Goals for the Year 2014
View(s):This is not new to us; at the dawn of every year we wish we could reach a greater height, be more focused at work or studies, be more conscious about what we eat, lose weight, save more and spend less, find more time for our loved ones. and so the list ges. Despite our efforts and ardent commitment to become better, research consistently shows that only 8 per cent of us successfully achieve and maintain our New Year resolutions past six months.
The remaining 92 per cent; well the New Year resolution cycle may be renewed every 365 days, with spurts of success every now and then, only to fade off way too quickly. But the truth is, change is hard and you’d probably know that already.
What kind of resolutions should we make to maximize the effectiveness in the workplace in the New Year? In our line of work, it is not rare to have clients, be it a student or a professional, who would be seeking advice on how to stick to their goals. Neomal, a recent client, had to learn it the hard way when he was not given a promotion due to his laid-back attitude in attending meetings on time; the only requirement that worked against him.
This seemed negligible for a person who has a rich network of people, performs over and above his team and who is outstanding in his decision-making and problem solving. But sometimes the organizational world leaves no room for error. So yes, it was his resolution this year, to be punctual.
In the first stage of goal setting, we have to ask the question why? Why are we setting this goal? Is it out of a personal value or, is it out of fear or guilt? Why didn’t we succeed last time? What needs to change about us if it is to work this time? Often goals and resolutions fail because the supporting reason for that goal is not strong enough.
Goals can be appearance-based, performance-based or identity-based. Say you want to manage your time better at work. An appearance-based goal (superficial goal) is based on ‘I want others to notice that I am punctual’.
A performance-goal is rested on ‘I want to arrive five minutes early for the meetings at least 90 per cent of the time’. Going much deeper in its roots, an identity-based goal is founded on your own identity i.e ‘I am the type of person who is disciplined to achieve whatever I set my mind to, to be on time for meetings because I respect my time and other’s time’.
When you focus on creating a new identity first, you provide the key to building lasting habits based on that identity. Your goals are successful when you are able to create habits consistent with your identity. Even though there are different views on how long it may take for a habit to form, on average a habit takes six weeks to form and it takes up to six months for them to be part of your regular life style. During this time one needs support, encouragement and accountability provided by a manager, spouse, family member, mentor, colleague, coach or a friend. SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) is a guideline when setting goals that can be measured within a time frame. A SMART goal will be to read at least eight business articles a month, which is on average two articles a week, and to utilise daily travel time to read.
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Most people (myself included) will want to become better this year but every now and then, we will get enticed to adopt a wrong focal point. Decide the type of person you want to become and prove it to yourself with small wins.
With small incremental steps, the goal is not to achieve results at first but to become the type of person who can achieve those results. Goal setting is an opportunity to redefine your identity and young or old, we know that a fine identity paves the way to a solid character. So now we know where to focus on?
Tips for individual goal setting
- Tips for managerial goal setting
- Define the person you want to become
- Define the purpose you want to fulfil through your work
- Make one or two strong goals and create plans to meet them
- Think about your career, personal life, finances, personal growth,
- health and social life
- Stop taking criticism personally and turn off complaining andjustifying
- Start a kudos file
- Take a real vacation
- Stretch yourself
- Plan to be world-class in everything you do
- Define the type of manager you want to become
- Define the purpose you want to fulfil through your career and work
- Define your long term contribution as a leader
- Set clear goals- Look back at past 12 months
- Think about what your team shouldn’t be spending their time on
- Have performance reviews
- Give and receive more feedback
- Encourage collaborative goal setting
- Appreciate, acknowledge and reward when employees achieve their goals
(Rozaine is a Business Psychologist, consultant and a university lecturer based in Colombo. She can be contacted via email on rozaine@forte.lk,
www.forte.lk)