Jonathan Moore - My Boss Doesn't Think I'm Strategic

When starting in SEO, you don’t always have much control over where you start working or who you work with. This means that through no fault of your own, you don’t always know for sure what makes someone “strategic”.

To make it worse, through no fault of your own, someone may even label you as “not strategic”.

This presentation will show you that all is not lost. In fact, there are lots of practical things you can do to level up your strategy game.

Transcript

1. My Boss Doesn’t Think I’m Strategic Jonathan Moore speakerdeck.com/nathanless @NathanLess
2. What I do I solve problems and build capabilities About me Technical SEO Consultant
3. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Why are we here?
4. Strategy is a minefield
5. It’s ambiguous
6. There’s a LOT of jargon
7. You’ve got a big list of tasks
8. There are only 35hrs a week
9. #BrightonSEO @nathanless And your boss doesn’t think you’re “strategic”
10. Today is about how to stand out
11. #BrightonSEO @nathanless What is “strategic”?
12. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Strategic is an adjective
13. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Strategic is an adjective Strategy is a noun
14. #BrightonSEO @nathanless My definition of strategic
15. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Imagine you’re designing a house
16. #BrightonSEO @nathanless You start with the big picture
17. #BrightonSEO @nathanless And decide what’s possible
18. #BrightonSEO @nathanless You prioritise what is important
19. #BrightonSEO @nathanless And you work out the details
20. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Whilst thinking about the future
21. #BrightonSEO @nathanless 1. Thoughtful consideration of options 2. Forward-looking perspective 3. Alignment with a bigger plan
22. #BrightonSEO @nathanless What can you do?
23. Three skill areas
24. Four behaviours for each area
25. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Twelve skills to develop 3 x 4 = 12
26. To move you in the right direction
27. #BrightonSEO @nathanless 1) Situational awareness
28. #BrightonSEO @nathanless
29. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Business acumen
30. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Knowing the business and the competition.
31. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Goals. What we are trying to achieve and why.
32. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Internal. Things we control.
33. #BrightonSEO @nathanless External. Things we don’t control.
34. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Constraints. What can’t we do.
35. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Technical learning
36. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Acquiring new skills and knowledge.
37. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Curiosity
38. #BrightonSEO @nathanless What will happen if X changes?
39. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Learning on the fly
40. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Learning quickly when facing new problems.
41. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Unknown. Unknowns.
42. #BrightonSEO @nathanless
43. #BrightonSEO @nathanless
44. #BrightonSEO @nathanless 2) Creating solutions
45. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Dealing with ambiguity
46. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Make decisions without knowing the full picture.
47. #BrightonSEO @nathanless
48. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Innovation
49. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Having good judgement about what opportunities will work.
50. #BrightonSEO @nathanless
51. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Perspective
52. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Recognising the relationships between channels and business areas.
53. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Creativity
54. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Joining the dots to create a harmonious solution.
55. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Alignment.
56. #BrightonSEO @nathanless 3) Making decisions
57. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Dealing with paradox
58. #BrightonSEO @nathanless What works for client X may not work with client Y.
59. #BrightonSEO @nathanless What works for sector X may not work with sector Y.
60. #BrightonSEO @nathanless What worked six months ago X may not work today.
61. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Say “Yes if…” Instead of “It depends”
62. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Problem solving
63. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Finding effective solutions.
64. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Be known for recommending things that we can implement.
65. #BrightonSEO @nathanless
66. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Prioritisation
67. #BrightonSEO @nathanless What initiatives are going to make the most impact.
68. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Agility
69. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Anticipating future trends and their impact.
70. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Known. Unknowns.
71. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Situational Awareness Creating Solutions Making Decisions Business acumen Dealing with ambiguity Dealing with paradox Technical learning Innovation Problem solving Curiosity Perspective Prioritisation Learning on the fly Creativity Agility
72. #BrightonSEO @nathanless How to develop an action plan
73. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Where do I start?
74. #BrightonSEO @nathanless 1. A behaviour you are untested on 2. A behaviour you want to strengthen
75. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Create a matrix
76. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Business acumen Technical learning Curiosity Learning on the fly Unskilled Skilled
77. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Seek feedback
78. #BrightonSEO @nathanless 1. Where you stand 2. Appreciation 3. Coaching Types of feedback
79. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Situation-Behaviour-Impact™.
80. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Describe the specific situation in which the behaviour occurred. S Describe the actual, observable behaviour. B Describe the impact of the behaviour. I
81. #BrightonSEO @nathanless I think I am doing X. Do you agree?
82. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Business acumen Technical learning Curiosity Learning on the fly Unskilled Skilled Overused skill
83. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Pick a behaviour
84. #BrightonSEO @nathanless 1. A behaviour you are untested on 2. A behaviour you want to strengthen 3. A behaviour you are overusing
85. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Create a development assignment
86. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Use behavioural hooks.
87. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Create an action plan.
88. #BrightonSEO @nathanless When X happens, I’m going to demonstrate Y by doing Z.
89. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Be realistic
90. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Reflect
91. #BrightonSEO @nathanless Repeat
92. #BrightonSEO @nathanless GO FOR IT!
93. Thank You #BrightonSEO @nathanless