22 | October | 2010 | Duane's Dartboard

Day 11 – Key Accomplishments

October 22, 2010

List my key accomplishments and evaluate marketing’s impact.

Too often we think of accomplishments as a list of things we’ve done. We’ve all seen verbose resumes with a list of 30 bullet points under each job title. I’ll bet those “accomplishments” are little more than tasks or processes that support some undefined goal or strategy.

I want my accomplishments to reflect the results I’ve produced, the impact I’ve had and the difference I’ve made.

This past year I presented my CEO with a six-page list of what my marketing department accomplished. Rather than making a lengthy list of all the things we had done, I structured the document in a hierarchical manner categorized by the clients served. The list focused on the impact we had upon their success.

I devised the format using this three-step process:

List Tasks. We first made a lengthy list of things we had done on a day-to-day basis. It was a master list, a compost pile of uncategorized stuff, both major and minor.
Identify Results. I then converted the tasks into a list of achievements we produced and the projects we successfully completed.
Understand Impact. The results were then described in a way that showed the actual benefits others derived from the our work.

Privately, I even went a step further. I looked at my accomplishments and wondered what legacy I will someday leave behind. I asked myself, “What did I actually do that someone might still be talking about in 10 years?” (That’s a sobering question.)

I can’t spend too much time, though, looking back on my accomplishments. With all the important work I have yet to do, this is no time to rest upon one’s laurels. I believe my best achievements are yet to come!