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Do You Know Your Password?

I’ll bet you, like me, have numerous passwords to manage.

Personally, I think it’s exhausting attempting to keep track of, update and remember every single password. I realize there are tools to help manage the endless lists of passwords, but it can be overwhelming. As the world grows increasingly digital, it is not likely we will experience the need for fewer passwords.  

Despite how overwhelmed you or I may feel with our password management dilemma, I’d bet it’s nothing compared to what Stefan Thomas has experienced. 

Stefan Thomas has 7,002 Bitcoin worth hundreds of millions of dollars he cannot access. He has not been able to access them since 2012. Stefan lost the piece of paper on which he wrote his password. And due to system protections, he is only allowed 10 attempts at his password before he will be completely cut off from accessing his Bitcoin. Thus far, he has made eight attempts. After years of contemplation, Stefan is said to be at peace with the loss. “This whole idea of being your own bank — let me put it this way: Do you make your own shoes?” he told The New York Times. “The reason we have banks is that we don’t want to deal with all those things that banks do.”  

What Stefan Thomas needed to protect his future was a good plan and maybe some support from the outside.

A solid, well-executed plan can mitigate a lot of future challenges. This is especially true for organizations. An organization lacking a values-based strategic plan — which fully supports the mission — may be inadvertently setting itself up for future disappointments. 

In our work with organizations, we at Milestone Leadership like to ask leaders important questions to ensure they have their eye on their mission, as well as the organization’s future.

Some examples of helpful questions for leaders include:

  • How do you know when you are off mission?
  • How do you know when you are on mission?
  • Where do you see your organization heading in the next 18-24 months?
  • What are your organizational values?
  • How do you know your values are fully integrated within your organization?
  • How will you ensure your efforts are closely aligned to your organization’s mission?  

I encourage you to give some thought to the plans you have for your organization. You might even take some time to ponder the sample questions. 

At Milestone Leadership we believe the key “password” to protecting an organization’s future is a values-based strategic plan.  


Erik Dees is a partner with Milestone Leadership. The opinions expressed are those of the author.


In Milestone Leadership’s strategic planning work with organizations, we help leaders establish Mission Clarity as an essential foundation for effective leadership. And, we help leaders develop clearly articulated Values. Once that’s in place, we help establish a Vision to propel the organization forward over the next three to five years.

With strategic blueprints and a solid foundation, your business could be unstoppable.

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