Here it is! Your success is just around the corner!
Simply put, whether you are in the municipal environment, run or work for a private company, are a non-profit or just want some goals for your family, these steps will get you there. It will take time and effort, but where better to spend your time?
Everyone has a vision for their future. They may need to take some time to figure it out but it is there. Take the time to see it or else it will pass you by. And, please be bold.
"We choose to go to the Moon! We choose to go to the Moon...We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others, too. " - JFK September 12, 1962
Share your vision with those around you. Success is achieved with help along the way. You should have surrounded yourself with people who want to be part of something bigger than themselves. If you have not, that is another topic (see article on Good to Great on this site). Paint that picture together.
"I'm helping put a man on the moon." - Janitor at NASA to JFK
Now - what exactly is keeping you busy today? Answer truthfully or the whole exercise is flawed. Perhaps get some input from stakeholders on the outside looking in?
You now have a good idea about what you are doing - is it moving you towards achieving your goals, and ultimately your vision? Perform an exercise of involving those around you to actually rank impact. I strongly believe, for a municipality especially, that Priority Based Budgeting (PBB) is that tool. Every municipality should be doing it, as should other orders of government.
Decide from this point where you are getting the best bang for your buck. What are you doing that supports progress to the greatest degree and support it. Think hard about moving time, effort and resources from areas of little impact to these areas. Reallocate!!!
Maximize value!!! Demonstrate that relevance is more important than jumping to efficiency and effectiveness. These are ways of doing business, but decide what business needs to be done first.
Always think about sharing your story. Be transparent, both internally and externally. When crafting goals and measures think about that story. The public will be happy to hear about your story if it is relevant to them and accompanied with a logical set of performance measures. But - a caution here is to be aware of value again. More measures is not necessarily better than a solid set of good measures. Ensure time taken to collect the measure is factored into whether it is to be used or not.
These are logical steps toward success. But success depends on taking the required time to do it. Big things can happen if the time is taken to get this right.