The problem with goal setting… 3 common mistakes

We are at that stage in the year where most of the organisations I work with are

coming towards the end of their financial year and starting to get their heads around next year’s goals.

Whether you are an individual considering your own goals for the coming year, or a leader considering the team or organisational goals, you have the opportunity to set yourself up for a positive or negative spiral.

If the goal involves a positive reward the expectation of a reward can have an impact on your mood and the way you think about things, building momentum and motivation as you progress.

Whereas if the goal involves you moving away from a problem you will spend a lot of time focussing on the problem itself rather than solutions. This can draw you into a negative spiral facing all the reasons why it exists in the first place and all the things that are place that help create it. It can sometimes feel overwhelming and difficult before you even get started!

Setting the right goal is like a gift that keeps on giving – you continue to get positive benefits all the while you head towards it. This is easier said than done. Being able to establish simple, motivational goals takes practice.

In my experience many people make the following mistakes:

Time

The first mistake is that not enough time is given to the process. It’s seen as a task, or worse still a chore that has to be done. It’s either put off until the last minute to the exercise, or squeezed in to your diary to get it done and out of the way. In both of these circumstances not a lot of thought is given to really consider what the focus will be and how to language the goal appropriately.

 

Set some quality time aside to consider what it is you really want to achieve. What will make a difference to your strategy and is it achievable?

What is missing in your activities that will take you further towards your vision?

Take some time to really craft how you word your goal(s) using positive language and meaningful measures (see below).

 

Problem Focussed

The second mistake is that often goals are structured around solving a problem rather than creating a solution.

For example we’re not hitting or profit targets, or a drop in customer numbers, or  a system problem. This is no surprise as our brains are wired to find and fix problems. Problems are easier to find and identify with so we get side tracked and drawn in to looking for them. We are often really clear about what the problem is whereas we don’t always know what the solution could be.

This causes us to use more negative language, or language focussed on fixing the problem. On a personal level we use language such as; lose weight, don’t smoke, don’t fight, stop drinking…. This simply encourages us to focus on the problem.

The way around this is to focus on the solution you are trying to create. A question I often ask is what do you want instead of the problem? This way you build a world around the solution you want to create – even if you’re not sure what this will be exactly. Using the above examples you might focus on a particular dress size, level of fitness, the type of relationship you want…

A goal written this way allows you to visualise what you want and connect with it. You brain will then register what you’re aiming towards and you’ll start o feel good as you make progress towards it.

        

Results Focussed

Mistake number three is that we often establish measures for the end result. This is great and certainly better than no measures at all. However, if we want a ‘gift that keeps on giving’ it’s worth setting up some measure that let you know you are making progress.

• What would be the first sign that you are on track?
• What small achievements do you notice along the way?
• How do you see people responding?
• What are people saying?
• How do you feel?

These may be tangible (qualitative) results or more quantitative - how people are responding and behaving or the general mood.

So before you start to consider your goals set aside some quality time and focus on the solution you want to create. If you’ve already started the process go back and review what you’ve written.

Remember it takes practice to write positive motivational goals.

Good luck and let me know how you get on.

‘Whatever the mind can conceive and believe the mind will achieve.’

Napoleon Hill

The one thing most people forget to consider in goal setting and New Year resolutions

Are YOU ready?

The reason we don’t achieve goals is often because they aren’t important enough for us to commit to them, or because we have some pattern of behaviour that prevents us from achieving them.

So, before you ‘fall off the wagon’ with your New Year goals I thought I’d share some of the areas you may want to explore before you fall prey to some of your unconscious patterns.

Your brain is fundamentally lazy and will follow the path of least resistance and our unconscious patterns are so ingrained that they work on autopilot. We (our brain) don’t even have to think about them. However, they are usually triggered by an event or situation. Think about your morning routine you don’t really think too much about what you’re doing because your pattern (routine) is fully embodied and you are pretty much operating on autopilot.

This is just one example and there will be many more throughout your day, so I put together some questions to hopefully prevent you from sabotaging your future achievements.

Spotting potential obstacles – 5 questions to accelerate your success 

1) What is your perceptions of your goal? Do you think this will be easy of hard? Is it going to be fun? On a scale of 1 – 10 how much do you want it where 10 is high and one is low.

If you consider your goal difficult to achieve break it down so it appears more manageable. How can you make it more playful?

2) What excuse are you making about getting started, or staying on track? Some excuses might be:

• I’m not quite ready yet, I need x, y or z in place before I can make a start.
• I haven’t found the time to fit this in/make it happen.
• Someone else hasn’t given you what you need yet.

If you find you are making excuses the chances are it’s not important enough for you, or you’ve hit another obstacle. In which case read on…

3) What sabotage patterns are you running? Here are just a few examples:

• Keeping busy so you don’t have time.
• Agreeing to do things for others without considering the impact to your own commitments.
• Relying on others to make things happen for you.
• Following your ‘old’ routines/patterns…

 What is triggering this behaviour? Pay attention to what, where, when this is triggered. Is it a particular thought you have that is conflicting with where you want to get to (your goal) or how you feel at a particular moment in time, or when you are in a certain place or with a particular group of people.

Once you’ve identified the trigger, what can you do to avoid these situations or think differently about them?

It may take you some time to identify the trigger, particularly if it’s one of your unconscious patterns, and I’d encourage you to stick with it. The more aware you become of what you’re doing automatically the more you are likely to change.

4) What changes do you need to make either in your self, or your environment in order to ensure you achieve your goal in the long term? (See your answers to the questions above).

5) What support do you need to achieve your goal? We all need encouragement and support to keep going, who can you ask for support to ensure you stay accountable? Who may be able to join you? How can you make it more fun?

When we set goals, or intentions, or New Year resolutions we are aiming for a future that we don’t yet have and there will always be an internal battle between your present self and your future self.

Staying ‘on track’ requires self-discipline, a muscle that needs to be exercised regularly. It’s easy to forget what you are aiming for when your present self is here and now, which is why identifying your own self-imposed obstacles can make a difference.

"The ultimate reason for setting goals is to entice you to become the person it takes to achieve them."

Jim Rohn

How balanced are you?

Does your life feel out of balance right now?

Are you spending long hours at the office, or working from home and unhappy about it?

Do you feel overwhelmed by how much there is to do?

Do you often feel, no matter what you’re doing at the time, that you should be doing something else?

Do you feel guilty taking time out for yourself?

If you do, you are probably not alone.

I recently read this years Global Human CapitalTrends report from Deloitte and one of the opening paragraphs read ‘In this new world of work, the barriers between work and life have been all but eliminated. Employees are “always on” – hyper-connected to their jobs through pervasive technology.’

Whilst there are organisational challenges in this we also all have choices to make. After all the only person who really controls what you do and where you spend your time is you.

Too much, too little or just enough?

If you think you’re spending too much or too little time on certain areas of your life take some time out to consider how you will redress the balance.

Develop a list of where you do spend chunks of your time and decide whether you are spending too much, too little or just the right amount of time in each area.

Here are some ideas of what could be on the list:

Work

Family

Friends

Health and Fitness

Holidays

Hobbies

Personal Development

Home

Now, consider if there is anything missing from that list; an area of your life that is currently neglected, where you’d really love to allocate some time. Add this to the list.

Next, identify which is the most important area for you to address.

Now, identify one thing you can start to do to redress this balance. I’m suggesting one thing as it’s the first step and you want to succeed. If it’s relatively simple great! You can now move on to the next thing…

Don’t be surprised if you run up against some limiting beliefs you might have too. This could be the very thing that’s causing the imbalance and may take a little longer to resolve and adjust to.

Take one step at a time and review your progress regularly. Your needs may change over time so it’s always good to revisit this exercise and check you are spending your time and energy where you want too.

If you find you are struggling to create the future you want email me to set up a discovery call and we’ll explore together what action you can take.

‘A balanced work-life is primarily a mater of deciding when to hold on and when to let go.’

Jacques Limoges

How to Solve the Biggest Problems with Goal Setting

Goal setting and problem solving are continual tasks in any business and we often treat them separately. However, using goal setting to tackle a problem can often deliver a solution that is longer lasting.

I often hear managers say ‘how did it happen, what caused it?’ when they face a problem, large or small.

These are very valid questions and, what they cause you and others to do is look at a very specific situation and dig into it until you can answer the question.

On the other hand, taking a goal setting approach can create a very different solution that may have a more systemic result.

Here’s an example, a system goes down which results in a particular part of the business not being able to progress their work. By asking questions like, how did it happen? allows you to look only at that very specific situation to understand what happened and how you can rectify it.

If you are on the receiving end of that question it can sometimes create a defensive reaction and I’ve know this to turn into trying to find out who is responsible.

Start with the end in mind

Whereas, if you take a goal setting approach the question you ask is very different – what’s the outcome we want instead? It get’s you thinking differently. So, you start with the end in mind and you come up with the outcome – the goal you’d like to see in the future.

It is still good to use the SMART acronym to help you define the outcome you want and here it is as a reminder:

Specific – be as specific as possible. Think about the standards you want and maybe how you want it to look like so that you know what good looks like.

Measurable – How will you measure it when you’ve got it? Is there a reduction in costs, and increase in productivity, and increase in customer satisfaction? Be clear about how you’ll measure your outcome.

Achievable – think of this as being more about is what I’m looking for possible. I have seen people have debates about whether something is achievable or not and this is often driven by individual mindsets, rather than reality.

Realistic – Do you believe you can make this happen?

Timebound – set a date by which it will be achieved and if necessary set some milestones.

Once you have been through this process look at how you can bring this about and take action.

Taking this approach is more likely to identify flaws in the system or process.

So next time you have a problem ask your self what outcome do you want instead? 

A goal properly set is halfway reached.

 Abraham Lincoln

Rules for Success – How to Identify Yours in 3 Simple Steps

It’s not uncommon for people at this time of year to talk about their New Year resolutions or the goals they have set. In fact this morning I had three people ask me this very question.

I am not against this. In fact I have my own process I go through at the end of each year, which involves me looking at every area of my life and setting clear goals for the year ahead. In the last 3 years I’ve also selected a word for the coming year. If you want to know more about this latter process find more information here.

What was really interesting this morning was that one person said they had the same resolution as previous years because they never stuck to it…

It is easy to give up when faced with the first, second, or third hurdle, so I thought I’d share part of the process I go through each year. It allows me to identify my own rules for success that help me stay on track, or at the very least identify what isn’t working.

Reflection on successes

The first step is to reflect over the past year and list, and by that I mean write them down, all the things you achieved. Consider every aspect of your life and everything that was an achievement for you no matter how large or small.

It’s easy for us to forget great things that have happened and put all our focus on what we didn’t do or should have done.

Take time to look at your list and feel good or even great about them and acknowledge all that you have achieved. I’ve known some people to then create their top 10 highlights for the year and use this instead of a Christmas card. It’s very impressive when you receive one of these too!

Reflection on what you didn’t achieve YET

This second step is important. The mindset you have when approaching this step is equally important. This isn’t about beating yourself up, criticising yourself, or getting into any analysis of what could, should or didn’t happen. It’s simply about recognising that some things, for all sorts of reasons, haven’t been achieved yet.

Again write this down – list them and then move onto the last, and for me the most important, step.

Identify YOUR Rules for Success

Now, with both lists in front of you ask yourself these two questions:

What was it I did that allowed me to succeed and achieve all that I did last year? What were the rules I had that when I follow them I succeeded?

Make a note of these.

Then, ask yourself:

What were the rules I wasn’t following, that if you had followed, would have allowed me to achieve all those things I haven’t yet?

Make a list of these.

This is about taking the learning from the previous year to ensure you make the best of the next 12 months.

From what you have written down you can now identify the important things for you to do consistently. This then gives you your own personal rules for success that you know if you follow them enable you to succeed.

Keep them somewhere accessible, so that you can refer to them if you need to. I find that if something isn’t quite working the way I’d hoped, it’s usually because one or more of my own rules are not being followed.

Here are mine for this year:

1. Stay connected – to the people I am working with, my own goals and what I care about.
2. Be consistent – in all that I do working on and in my business.
3. Believe and trust in myself – we all have times when we doubt ourselves and I am no exception.
4. Follow through on things I have committed to do for myself as well as my clients
5. Do the work required both professionally and personally – this is another way of saying practice what you preach…

I hope this has given you an approach to help keep yourself on track and it would be lovely to hear what your own rules for success are – do let me know at dawn@aurora4success.co.uk

“Success or failure in business is caused more by the mental attitude than by mental capacities.”

Sir Walter Scott

What are you putting off? How ready are you to take action?

What if anything are you putting off doing?

It may be at work or at home. As I write this I have identified at least 2 things. I could come up with a longer (wish) list and I have refocused on what am I not doing that I know I need to do that will help me achieve my goals this year. 

So what is it for you?

What pattern, of avoidance, are you repeating?

Fear

Often, when we stop and think, the thing that holds us back and stops us taking action is FEAR! 

It may be a fear of failure, fear of looking stupid, fear of success, fear of being visible, fear of being rejected………..… and the list goes on. This fear is often disguised by some very good reasons we make up to justify our inaction – better know as excuses. 

It may result in what I call displacement activity, something that is easy to do such as searching the Internet, doing the washing, calling a friend, going for a coffee………. And deep down you know you are avoiding doing the thing you keep promising you’ll do. What excuses do you find you use?

One step at a time

Change happens one step at a time, one day at a time. We can often fall into being a perfectionist and wanting to know/learn how to do something perfectly before actually doing it. Yet that’s not how we learn to drive a car, or ride a bike.

Admittedly you have an instructor next to you when you are learning to drive and you are put in the driving seat from day one, moment one. When you learn to swim you are put straight into the water and then given instruction and when you learn to cook you are put into a kitchen with ingredients. We take action and it’s often far from perfect! Yet we learn. We overcome our fear and learn from our mistakes.

Mistakes are a gift

In business I find many people are afraid of making mistakes and yet it is by making mistakes we learn. Ideally we want to make them in a safe environment where we have the support around to help us move forward, and sometimes it doesn’t work out that way – believe me I know. I’ve had a few ‘disasters’ – aka great learning experiences!!

So, what action do you need to take to move forward on your goals? Be courageous and be ready to take imperfect action and then ask yourself:

·       What result did I get? Is this what I wanted?

·       What worked? What did I do well?

·       What didn’t work?

·       What do I need to do instead? What can I do differently?

And have another go…………. And repeat. None of us are perfect, sorry to break that to you in a rather unsubtle way, but we are not. We are all unique. We all have our own learning to undertake and it’s continuous!!

Where you do have the opportunity to practice in a safe environment? Do it and ask the same questions above. Who can you rely on to give you honest feedback?

What do you want feedback on? What are your goals? Share this with them, it will help them give feedback.

Learning and achieving our ambitions or aspirations takes courage and the way to see/hear/ get a sense of how you are doing is to get feedback.

Be prepared to take imperfect action and learn! Be prepared to get feedback even though you know what you have done is not perfect.

No situation is perfect and therefore no action is perfect.

"One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again."

Abraham Maslow

New Year - New Horizons

We are already into the second week of 2011 and I’m wondering how many of you set New Year resolutions? If you did, how many of you have broken them already and decided to give up?! To be resolute is to be determined, bold, not vacillating or shrinking – yet I wonder how many of us really understand this when making a New Year Resolution. Instead entering into it out of ‘tradition’. If you really want to set goals/targets for the year that work – read on.

I was one of those people who would make one or several New Year resolutions and rarely would they last the year. However, I have come across a couple of processes over recent years that have had more meaning for me and really helped me think about what I want from the year ahead. They have become a bit of a ritual for me between Christmas and New Year and more often than not I stick with them. What I've learned from putting this ritual into practice is that INTENTION is extremely powerful. Resolutions are fine, but they are often motivated by what you should do and therefore remain in our heads as just that. So the key to making this work is to have a very clear intention of making them happen.

Other critical elements to making these work and achieve what you set out to do are:

CLARITY: Be really clear about what it is that you want to the point where you get a very clear picture in your own mind as to what it looks like and how it will feel to have it. When you are unclear it’s hard to create the outcomes you desire. This does not mean you need to know the how of getting it. So the clarity of your intention is the first step.

CONGRUENCE: Another way of looking at this is to be truly authentic to who you are. This means doing it because it’s what you want not what someone else thinks you should be doing, or because everyone else seems to be doing it.

COMMITMENT: This is about pledging or promising to yourself to take action to get what you want. This is not about planning out every detail. This often leads to frustration and people giving up before they have even begun. It is about taking the first steps and then to keep going, being open to opportunities that come your way. If you have the clarity of your intention and it’s congruent for you you are more likely to commit to action around it.

So having set the scene let me give you an overview of the two processes.

Your Best Year Ever

I first came across this through the Performance Partnership.

1. Identify the areas of your life that you want to set goals for e.g. career, family, health and fitness.

2. Write some SMART objectives against these. It’s important here to ensure they are written as if you already have them and are simple and as specific as they need to be for you. Give some real thought to what it is you want and once you have written your goal review it and ask yourself are they clear to me, do I know what it will look and feel like to have this? Is it congruent with who I am? Am I really committed to achieving this?

3. Apply the creating your future process® to put them into your future.

Word of the Year

This process comes from Christine Kane.

1. Identify the word (or words) that you are choosing for the coming year. Choose a word that has real meaning for you e.g. Creativity, Pioneer, Courage. Be clear about how you need to be in ‘living’ this word and how you will embody it.

2. What old patterns or unhelpful beliefs have you been living that have stopped you from ‘living’ this word. Identify what triggers these and what you want to do/be instead.

3. List at least 5 goals you’d like to accomplish based on this word.

With both of these processes this is simply the start, remembering that once established you have to take action so be clear about what the first step is. If you find you are not taking action, or lapsing into old behaviours ask yourself what you need to do to get back on track. I find this a much better approach than beating yourself up over it.

At the end of the year review your success and learn what it is about you that allowed you to achieve it. Recognizing this will allow you to build on whatever it is and be even more successful the following year.

So Good Luck! I trust you will get all you set out to achieve in 2011.

"It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things."

Leonardo da Vinci