“I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they do their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change.”
—Jim Rohn
As summer ends and September begins, many of us think about making personal and professional changes. (It’s the traditional start of the school year, and we still feel it!) Whether you want greater impact in your current position, or expansion into a new role, or personal fulfillment and growth, how do you turn thoughts into reality? How do you get from here to there?
A written plan is the key. It helps organize your thoughts and actions. The plan can be one month, six months, a year, three years… whatever timeframe suits you best.
But here are the two keys: 1) You really have to write it down. 2) You really benefit if you do it the SMART way.
Chances are, you’ve heard the acronym, but it takes some practice to work with it and get results. With a future vision for your life and work firmly in mind, the idea is to make your goals SMART:
Specific – What, specifically, do you want to achieve? If you’re not sure, or you don’t articulate it, you’re less likely to achieve it. Saying “I want to manage my time better” is not nearly as specific (or useful) as saying “I want to use x and y time management practices every week so I can be more productive and leave work by 5:30 every day.”
Measurable - How will you know if you’re making progress or have achieved your goal? Ideally, goals include a way of measuring your progress. You might be able to identify the number of hours per week that you will do something, or the number of people you’ll talk with, or the dollars you earn, or a variety of other quantitative measures. Or you may need a more qualitative way of assessing (e.g., you have developed a more trusting relationship with a key client).
Attainable - Can you really achieve the goal you’re setting? This is a tricky question because you want to stretch yourself (possibly beyond your comfort zone), but you also want to set yourself up for success, not disappointment. It may help to take big goals and break them down into a set of smaller goals. Factor in potential obstacles. It helps to keep the long-term vision lofty and the goals practical and doable.
Relevant - How important is this goal? Does it really move you toward the most important things you want for your life and work? If not, then scrap it. Shoot for 3-4 priority goals, not a to-do list.
Time-Specific - Can you give your goal a limited timeframe (days, weeks, or months)? You’re much more likely to set a realistic goal if you know it needs to be done by the end of November than if you leave it open-ended. And for many of us, a deadline not only motivates but also helps us plan the day-to-day tasks/action steps that are necessary to achieve the goal.
Take advantage of the September sense of change in the air. No more disappointments from unrealized goals. SMART progress instead!
Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on September 6, 2010
“We are not retreating – we are advancing in another direction.” Douglas MacArthur
We recently had a disagreement with a vendor we hired to help us with our business. Our first impulse was to argue for “our money’s worth” and demand that we get what we had originally contracted for, but we realized that fighting with the vendor would be a negative drain on our energy and our business. We decided instead to view the event as a learning process and to move on and invest our time, energy, and money somewhere else. Some may view this as giving up and giving in, but we knew it was the right move for us.
Douglas MacArthur is viewed by many as a great general – and even he knew that, in the face of opposition, sometimes it is necessary to change direction and try again in a different way. Just as important as being willing to stop and change direction is the attitude around the change. How different it might have felt to MacArthur’s soldiers if he had said, “I was wrong, we’re failing, retreat, retreat!” This attitude strengthens a sense of failure at a time when inspiration, passion, and commitment are most likely needed even more. By owning a change of direction as an active choice, we are taking responsibility for where we were headed, as well as where we are headed now. This attitude keeps us from failure and defeat and strengthens our resolve towards the new direction.
Where have you admitted defeat or retreat? How can you turn your thoughts around to see your new direction as a new opportunity to advance? Catch yourself when the word “failure” pops into your head and coach yourself into seeing your new strategy as an advance towards what you want.
I was thinking recently about the stupid movie lines that have stayed with me all these years. Check out three of my favorites:
“Stay alive no matter what occurs!” a gorgeous Daniel Day-Lewis shouts to his female love interest in The Last of the Mohicans. How ridiculous. Yet, what does it mean to us normal people? It means, keep going, don’t stop, don’t give up, and take care of yourself. All very important leadership concepts.
“I’ve got no where else to go!” Richard Gere cries to Louis Gossett Jr. in Officer and a Gentleman. Again, a dumb line…but it’s stuck with me for too many years. And the leadership learning – that when our employees (or ourselves) think there’s no other option, no retreat, no escape, no where else to go – we often make it through to the end and succeed (and if you’re Richard Gere, even win the beautiful Debra Winger).
“Talk to me like you’re a two-year old” Cuba Gooding Jr. shouts to his agent, Tom Cruise, in Jerry Maguire. I think he’s mad at Tom. I think he’s trying to insult him… but there’s leadership learning here again. So many problems, arguments, and organizational challenges might just be soothed over or even disappear if we learned to speak to each other clearly, succinctly, and simply. If we learned to speak so that others could really understand us. (And maybe, also, if we learned to look at the others like cute little two-year-olds that we wanted to actually help.)
They may be stupid movie lines, but there’s something to learn in all of them.
What’s a stupid movie line you love with a hidden leadership lesson? Tell us about it.
Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on August 30, 2010
“We find comfort among those who agree with us – growth among those who don’t.” Frank A. Clark
Life seems a lot simpler when everyone agrees, right? Things move a lot faster, decisions get made a lot quicker, and everyone’s happy. When others agree with our opinions, love our ideas, and see the world as we do, it’s validating and it feels good.
However, if I think back to the times when I learned the most, did my best, and went the farthest, they were very often moments when my colleagues, friends, or clients disagreed with me or had a differing point of view. Where they saw my approach, idea, or opinion as mostly or completely wrong. I’ve learned that deepened perspective and understanding, as well as incredible growth, can come from truly hearing and incorporating contrary opinions, or a subtle or even blatant deviation from what we know as “true.”
The challenge is, of course, to realize the value of these different opinions so that we can be open to them, no matter how difficult or even painful that may be. To help ourselves to listen to disagreement, and to even invite it. To ask for it. Therein lies the heart of the matter.
The easiest way to gain this openness is to ask yourself the following questions, to challenge yourself: Where might I be wrong here? What have I missed (or potentially missed)? What have I not taken into consideration? These simple questions, combined with a true willingness to hear the answers, no matter how tough that might be, yield great results and the most growth.
Where might I be wrong here? What might I have missed? How can this disagreement help me? Invite disagreement, especially when you’re most sure. Ask the hard questions and truly listen to the answers.
I recently met with someone (let’s call him Aaron) who has a huge new business idea. Aaron’s trying to get support for his idea from both inside his company from senior management and peers, and outside the company from an interested customer. It is a huge undertaking and, at times, very frustrating – as he meets with people, fine-tunes his presentation, tweaks the idea, and identifies others to meet with. However, his strategy is working and he is making great progress. In fact, this week he won over the founding executive of his company.
I asked Aaron what he is doing that is working to sell his idea, which is highly technical and data-driven. Many of the concepts and principles he shared with me are similar to how the IT guys operate overall, and they can be applied to selling any idea. Here are the IT principles that are working for Aaron:
1) Data is king – No matter who you are trying to sell an idea to, you need to have facts and data to demonstrate your credibility, knowledge and expertise. IT guys can give you reams of data and reports to show you why something will work or not. Obviously, you don’t want to overwhelm your audience with a ton of boring numbers and charts, but you do want to come prepared to show that you have thought through options, barriers, competition, projections, etc.
2) Gather requirements – Requirements gathering is a critical part of any IT project. IT guys sit down with their customers to first understand their environment and their needs before recommending and designing a technology solution. To sell a big idea, it’s important to know the current environment and what’s required by your potential customer. Good questions to ask are: What is the pain point? What is keeping this target group up at night? What is happening that is driving the need for the change that my idea is facilitating?
3) It’s all about the end user – No matter how great your idea is, you need to understand the value proposition to the ultimate customer – the people who will be buying and using your product or service. How will it help them? All the bells and whistles in the world won’t mean a thing if it doesn’t make the end user’s life or work easier, simpler, more efficient, less costly, better in some way. To sell a big idea, identify who truly is the end user and put yourself firmly in their shoes to know why they should care about your idea.
4) Test it out – IT guys employ a process known as Proof of Concept to help get the final go-ahead on a big project. It’s a relatively low-cost, low-risk way of setting up a demo of how the technology solution with work within the customer’s environment. This limited trial run lets the decision-maker put their toe in the water rather than having to dive into the whole pool immediately. To sell your big idea, think about how you can develop a Proof of Concept to help bring your idea, or a small piece of your idea, to life and show the folks you are trying to get on board that your idea is doable, viable, and a must-have.
5) Make it system-agnostic – It’s a lot harder to move forward on an IT project that requires large investment in new equipment, software, and tools. IT guys look to make their solutions system-agnostic. That is, the idea is not tied to a specific manufacturer’s piece of equipment or software. The solution is flexible enough to fit within a current environment or to adapt to a variety of hardware/software options. This gives the client more flexibility and more control. To sell your big idea, keep required and inflexible components to a minimum. Offer the person to whom you are selling your idea plenty of options and flexibility so they feel like they are in the driver’s seat and it’s easier for them to say yes to your big idea.
In the current economic environment, it is crucial for individuals, teams and organizations to continuously improve their performance. Getting and giving useful performance feedback, whether through a formal performance appraisal system, or through less formal, more ad-hoc tools like Rypple, can help greatly. Regardless of whether you are providing feedback in a formal annual review, a brief Rypple survey, or at the water cooler, here are some tips to keep in mind when providing feedback:
Feedback is least useful when it is:
Inaccurate or untrue – or even viewed as inaccurate or untrue: if the feedback recipient doubts the accuracy of the feedback, it is unlikely he or she will be able to learn from it. Be certain to check the accuracy, and to prepare specific examples to clarify, if necessary.
Biased due to favoritism or politics: although nothing in human affairs in general or the workplace in particular is ever “objective”, the more the feedback can stand on its own rather than being seen as part of some personal or political agenda, the better.
Insensitive and unduly critical: this kind of feedback is unlikely to be “heard” – the recipient will be too upset to process what you are saying.
Not specific or actionable: anything vague or out of the person’s control is not going to help him or her do anything differently. Feedback needs to be about a specific behavior that can be changed. (Hint: A behavior is a verb. If your feedback does not include a verb, you are likely sharing an opinion and/or judgment.)
Constituted by orders or ultimatums: this kind of feedback is likely to raise hackles rather than willingness or ability to improve.
Feedback is most useful when it is:
Candid and honest: this kind of feedback is credible and although it can be painful, is your best bet for helping the person get his or her game up.
Specific and actionable: the more behaviorally-based the feedback is, rather than character-based, the more able the recipient will be to implement what you suggest. (Again, note the hint above. Look for a verb.)
Based on more than one incident or example: without trying to “build a case”, it is still helpful to bring multiple examples into your feedback so that the person can see patterns as they appear to others.
Based on more than one person’s view: this can be tricky – on one hand, if multiple people share a perception, it is likely to be more valid and credible. At the same time, you don’t want the person to whom you’re giving feedback to feel ganged up on, and it is essential that you share your own observations. “Everyone says this…” will only lead the person to whom you’re giving feedback to wonder who exactly said what.
Framed positively and constructively: this is the opposite of being unduly critical. People are more likely to hear and act on feedback if you use a “carrot” rather than a “stick” in describing to them the potential benefits of doing something better or differently.
Summarized and integrated into key themes: it is helpful to summarize the feedback by sharing a few overall themes in order to give the person a big picture view and provide linkages to the specific feedback items.
Most important – it is always important to give feedback.
I just came upon this speech by Sheena Iyengar. She was speaking at a TED conference on the art of choosing. It’s twenty-four minutes, and it’s twenty-four minutes worth watching.
What I found most amazing is the revelations she offered about how we all get so easily, and unknowingly, stuck in our own perceptions of the world. She speaks of choice, and the different relationships with choice that we all have – largely because of how we were raised or where we were raised. Americans, of course, like choice, respond well to choice, and choose choice. Burger King tells us to “Have it your way.” Starbucks tell us that “Happiness is in our choices.” Which is all fine. However, Sheena points out, that we, as Americans, tend to believe that our approach to choice is the best, the one that fulfills the innate desires of all humans. But, what she has shown through her research, and shares during her brief speech, is that we base these beliefs on assumptions that simply do not hold true in other cultures. Other cultures, other people, see choice differently. People from some cultures respond better to having fewer choices. People from other cultures are more comfortable and perform better when a choice is made for them. And they too think that their view is best. That their choice is right.
Everything that opens my mind to how I can be more open to the minds of others…I choose that!
Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on August 16, 2010
“Getting there isn’t half the fun – it’s all the fun.” Robert Townsend
Just the other day a client shared with me that she had roses, roses she loved, growing outside her house on the veranda…and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually seen them, or noticed them.
It is so easy to get caught up in moving ahead, in getting things done, in accomplishing all our goals and to-do’s, that we forget to “stop and smell the roses” along the way. But when we do that we miss out on so much.
We miss out on the sunshine, the soft breeze, and the beautiful views. We miss out on the people we know, our neighbors across the street, and the strangers who would be great to meet…if we only gave them the time. We miss out on getting to know our team members better and being there for them when they need a helping hand or a chance to brainstorm ideas. We simply miss out on so much of, if not all of, the fun.
Even five minutes of noticing the beautiful things, and people, along our way to getting there makes getting there much more worthwhile…and much more fun.
My client decided to stop and see, and even enjoy, her roses that day – and committed to making her beautiful flower garden a part of her daily life again.
When and how could you make your journey more fun? What “roses” are you missing out on in your rush to accomplish things?
Those of you who know us at Chatsworth Consulting Group know that we believe in Thoughtful Leadership – looking inside yourself, taking the time to reflect, and taking action with thought and clarity. I recently came across a great piece on the subject of looking inside yourself and knowing yourself – and wanted to share. This blogpost at thoughtLEADERS llc outlines four areas for every leader to reflect on and know for themselves – finding your internal motivation, charting your path, stating how you’ll move down your path, and most important from my perspective, inspiring yourself. They recommend creating a living, evolving document that describes your leadership philosophy and the maxims and principles by which you will lead. Good stuff!
Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on August 9, 2010
“If you follow your bliss, doors will open for you that wouldn’t have opened for anyone else.” Joseph Campbell
Recently a client was discussing her upcoming choice between two new jobs. The discussion seemed like a cost-benefit analysis – all head and very little heart. “I should do this,” she said. “This makes the most sense. I really love that idea, but it’s probably not smart.” Now while the more “sensible” option may be the right one for her to pursue, it struck me how quickly we follow what seems “right” rather than what seems wonderful.
Too often we are ruled by our head – by what we “should” do or what others expect of us. How wonderful it feels when we follow our bliss. When we take the action or pursue the idea that truly brings us joy – deep down joy from the bottom of our souls and the soles of our feet. As children, we seek out those things that bring us bliss, and yet we have learned not to trust that inner instinct. In life and in business it is often the blissful choice that leaves us inspired, effective, and propelled forward. And by pursuing our dreams or trusting our instinct we often find that things go more smoothly, work better, and yield greater results.
What truly brings you bliss? How can you follow it more fully?
Make a decision to commit to bliss this week – identify one thing you could do that will bring you bliss, and do it.
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