Calling all keeners - The advanced step to goal setting

It takes work to move out of survival mode and start to thrive more in your leadership and life. It won’t happen by wishing things were different. 

To experience a thriving state, you must create specific goals and then devise a plan to achieve those goals. That strategy will keep you going when you have crappy days. By having a plan in place, you will stay motivated, even when you are tired and overwhelmed. 

In this blog, I am going to tell you the advanced step to take that will put you ahead of your colleagues and have you enjoying leadership and life way more!

The steps to create your personal and professional strategic plan

1)    Decide you’ve had enough
Don’t waste your time if you aren’t serious. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but intentional change isn’t for the faint of heart. You need to decide that you are not only tired of survival mode, but you have to be willing to take responsibility to take action. That means no more blaming, finger-pointing or playing the victim. 

I won’t disagree that there are people in your life driving you crazy. Yes, you may have more work on your plate than any one person can do. But no one else is going to start being more agreeable to you randomly, and no one will just randomly take work off your plate because you wish they would. You, my dear, need to take action.

Do this:
Make a list of the things you have been tolerating but are unwilling to put up with any more.
For example, you may have decided there will be no more: 

• constant, unproductive interruptions from others
• disrespectful comments from a particular individual  
• continued fear of making a mistake

Use this list of things you won’t tolerate any more to propel yourself forward. 

2)    Create your plan
You now know what you don’t want, but what do you want? Your plan should include:

• Where are you are now? This question often is the answer to what you’ve been tolerating. 
• Where do you want to go? This question helps you define a vision and goals. Make that vision as robust as possible. Use this guide sheet to help you.
• What do you need to do to get to that vision and reach those goals? These are the steps you will need to take over the coming weeks and months.
  • Use this guide sheet to help you create a courage plan
  • Use this guide sheet to help you create a competence plan 
  • Use this guide sheet to help you create a confidence plan ​

3)    ADVANCED STEP - Start a document to track next action steps and progress on your goals
Writing down your goals and a strategic plan are huge steps! If you’ve done this, please congratulate yourself! Very few women get this far. 
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There is one more step that so many miss taking when they develop their strategy for intentional change. That missed step is a tracking piece. As you work on your goals and move your way through the coming months, it can be easy to lose sight of what you are trying to achieve. In the midst of daily tasks, meetings, and emails your goals can get lost in the shuffle. 

To keep them alive, create a review document and a system for coming back to that document regularly. This document should have next actions steps to keep you on track. I suggest doing this weekly if you can. ​

Here is an example
Goal:
Create 3 1-hour chunks of time each week to work on projects.

Plan: 

• Get better at setting boundaries with employees
• Grow my confidence to say no to interruptions

Next action steps

• Schedule reoccurring time blocks into my calendar
• Communicate my expectations to the team around this
• Read Kathy’s book Mastering Confidence so I can stick to the boundaries when someone says “But I just need a minute of your time!”

Tracking
Jan 15

• I put time frames into calendar
• I signed up for Kathy’s course “Goal Setting That Sticks” to make sure knock these goals out of the park

Jan 22 
I was able to stick to my guns with Cindy but struggled with Janet. I can see that the age of the individual has something to do with this. I think it’s disrespectful to push away someone older than me. I might need to work on my self-talk about this.

Setting goals that stick so that you can advance yourself personally and professional takes work. It’s not a one-time event. Put the time in to create your written goals, plans and develop a review document. When you do, you’ll find your self intentionally making some of the changes you need to move from surviving to thriving in both your leadership and your life!