ComputerHunter.org |
|
|
|||
|
 |
Goals - If You Don?t Know What You Want, Then How Are You Going to Get It?
Recently, I spoke with a client who wanted me to do a workshop at an upcoming conference. I offer a number of different talks, so I asked her what the focus of the meeting was in order to be able to suggest a relevant topic. She said that although the committee members had already picked several programs, they had not yet identified a focus for the conference. My first thought in response to this was, "If you don't know what you want, then how are you going to get it?" However, I am savvy enough not to insult people, so we spoke a little longer and we came up with a program that she wanted me to present. It never ceases to amaze me that people do not identify outcomes they wish to achieve. While the above example is related to a conference, it is by no means limited to that area. Many people engage in activities in their careers and businesses, but they haven't defined what they want to attain. They are completing tasks, but they aren't focused on accomplishing clear-cut results. When I was a human resources executive, I often worked with people to determine the appropriate jobs that were needed in their groups. Many department heads would complete job descriptions for key jobs, which described all of the tasks that the employees would be required to do. It took a great deal of effort for me to get these individuals to realize that employees in key positions are not paid to perform tasks, they are paid to produce results. Through much coaching on my part, we were able to identify the outcomes that the individuals were expected to achieve in the various positions. Why is it so critical to determine outcomes for a job, a meeting, a department, or any other situation? Because if you don't know what your outcome is, the odds are that you will spend a lot of unnecessary time and money trying to reach a fuzzy target. And there is a very strong chance that the target will not even be reached. Outcomes let you know where you are going. They give you important information about how to use your resources ? time, money, and employees. When you know your outcome, you can continually make important decisions ? is this going to help me reach my goal or will this take me further away from my objective? Clearly defined outcomes can also be very motivating. I worked with a coaching client who had an idea about a new business that she wanted to start. When she first got the idea, she was very excited about it, however, she never took action to get the business moving. She continually came up with excuses about why she wasn't doing anything to make the business a reality. I finally got her to sit down and write a detailed description of what the outcome was that she wanted to achieve with the business. That was the missing key. As soon as she wrote down the detailed outcome, she began to do the things that were necessary to get the business started. For her, defining the outcome spurred the action that is required in any business. Five years later, she has a very successful business that she absolutely loves. Some people have a great deal of difficulty in trying to determine outcomes. It is because they are looking into a future that isn't certain and they can't identify what it is they want. An easy way to get around this is to imagine that the outcome has already been achieved and then to describe what it looks like. Going back to the situation with the meeting planner, the question that I asked her was, "Let's assume it is six months after the conference and you know that it was a huge success. What would have happened to let you know that it was successful?" People are much more able to describe the past then they are to identify an unknown future. By asking the question this way, I was able to find out that according to the planner, the criterion for a successful meeting was that the attendees would have the tools they needed to be able to more easily and effectively handle the many changes that were going on in their industry. When I discovered this outcome, I was able to suggest a program that would help the organization achieve this desired result. Before you take action (small or large), you need to identify what your outcome is ? what do you want to achieve? When you do that, you will cut down your time, streamline your efforts, accelerate your progress, and reach your desired goal. When you know where you are going, there is a good chance that you will end up getting there. Della Menechella is a speaker, author, and trainer who helps organizations achieve greater success by improving the performance of their people. She is a contributing author to Thriving in the Midst of Change and the author of the videotape The Twelve Commandments of Goal Setting. She can be reached at della@dellamenechella.com. Subscribe to free Peak Performance Pointers ezine - send blank e-mail to subscribe@dellamenechella.com.
Google News - Top Stories
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Synergy of Vision Over the years I have experienced some amazing results with people who have been secure enough to view their leadership or personal capacity through the eyes of corporate vision. How to Turn New Years Resolutions into New Year?s Results Are you ready to learn how to finally turn your New Year's resolutions into New Year's results? The key word here is "new", because you want to create "new" results. You must analyze your old year that has passed and your future, which means do not think "re-run/replay" instead think about forging forward into the New Year. In order to create "New Year" results, you must decide to analyze, develop and implement new action steps. Elephants Are Really Big, Arent They? In fact, this very type font I am using is called Elephant! I looked around and I didn't find any type fonts named Ant or Dog or Cat, Just Elephant. Create Your Path to Success - Achieve Key Goals Creating your path to success depends on walking on a firm foundation. Knowing WHAT you want is only the beginning. Visualizing what you want and repeating affirmations makes your intentions stronger. Yet, this is not enough. So what IS the secret to realizing your goals? Let's walk the path together. As we walk the path step by step, I encourage you to write the answers to these questions: Get It Done-Or 3 Ways to Advance Your Goals 1. WORK WITH THE END IN MIND- OR FOCUS ON SUCCESS Goal-Mapping Goal-mapping is like a treasure hunt, you must first start out by knowing what you are looking for. Be very specific on what you want without limiting yourself. The next step is charting out what course of action you must take to get what you want. I encourage women to map out a treasure hunt on what they want in life, and to use that chart to reach their goals. That is exactly what I did to get my Ph.D. degree. I knew that I wanted to get my degree in psychology, and to write a book. My goal was to use my dissertation as a self-help book, and with the successful completion of my dissertation I could be awarded my degree. I enrolled in the Ph.D. program and completed all my core courses. The Parable of the Jackrabbit: The Missing Key to Effective Goal Setting So you've got a goal, and you know someone who has already reached it? Maybe it is earning a certain degree, or opening a business and making it fly. Before you try to duplicate what others have done to attain what they have, be sure of one thing. Understand the Parable of the Jackdabbit: Achieving Your Goal By Relieving Yourself In Public Most marathons provide more than their fair share of heroes and heroines who provide great examples. The London Marathon in April 2005 provided one or two especially heroic examples. The competitors have much to teach about achieving goals. Achieve Anything, One Step At A Time No matter how ambitious your goal, you CAN achieve it. You do it by taking one little step at a time. Here are a few tips to help you: Set Goals In Life It is important to set goals in life. To accomplish those goals, you need a healthy supply of energy. Even the best car cannot run without fuel, so how can your body work without energy? The more energy you have, the further you can "ride" in this life. Unfortunately, the body's energy cannot be obtained through an electric outlet or at a gas pump. Instead, it can be obtained from many different sources. Check Your Frequency From time to time we need to stop during our day to keep our frequency in check. Our frequencies are the ranges of feelings and emotions that we have. Like radio waves, our feelings and emotions vibrate at different frequencies. This is a major part of how we create our reality. And why we need to always be mindful of the frequencies we're emitting. Mind Over Matter -- The Power of Thoughts One of the greatest challenges in life is understanding just how powerful our thoughts are. Many of us learn this the hard way -- myself included. After spending most of my early life caught up in negative thought patterns, it occurred to me that I had created exactly what I had been thinking about all those years. The Influence of People Who Surround You It is known that the human body sends out vibrations: some are positive, while others are negative. We have orbits formed by people who surround us and with whom we associate closely throughout our entire lives. In my book "The Art & Craft of Success: 10 Steps" by Ostaro, I expand fully on the impact people have upon us. Seven Steps To Planning A Successful Future Being successful in life is difficult unless you ensure you have a balanced life. To obtain the optimal benefits you must be passionate about your life plan and believe 100% in what you are doing. It is important to have an end goal firmly in your mind, a plan in place to reach the goal and steps in place to follow, which will lead to your goal. It is also imperative to maintain your physical health in the best shape possible. If you do not believe in what you are doing, then stop now. Find a business opportunity that you really want to be involved in and something that offers positive outcomes. How To Create Your Very Own DREAMWALL! A great way of attuning yourself daily to what your deepest dreams and wants are is to create yourself a DREAM WALL. Planning for Success The purpose of having an analytical brain is to use it to think and make a plan before we act. Discover the Key to Self-confidence "One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation" - Arthur Ashe Its The Ride That Counts Having goals is a good thing. It means that you're willing to take the first step to achieving those goals. When you write down your goals, articulate them on paper, that's the first step to achieving them. Halftime: Re-evaluating Yearly Goals Note: This article was originally written at mid year so it is good reminder around June but the principles are applicable anytime. Weave Your Own Web Many elementary school children know the miracle of Charlotte's Web. Weaving the words "Some Pig" into the center of her web, Charlotte keeps Wilbur from the frying pan. E.B. White's story provides some fascinating guidelines for web spinning.
|
|
|
|
|
