One of the very first topics I wrote down in my idea roll for blogging was about goals. I have always been a huge believer in them and I have always implemented them in my life and work. Plus, every time that I hear about them I am inspired to revisit and renew my own goals for the coming weeks, months, and years.
The first step in the goal-making process is to dedicate some time to think about what it is we want. Is it a raise? Is it more time with family? Maybe it’s to finish reading that book we’ve been putting off, or to start getting fit again. Goals can be related to anything in our lives that we deem worthy, they do not just have to be work-related. I encourage people to have goals for different facets of life, it helps us to keep a balance. If all of our goals are work related we end up being workaholics and we neglect our personal or family lives.
When I managed a number of sales people in the furniture store I would have a goal review every 4-6 months with them. This was not a time for me to impose my thoughts, it was my time to listen to what they wanted to accomplish. The ones that didn’t have goals were forced to think about what they wanted and put it on paper, this opened a lot of eyes. The ones that had goals liked this exercise because it helped clarify what they wanted and gave them an opportunity to talk it through with someone. I would have them write down their goals on a sheet of paper (hand-written, not typed) then I would keep a copy and they would get the original as a reminder of what they had committed to. If we did not have that sit-down many of them would not have put any thought to their goals.
What is going to be the catalyst for us to write out our goals if we haven’t done so already?
What have we done recently to help our teams accomplish their goals?
We often hear or read about goals and think, “Yeah I know, goals are good,” and it goes in one ear and out the other. I want to encourage anyone reading this to stop what you’re doing and write down 3 things YOU want to accomplish. They can be short-term goals, they can be long-term goals, anything you want to do with your life. Todd Henry wrote The Accidental Creative and he closes out this book with a story by a South African man that asks a question about where to find the richest land on Earth. Some people said it was Wall Street, other said oil fields. But the answer to the man’s question was the graveyard. He proceeds to explain that there lies all of the unwritten books, the projects never finished, and the businesses never started of all the millions of people throughout history. He then goes on to explain a theory he has to ‘die empty’ without that unfinished work inside us.
What do we want to accomplish before our time runs out?
Take some time to think about what it is that you want to accomplish. Make time in the schedule with no distractions to think about it. Turn off the phone, leave the music out of it, and just think for a while. I love to stay moving so taking a walk with a notepad and a pen is the best thing for me. Don’t rush, give yourself at least 30 minutes if not more to think about what is important.
Goal setting is the first step, it gives us a clarity of direction. When a goal is set, we can ask ourselves if our daily actions are helping us get closer to our goals or taking us further away instead of just drifting along like so many others.
I will address how to follow through with our goals tomorrow, making them is just the beginning!
