Bruyant-Langer - The personal business plan a blueprint for running your life

Table of Contents

Cover design by Salad Creative Ltd

2013 Stephen Bruyant-Langer and Bruyant-Langer ApS

The Personal Business Plan is a registered trademark of Bruyant-Langer ApS

Registered office

John Wiley and Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom

For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com.

The right of the author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademark or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with the respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978-1-118-74413-0 (hardback) ISBN 978-1-118-74424-6 (ebk)

ISBN 978-1-118-74425-3 (ebk)

To Mette, Caroline, Claudia, Amanda and Adam.

Thank You for Everything.

List of Figures and Tables in The Personal Business Plan

Introduction
What Can I Use The Personal Business Plan For?

Take a chance

while you still got the choice

AC/DC

L ife has taught me that you need an overarching life ambition in order to succeed. You need to remain learning agile in order to be able to reinvent yourself. And you need to have the courage to commit yourself in order to be happy.

Throughout my career as a headhunter I have had the privilege of interviewing and coaching thousands of outstanding leaders. These trustful dialogues with resourceful leaders have taught me a great deal about success in business and success in life. I would like to share some of the key findings to help you identify the personal and career paths which will make you successful.

My approach to both personal and professional life is that if you can dream it, you can do it. But in the necessary soul-searching process you must be ready to look the monster in the eye: The monster in this case being the sum of your self-limitations. Throughout your life you have constructed a truth about who you are; this truth limits you in the exploration and utilization of new experiences that could disrupt this idea. In turn, this self-imposed limitation means that you stop learning. There is no Truth with a capital T.

In your professional life it is important to know your adversary and to recognize that sometimes you can be your own worst enemy. You need to liberate and enable yourself, and become Pinocchio with no strings to tie you down. You need not lie least of all to yourself. The feeling is great to feel free and be able to focus on the future.

In my experience, most executives have great difficulties in applying their professional toolbox and techniques to their personal lives. Many in fact most mention one of the following existential dilemmas and challenges:

How do I balance my professional life and my personal life?

How do I get the most out of my high potential situation?

How do I create a sustainable position for my family and myself in this volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world?

How do I identify and focus on the important things in life?

How do I avoid the emotional burnout that results from constantly giving to others?

How do I find happiness?

I have come to realize that our most secret thoughts are also the most common. These questions and thoughts are the reasons why I have chosen to write this book.

The Personal Business Plan will help you answer these fundamental questions and help you survive, live, and thrive. I have known leaders who have lost themselves in success who have derailed and have fallen into the abyss of stress, substance abuse, addiction, divorce, depression, or suicide. The need to make the most of your strengths without overdoing them without derailing seems to be more relevant in the twenty-first century than ever before. You must reduce the risks in your personal life in order to perform in business life and vice versa. I'll help you find your own way through the labyrinth becoming maze bright and organizationally savvy. My mission in life is to make you happier.