goal setting

How to write goals for success

~ David C.
If you read my previous post you understand the importance of goal setting to reach success. You must also be committed to joining the 9% club by following through with what you want to achieve.

Everyone is different and how you organize your goals need to be your own but I thought I would share what has worked for me over the years.
A Key thing to know is that goal setting is not a one-time event. Goals are to be in progress at all times and there is nothing wrong at all with having things that will take years to accomplish. This is why having them in writing and updated regularly will help you.
If you need a model for structuring your goal there is always the classic SMART format.
Specific–What do you want?
Measurable–How will you know you have achieved it?
Attainable–Is this goal even possible?
Relevant–Will the goal make a positive difference for you and/or others?
Time–when will you start, what are milestones along the way and when will you finish? (this is important)
I go a little extra by adding an E and an R.
E–what about this goal excites me so much that I am willing to make sacrifices and overcome the obstacles that will come my way?
R–what is the reward?  When the goal is accomplished and just as importantly when the goal is in progress what is going to be the outcome benefit of having gone through all this effort.
Breaking your goals down into great detail takes a lot of time but the long-term benefit to going through this process will help you see things to the end.
I also break my goals up into specific categories to ensure I have a well-rounded focus for the year. These categories are:
Faith–how will I grow this year to be closer to God and to serve others?
Family–how will I grow as a husband and as a father?
Career–how will I demonstrate excellence in my work to better serve those around me?
Finances–how will we keep our life debt free while building a future for retirement?
Fitness/health–how will I stay fit and healthy?
Fun–What adventure will we have for the year?
I know this can sound like a lot and I guess it is. However, since I have been using these same categories for many years and since I review these often, really after the first time subsequent years become simply tweaks.
If all this seems overwhelming I suggest you start with just one category and then dig deep into your SMARTER plan to make things happen. Once you see the results of this effort you will get motivated to expand your planning to every area of your life. Soon as you start checking off milestones along your journey you will meet your three new best friends–Mo, Men and Tum.
When they join your team. Nothing will stop you!
So what are you waiting for?

Stop Resolution Failure and have a breakout 2018

~ David C.
“The person without goals will end up working for someone that does”
Yes, it is that time of year again. As we near the flip of the calendar many people get excited about the psychological turn to a New Year and set goals. I think we have all been there with plans to lose weight or to finally make that life-changing career move. It is reported that 41% of us “usually” set New Year’s Resolutions and 42% of us never set make a resolution.

Sadly of the those that do set goals, only 9.2% feel they have experienced success in achieving them. Given this very poor result, it is no wonder so many do not bother and it shows the power of optimism that so many keep trying.
I am a goal setter. It is not something I do as much as it is part of who I am. Going back over 15 years I have my goals and result of these goals documented. It is interesting each year to reflect on some of my older objectives as they provide insight into points of time in my life.
Some success highlights looking back are:
  • Go back to school and get Masters degree 
  • Run a marathon
  • Complete a half ironman
  • Become 100% debt free
  • Enable son to go debt free to college
  • Pass the SHRM-SCP exam
I could also list many goals where I missed the mark or that are still in progress. My lesson learned looking back is that goal setting is not something that is set and forget.
We (I) fail when the goal is fleeting and not backed up by action to make it happen. I can see over the years that it has been the goals that were backed by a massive why and followed by a well-executed how that became a reality.
Here is how to turn your resolutions into success.
It really does all start with why.
Your reason for any goal has gotta be so powerful that it drives you to your end state no matter what obstacle may rise to get in the way.
Losing weight is cool and all but WHY? Eating poorly and not exercising is easy. To change this behavior we must replace the pleasure trigger of addictive food with something better than that extra slice of pie.
Getting a promotion is cool but WHY? Is it just for some extra money or extra prestige?  These things sound great but for most people are like the sugar from the pie. Money and ego lifting pleasure last for just moments and then soon there comes the crash of the daily work grind. What will this promotion mean for you in the years to come? How will it make a difference in the lives of others and for the success of your organization?
Going back to school sounds hard, is going to cost money, will take a lot of time and does not guarantee any change at the end. So why?  I went back for my Masters as an adult for the stereotypical reason of job growth but my compelling why was for my son and for my wife. I saw it as a way to have a better future for them and I knew studies show children of educated parents are more likely to experience success with their own education. This is especially true if the going back to school occurs with the child old enough to be aware of your work in progress.
After you have figured out your why the next most important thing is to have a well established and documented how. A why in the head is nothing more than a wish if not backed up by action with the hands and feet.
The good news here is that whatever you want most likely has been achieved by someone else starting in your situation or even worse. Want to lose weight? Find that person that did so years ago and has kept it off. Want to get out of debt? Look for a person that has done the same and as a result, has achieved something you want.  
There is no reason to start from scratch for anything when there are so many people that have failed and succeeded to do the same as your want. It is simple.
Find out what people who fail do wrong and don’t do that!
Find out what people do right and do that!
This is the ultimate R&D. Most of my success has been by ripping off and duplicating the strategies of others while also avoiding their mistakes.
Do not know any successful people? Then dig deep through reading, podcasts, and your own people research to become a success expert. With the world of information we have at our hands, there should be no barrier to your movement forward.  
Are you ready to join the 9% club? Write down the why along with a vivid and compelling description of the end state of your life after this goal has been completed. Next, write down a detail how including some simple milestones that can be celebrated soon along the way. Finally, get busy by taking massive action to make it happen.

Make 2018 your year to be on the journey to be the best possible you.

Quit focusing on your weaknesses

~ David C.
Let’s face it. 
We all have faults that make us at times less than the person we would like to be. 
Awareness of these issues for me has been a bit of an obsession which I know is a result of my personality type. I have taken assessments galore, sought feedback from those around me and spent considerable time in self-reflection.(a true INFP)  
Awareness of my gaps have been critical to my growth over the years and many times has served as motivation for education or behavioral changes. However, there is an important watch out that took me a few years to understand. 
Back in my early days of introspective I more often than not found myself focused completely on “fixing” all the things that in my mind I saw as negatives. When I was a trainer, I would take the one or two negative comments and obsess over the feedback totally ignoring the value of the many positives. 
When I became a manager, I took the DiSC assessment and scored very low in the directive quadrant which is somewhat unusual for a manager. Picture being at a leadership conference with folks divided by DiSC tendencies and finding yourself standing alone in the high I (influence) corner while across the room the Ds were packed full. 
Yep, that was me. 
“I have got to get more D!” is what I would find myself thinking. 
Back at work, I created an action plan to be more assertive and directive. This behavior was uncomfortable, unnatural and more importantly just plain did not work for me. Fortunately, at the time, I had a good manager that during a 1:1 pointed out that I was not very good at being the typical D leader and instead should focus on the skills that had already served me well. 
What I failed to consider when striving to improve is that my uniqueness serves a great strength and part of my success. Working to grow where I perceived myself as weak resulted in opportunity time lost when I should have instead been working to identify what made me strong.
Yes, it is important to be aware of your gaps and to grow in those areas but your greatest potential to excel comes from your strengths. This is referred to as the 70-25-5 principle. 
Focus on what you do best by spending 70 percent of your time on your strength areas, 25 percent of the time in areas to improve and the remaining 5 percent on your inherent weaknesses. 
Key is to use tools like StrengthsFinder, DiSC, MBTI, 360-degree surveys and other methods to identify these areas and then next determine a plan. If you obese over all that is “wrong” with you then you will miss out on the 70 percent that is right. That is your sweet spot. It is the area that will give you the best possible return of effort to take you to the next level of success. 
After identifying your plan put it into action with checkpoints along the way to ensure you are on track in all three of the 70-25-5 elements through continuous improvement reflections. These should involve not only surveys but also a neutral party such as your direct manager, a work peer or a coach that has an opportunity to observe you.
Focus on where you are best and soon you will find that you are not only excelling but can then use these same skills to bring out the best in those around you.