Mark Kohler credits his mother's daily task lists with teaching him strategic planning. He still uses a yellow pad each morning and applies the same discipline to business planning cycles: 3-month, 6-month, 2-year, and 10-year checklists. The habit stuck because play came only after the list was done.
Chapters
As I think many of you know, teenagers and young adults really don't value the wisdom and how smart your mom is when you're younger. You don't really appreciate her awesomeness and how amazing they really are. I certainly didn't. I think it takes a lot of years for people to grow up and have some life experience and then they look back and realize, you know, my mom taught me quite a bit. Now what my mom taught me about business. And she taught me about a lot of things in life, of course, but what she taught me about business was what we've come to call the list. She would have a list for each one of her kids. We'd get home from school and I can still remember right where that list was on the counter and have the three or four things I had to do before I could play or do anything else. You know, I wanted to run outside and chase a dog or shoot a gun, just run around and I couldn't do anything until that list was accomplished. So like many of you, you probably get at the holidays around the kitchen table in the family room and you reminisce. Well, we talk about the list and boy did my brother or sister. And I hate that list. I remember vividly being really upset that I couldn't go out and play with my friends until I had that done. And I felt I missed out on a lot. What my mom's list did to teach me about business was, it was strategic planning. I go around the country now and teach strategic planning for your business. 3 month plan, 6 month plan, 2 year, 10 year, whatever it is, it's a big list. It's a checklist of what you're trying to do to take your business to the next level. That all started for me in elementary school. Coming home from school, having to get my list done, you know, today, literally today, before we shot this, this little video, I, this morning got out my yellow pad and made my list for the day. I really did. And that's what I've been working on all day, just checking off certain things. I don't check off everything, of course, but I try and I think back of how much my mom would be proud of me for making my list for the day. So I just want to give a shout out to my mom and all of you moms out there and I'm sure many of you are watching this video thinking of something your mom taught you and you're amazing and thank you for helping us succeed in life and helping us get through the ups and downs and helping us succeed in business, too.
