How many of us start January with the best intentions? It sounds something like this:
“I will lose 10lbs by March and I will actually use that Peloton I bought for something other than the ironing pile, I will be mega fit by April!”
“I will spend more time with my family, my kids are getting older and so am I, I need a better balance.”
Or
“This year, I will get the recognition I deserve at work and I will get rewarded appropriately.”
We are experts at setting goals and we know all about SMART, so we make sure that our plans are realistic and achievable.
We truly want to achieve our goals too. The desire is definitely there.
We probably even have an action plan on how we will smash it this year.
But... How many years in a row have you set yourself that same goal?
Did you give up by January 19th like 85% of everybody else?
Why don’t we just do it?
Could the answer lie in accountability?
Who is accountable if I don’t lose 10lbs by March? Nobody right? Nobody really cares.
If I don’t get the recognition in my role that I believe I deserve, who suffers? Me, right? My boss doesn’t care, she can keep my pay rise in her budget, or she can promote somebody else.
So, am I more likely to succeed in hitting my goals if I truly hold myself accountable?
If I consider the goals a boss sets me as part of my employment, I would have an objective, I would take action, I would measure my progress, re-adjust my activity and do what I was supposed to do!
So, consider being a boss to yourself and taking these 5 steps:
Set your objective
You know what you want but why?
If you don’t achieve your objectives at work, you’ll likely be in trouble so what’s different here? Get in touch with your purpose – why is it important to you that you achieve your goal?
What will happen if you don’t achieve it?
What will happen if you do?
Understanding this will make your goal come to life and a stronger connection between desire and action is formed.
Mindset matters
You need to believe that you can benefit from all of those good things you outlined above. In the same way that your boss believes you can deliver your work goals, so, you have to believe that you can achieve your personal objectives.
Eliminate the self-doubt.
Just get on with it
You have your plan, you know what action you have to take, so, start executing it.
What small thing can you do consistently, to move you towards your goal?
For example, you might decide to actively self-promote in the workplace at least once a week or that your priority is to have dinner with your kids every day.
Measure it
Let’s say you thought to do Peloton 3 x a week, get in front of key stakeholders once a week and do the school run twice a week.
Measure your success and set yourself a goal of say 80% over a week.
Seeing tangible progress is motivating and will evidence to you (the boss) that you are moving in the right direction.
Re-adjust if you are not hitting your %? What can you change to get there?
Goals rarely provide instant gratification
If we could pick them up at Tesco, we would, wouldn’t we? Be patient and keep going. If you keep your mindset strong and consistently execute your plan 80% of the time, what do you think is inevitable?
Success!
It really is that simple. Oh, and you are the boss, so, don’t forget to reward yourself and celebrate your success.
Let me know what your new goal will be next January.
Amanda Gardiner is a Leadership Coach with Coach Execs Ltd. Her passion is to help ambitious, driven, high achievers to identify and develop the skills they need to become impactful and eminent leaders, benefitting themselves and the organisations they work within.
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