I have a friend, Danielle, who inspires and challenges me to do more and be more. About a year ago, she asked me if I’d be interested in getting together once/month to set goals, learn, and grow. How could I say no? We decided that we would read books that would challenge our thinking, learn from each other’s experiences, and make 2015 our year to shine.
As a kick-off to our New Year, she brought a goal planner to our first get together of 2015. We talked about our goals and aspirations for the year. We each identified 6 goals that we would work on, support each other on, and strive to accomplish.
This has given us focus, motivation, and a sense of not-wanting-to-let-the-other-down so we stay focused on the goals. We discuss them regularly and celebrate our little wins along the way often.
Some of the goals have remained the same and have been accomplished. Some of the goals have changed direction and been achieved differently than we anticipated at the beginning of our year. Some are a work-in-progress. And some are bigger than one year so we’ll keep working on them.
But that’s the nature of goals. If you don’t have a plan, you can’t have a direction to move it. If you don’t allow for the little things that come up that might change your course a bit, you might miss great opportunities.
There is a Japanese Proverb that says, “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.”
The key is to have clarity on where you want to be so you’ll know what you need to do to get there. And more importantly, you’ll know when you get there.
Here are three keys to making that happen for you and your organization.
GET
Being successful and reaching your goals isn’t just a daydream. It’s something you can and will do if you’re persistent and dedicated.
Calvin Coolidge once said, “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
Start by figuring out what results you want to GET for the year. You have to know what success will look like before you can figure out what you need to DO to get it. A clear vision of success stated simply has great power. If your vision is unclear to you, it will never be clear to others.
DO
Once you’re clear on your GET, you’ll be able to figure out what you need to DO to make it happen.
- What actions will be necessary to make your GET a reality?
- What behaviors will you have to change to make that happen?
- Who will you communicate with and how often to support you in achieving your GET?
Your DO’s become your goals. If you follow this SMART formula for goal setting you’ll ensure you stay on track.
- S – Significant
- M – Meaningful
- A – Action-Oriented
- R – Rewarding
- T – Trackable
BE
Have you ever asked yourself what traits, qualities and characteristics you want to be known for? Do you strive to be adaptable, customer-driven, focused, motivating, and team-oriented? Have you had that conversation with your team?
Knowing who you want to BE helps you establish clear values and a True North to orient yourself towards.
If you’re clear on what you want to GET, you will be able to DO the right things to make it happen, and you will BE exactly who you and your organization wants to be in 2016 and beyond.
So what’s your first step? Let us know how it goes. And Happy New Year to you and yours!
Be the inspiration you want to see in others and thank you for sharing on social media!
Guest Author
Tamara Anderson is a Co-Owner and Team Performance Strategist at Dale Carnegie of ND who aligns business strategies and people practices to drive results. She has a passion for performance, works to exceed the WOW factor, powers up organizational culture, loves her clients, and expects business results. In a nutshell, she is the fork in the road where culture and strategy meet.
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