should be something that motivates you. But it shouldn’t be something that you use to self-flagellate or make you feel worse when things don’t go as planned.”
Key Application: Each season of flux or change has its own signs, actions and detours. Each season can also provide the path toward a new, more promising direction if we allow change to happen as we go. So, shorten your time frame for goal setting and allow yourself to pivot into greater opportunities throughout your year as needed.
Using One Word to Drive Our Intentions for the Season Ahead
About seven years ago, Claire learned the importance of embracing seasons of change and allowing herself the flexibility to pivot. “I was extremely burnt out and was having some health challenges. I wanted to start a family, but I needed to get some help in order to make that happen,” Claire explains.
It was at that time Claire picked up a book and discovered the power of a “word of the year.” The concept resonated with her and quickly became a part of her goal-setting process. She lights up as she describes the concept of using a single word as the overarching theme of what drives her in the season ahead.
While we might have several individual goals, a single, all-encompassing word is “the one thing that brings those goals together,” Claire says. It also helps us to define what is truly essential so we can prioritize not only our goals, but also our activities, each and every day.
To define your personal word that will act as a guidepost in the season ahead, Claire recommends starting the process by carving out 30 minutes, “[grab] a cup of tea and a nice journal, and just do some old-fashioned brainstorming.” Pick a handful of words that seem right to you and mull them over for the next few weeks. “Typically, I think most people find that one word just ends up coming to the forefront.”
Once we have selected our word, it can help us to shape our individual goals for the season ahead.
Key Application: Things change, so widen the lens of your goals by selecting one word to represent the single most important focus for your season ahead. Allow it to be your guidepost as you approach your goals…
Rank & File is a digital publication and community for purpose-driven entrepreneurs
Get 20% off Rank & File Membership using the code: STARTSOMEGOOD
Photo courtesy of ©Rank & File
