I love a good meme as much as the next guy, and the “three words” meme originated by Chris Brogan has the advantage of also being a useful exercise in introspection and planning. So here are my three words for 2011:

Progress. Impact. Balance.

Progress

This is going to be a big year for me personally, and for New Marketing Labs. We’ve done a lot of thinking about the business we most want to be in and what our clients — and the clients we would like to work with — really need. The social media world is evolving rapidly, and mostly in ways that are predictable based on past experience with technology and the Internet. There are more social media agencies and consultants than ever. Now that everyone is jumping on the bandwagon, it’s time to focus on fundamentals. You can find a less enigmatic description in my “New Year, New NML” post, coming soon to the New Marketing Labs blog.

But the main point here is that I will be taking on new responsibilities and new challenges. In a rapidly-evolving marketplace, you don’t have time to sit still. In everything I do for NML and for my own development within my current role, it has never been more important to focus on progress. Is what I’m doing this quarter getting me, NML and our clients where we need to be? This month? This week? Today? This very minute? If the answer is no, I need to be ruthless and move on.

For me personally, this needs to be a year of progress as well. When i left SAS to go to NML, I left a great company that I truly respected. I’m working harder and on more interesting, rewarding and worthwhile projects than at any point in my career. My book with Mike Barlow, The Executive’s Guide to Enterprise Social Media Strategy, comes out next month. I’m meeting, connecting with and engaging with more people than ever. I need to check in regularly and ask myself if this is all taking me where I want to go. Part of that is making sure I have a clear vision of where that is. As I type that I realize that vision is only about 60 percent clear in my mind, and I obviously need to address that.

Impact

You can progress toward a goal, but eventually you have to reach it. That’s true for me personally, and for my work with NML. Visible signs of the success of your efforts are essential, whether you’re keeping yourself motivated or giving your customers tangible evidence that you’re providing them value. We’re refocusing all of our efforts at NML around providing — and demonstrating — ROI with our strategies and tactics. Any agency or consultant who can’t show that clearly will be looking for a new line of work in 2011.

Another way of looking at impact is the impact my work is having on my life and family. For one thing, I’m traveling a lot and The Mrs shoulders the burden of looking after The Boy when I’m gone “and she has a very responsible and demanding job herself”. I need to be aware constantly of the impact on them, thinking of practical strategies to mitigate it, and evaluating the personal ROI of all this. Which takes us to…

Balance

SAS sincerely values work/life balance, and makes it as easy as possible for employees to maintain. Now I need to find that balance for myself. For instance, it’s Sunday afternoon and I’m writing this on the couch with The Boy, watching cartoons. Am I ignoring him by working while we watch, or am I spending more time with him by writing this on my iPad instead of at my desk?

As for balance in the larger sense, I’ve frankly never been very good at it. I’ve always been an all or nothing kind of person, with work and personal interests and my health and fitness. It’s a continual struggle and I’m happy to find that the more of a challenge it becomes, the better I seem to be getting at dealing with it. But I still have a long way to go.

I also need to get better at saying no. Right now it seems the only thing I say no to is sleep, and that is clearly not sustainable.

And saying no doesn’t just mean the opposite of saying yes. If someone asks me for a favor, for instance, and I know I won’t be able to work it in, I have a bad tendency to ignore it, rather than explicitly say, “Thanks, but I’m afraid I can’t.” “If you’re reading this and waiting for a response from me on something you’ve asked me, my apologies. Feel free to ask again, but, well, I might say no.”

Progress, impact and balance. Good, solid, fundamental words for a year that deserves them.

Do you have three words of your own?

image by D Sharon Pruitt

An exchange between me and The Mrs. in the car, talking about The Boy:

She: “Maybe next year he should go as a member of Devo for Halloween.”

Me: “Well, that would probably guarantee him free haircuts for life from the woman who cuts my hair.”

She: “Yeah, I’ll bet.”

Me: “Do you know what I’m talking about?”

She: “No.”

Me: “Then why did you say ‘yeah’?”

She: “Sometimes it’s just easier that way.”