Article II Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution requires the President to deliver to Congress information regarding the state of the Union – including recommendations regarding such measures he judges necessary and expedient. Since 1790 those messages (which, by the way, were written reports through 1912) have been delivered at approximately one year intervals.
The latest was presented to Congress last night.
If you watch or listen to these with any regularity, you know that the President often gives a summary statement early in the speech that goes something like this: “The state of the Union is strong,” or “The state of the Union is sound.”
Not always, though.
For example, in 1975, Gerald Ford said, “I must say to you that the state of the Union is not good.”
The following year he reported it was “better, in many ways, a lot better – but still not good enough.”
On some occasions, the issue is skirted and no declarative statement is offered (Jimmy Carter, 1980).
Last night’s pronouncement: “Our union is strong.”
Whether or not you agree with that assessment, there's another consideration closer to home that's pretty important - and that would be your own personal situation.
What’s the state of your career?
Is it “strong?”
Or would you call it “not good” or “not good enough?”
Whatever the case – robust, poor, or so-so – what’s your plan moving forward?
What are your concrete proposals as you set your course for the next year and beyond? What are your objectives, and how specifically will you go about achieving them? How will you measure your performance?
This is important stuff.
And unlike the State of the Union, which is largely a PR/political exercise (regardless of who’s giving it) and typically short on specifics, your report needs to have substance and it's got to be rooted in reality. It requires metrics and benchmarks – and you must be prepared to deliver the results.
If you’ve already got a plan and keep it updated on a regular basis, good for you. If not, now would be a great time to develop one.
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