Are you a builder, or an unbuilder?

We are quickly approaching the end of another year. Off the back of an “unprecedented” run of events that tested us and now we find ourselves facing some dark economic clouds on the horizon (sorry, that's not the most positive start to an opinion piece).

However, right now is the perfect time to ask yourself an incredibly important question. 

What am I building? 

The answer is crucial, because if you’re not trying to build something, you might be getting in the way of someone who is, or worse, unbuilding something. Don't be an unbuilder.

What we all want to build might be different, but people who are clear on this are generally all heading in the same direction. Forward. You might want to build a business, a new product, a great campaign, a successful career, someone else's career, organisational culture, shareholder value, or your own wealth. If you’re like me, you want to build all of these (then it's about priorities). Regardless, it’s very hard to achieve any of them without clearly understanding your goals and where to apply the effort. 

Not knowing what you want to build means you might struggle to manage time, make decisions, know which direction to go, or know how to differentiate between what is important and what is critical. Applying your skills, experience and energy becomes fruitless without focus, and you might find yourself building the wrong thing (hopefully before it's too late).

Side note - My hunch is that 'quiet quitters' aren't clear on what they're building. If you have an objective and you're really passionate about it, you'll stop at nothing to make it happen.

Building good things in our industry isn’t easy. Initially, it requires an objective, then focus, constant effort, exacting attention to quality and the details, self believe, help from others, and an insatiable desire to make things happen, not to mention a bit of luck. 

As consumer spending (and sentiment) starts to contract and we experience the economy slowing, it’s going to be even more crucial to hold the line on what you're building - the process might take longer, it will become more challenging to fund a project or you might be tempted to cut corners or lower expectations. Keep your eyes on the prize, work hard and drive forward. The effort will pay off and the returns will compound when the market starts to swing back up, creating a sling-shot effect for your efforts. 

At the very least, a good goal is to leave a role, project, brand, or business you're working on in better shape than you found it (I should add the planet to that list). Leaving big shoes to fill encourages growth in the people who follow you. 

So, what are you building?