Plotting your 2019 Goal-Achieving Journey

Welcome to 2019! Late last year, we wrote about the importance of setting intentions and how they differ from, but are the fuel behind, goals and objectives. Moving into January, it’s time to start linking goals and objectives to your intentions for the coming year.

As we discussed in our last post, intentions aren’t attached to outcome, but goals and objectives specifically are. So what can you do to help facilitate a successful process for you and your employees? Following are some key tips for doing so:

Start with Intention. Ensure each of your goals align with your intention(s) – as well as your values, both personally and as an organization.

Dare Greatly. At Jouta, we’re big fans of Brené Brown (author of ‘Daring Greatly’). Don’t be afraid to be bold and courageous with your intentions and even your goals. However, don’t expect or try to achieve everything all at once. Go big, but start small with milestones or mini-goals.

Be SMART. This time-honoured acronym first appeared on the scene in the early 80s and it has survived the test of time for a reason. But, while goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound, the other points we discuss here are equally important.

What’s your Endgame? Get clear on what success looks like. While measurements are part of the SMART process, this one’s about your ultimate end result. What will need to happen for you to be 100% without a doubt sure that the goal was successfully met, or exceeded?

The “I” in Team. While goals may (and in the case of business goals, should) align with a department or organizational goal, ensure that you and your employees set your own individual goals. Although as a leader or manager, you have expectations of what you want your employees to achieve, their chances of success will be strengthened if they come up with their own goals. Your role is to provide feedback, coach and help guide them in the right direction, but not actually write/set the goals for them.

Get Real. Ensure you and your employees can control stated goals. If circumstances outside of your/their control are likely to negatively impact the chance of success, the goals should be revised. On that note, understand that “stuff happens” and be open to reviewing and revising goals, as needed – so long as they still align with the overall intention.

Get in your Own Face. Like your intentions, write your goals down and put key words, thoughts and/or milestones in a place you’ll see every day. One of the approaches we like is using a brightly coloured, recurring, all-day event reminder that shows up at the top of your Outlook calendar every day.

Own It. Measure, track, share and hold yourself and others accountable. The success of goals is significantly impacted if you talk about it and ask others to hold you accountable. Depending on the size of your organization, consider having monthly team or all-staff meetings to discuss progress – or add it as a recurring agenda item for your regular meetings to report in on progress.

Party On! Successfully achieving goals isn’t easy (we never said it would be). For that reason, it’s important to celebrate achievements along the way. Whether you do so for yourself, or for your employees, be sure to build in little rewards and accolades, and have fun with it! On the flip side, it’s equally important to address when things go astray.

Come Full Circle. Remember that your intentions are driving your goals, so it’s important to continuously come back to them. If the actions you take towards achieving your milestones and goals begin to stray from your initial intentions, it’s time to revisit them and your ultimate “why”.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, intentions and goals need not be as onerous and intimidating as they may feel. They can and do play an important part in our lives, particularly in a workplace setting – and can make the difference between a focused and purposeful existence versus merely going through the motions. Consider it an adventurous journey, where you’ll meet new and interesting challenges along the way.

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