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The week between Christmas and New Years Day is typically a slow work week. Many people spend some time reflecting upon the year’s accomplishments and challenges both professionally and personally. We have done just that this week at Solarity, celebrating our successes and acknowledging our deficiencies, noting lessons learned for both. It is also a time that many people set goals for the coming year. As you are taking stock and setting goals, there are some strategic steps that you can take to set yourself up for successful outcomes. Let’s take a few moments to examine these steps in the context of a significant success and opportunity that will impact every Kentuckian: 

KentuckyWired: High-Speed, High-Capacity Internet (Broadband) in Every County in Kentucky 

1. Take a candid look at your successes and challenges for the year and set achievable goals for the future 

In 2015, Kentucky launched a state-wide broadband network with connection points in all 120 counties, known as KentuckyWired. (Learn More) 

When complete, KentuckyWired will consist of more than 3,400 miles of fiber-optic infrastructure known as the “middle-mile,” connecting the global internet to communities throughout the state. The financing for this project is accomplished through a Public Private Partnership (P3), which is a unique, first of it’s kind approach to broadband connectivity on a state-wide basis. This significant achievement was awarded the 2015 Deal of the Year by The Bond Buyer, and Deal of the Year for the Southwest Region. 

The successful launch of this Broadband project in 2015 brings a significant opportunity to every community in Kentucky for 2016 and beyond. 

2. Envision where you want to go 

To make the KentuckyWired project truly successful, communities will need to develop broadband adoption plans for connecting to the state’s “middle-mile” network. To help communities through that process, the state has awarded a contract to three vendors for Broadband Planning, Facilitation, and Training Services. Solarity is proud to be among the vendors chosen for this contract to help communities plan for broadband success. 

3. Create a roadmap for how to get there 

As the old saying goes, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery 

Once you have your goal or goals, you need a plan to achieve them. For communities wanting to take advantage of the KentuckyWired “middle-mile” infrastructure, developing a plan is critical. As a vendor selected by the state for this project, Solarity can serve as the Integrator, bringing together the right people and expertise to develop a plan for success. 

4. Track your progress 

Don’t just measure your results at the end of the year or your project; check the pulse throughout. Are you making progress and on track to meet your goals? If not, what steps can be taken to get back to where you need to be? Once way to do this is by setting up milestones. Milestones are incremental achievements that lead up to your ultimate goal. For community broadband projects, one of the first milestones is bringing together the right people to develop a shared vision. 

5. Celebrate! 

One step that is often left out is to celebrate after achieving your goal. Take the time to reflect upon the project, make not of both what worked and what didn’t, and use those lessons on future projects. 

As 2015 comes to a close, celebrate your successes, learn from your challenges, and take advantage of opportunities like KentuckyWired to set goals for the future. Make 2016 your best year yet! 

References:

About the author

Cory Camic is the Business Development Manager for Solarity with over eleven plus years of experience, with proven ingenuity in the areas of sales team development and management, as well as leveraging solutions-based selling to increase business profitability. In 2015, Cory achieved the Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification, and he serves as the Director of Business Outreach for the Bluegrass IIBA® Chapter. Cory is characterized as a results-driven individual with excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

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We partner with organizations and individuals to help them go “from inspiration to implementation” by helping them to define the right work, plan the work, and work the plan.