In the book Getting Things Done, the author talks about the six-level model, which describes the multiple levels of responsibility. The author uses the example about a plane preparing for landing on a runway and how to prioritize tasks. For this model, it requires you to do a bottom up approach when accomplishing those tasks. This event is because it is harder to accomplish the multiple step tasks first. All the tasks should be moving you to that lifetime goal. One needs to consistently move up the levels in order to reach their “life” goal.
The example of the plane landing on the runway is as followed:
- Life: 50’000 feet
- 3-5 years: 40’000 feet
- 1-2 years: 30’000 feet
- Areas of responsibility: 20’000 feet
- Current projects: 10’000 feet
- Current task: runway
A six-level model approach that I am currently using is with my career path. My life goal is to become a COO of a fortune 500 company, but there are many steps I need to go through first to get to that position. My current task is completing my blog posts for senior seminar, while the current task leads into my current project of getting my bachelor’s degree. The responsibility that I am faced with is getting a job after I graduate from Roberts Wesleyan College. In 1-2 years, I hope to get the certified as a project manager. In my 3-5 year approach, I hope to become a project manager and get the experience with operations. With me following these steps I hope to become a COO by the end of my professional career. There are no shortcuts that will getting myself a position as a COO, but only through my work experience that will help me accomplish my goal. The bottom up approach is the only way to get to where you want to go successfully.
CatanMaster4thewin 