Dreaming – Goal Setting (Stage One)

What is Goal Setting?

Goal setting is a subject that alters people’s lives forever. Once you master the skill of goal setting you can achieve almost anything you want to. The following information and exercise/s will help you on the path to understanding what goal setting is and how to use it to successfully achieve your dreams.

After this exercise, you will have the basic skills to design your own future.

“A life best lived is a life by design” – Jim Rohn
“ Live a Life you would LOVE to live” – Mary Morrissey

We start the process by getting you to use your imagination. What is the life you dream to live?

Tapping this resource of imagination is focused on your future, thinking about the rest of your day, tomorrow and what your life will look like when the time comes for reflection on what you have achieved.

Dreams
Dreams are like magnets – they pull. The stronger your dreams are, the more purposeful they are, the bigger they are the stronger they pull.

They pull you to take the actions necessary to achieve these dreams.

Dreams written down are called “Goals”.

Powerful Goals
Powerful Goals have three main components;

1. They must be inspiring
2. They must be believable
3. They must be goals you can act on

NB: You do not have to know how you will get there. Part of the adventure of life is the journey, the discovery and learning. If you already know how to get there, then your dream maybe too small, dream big!

Getting Started -Your Future ‘Mindmap’

To get started I want you to paint the picture of what your life would look like when you come to your final days. You want no regrets and you want to live the life you designed. This is the starting point for your personal goal setting.

Below is an example of my very own mind map. Yours may look very different and that is cool with me.

This top level map describes what I want to achieve in my life. It starts with the centre of my universe – my family (whanau). For me, at age 53 this is my major driving force. However, it also includes the things I want to personally achieve.

At this level, it lacks detail but does provide the guide for me to follow as I dive deeper into each of these top level goals. It also is the starting point for me to consider the things I really want to achieve in life.

I find it very powerful to see my plan on one piece of paper like this it helps me focus while I work on the individual goals and action steps I need to take to achieve my dreams.

Exercise 1 – Build your own Mindmap

Step 1. It starts with you evaluating and reflecting on where you are right now and where you want to be in the future. In the case of this Mindmap we want you to take that future right to the end of your life. Spend some time (alone) reflecting on what you would like your friends and family to be saying about you during your first day on earth. What is it you achieved with your life? How satisfied will you be? What is it that made your life what you wanted it to be? What were you about?

Then start putting pen to paper or if you would rather find magazines or print images from google to create your own personal image board.

At this stage, we are working at a very high level not too worried about the how but definitely thinking about the WHY.

You are more likely going to need to set aside time on a regular basis the work on this top level map and over time it will become clearer on what you really want it to look like. All this means is the initial map may change as you further reflect and evaluate what you want. It is important to get started and let momentum help the process evolve.

Step 2. What are your dreams and goals (future only) What do you want to achieve? What values do you want to live by? What sort of person do you want to be known as? What do you want – not what someone else wants you to be. These should come from your heart and soul. They are unique to you and come from who you were created to be and gifted to become.

Exercise 2 – SMART GOALS

Once we have drafted our mind map we want to start applying the rules of goal setting to help us succeed. The next stage is to evaluate each goal using the SMART system. Take each goal and create a heading on a new piece of paper. You should have separate sheets for each goal.

We are now going to start working on defining each goal.

SMART means Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time- Sensitive.

Specific – Don’t be vague. Exactly what do you want?

Measurable – Quantify your goal. How will you know if you’ve achieved it or not?

Attainable – Be honest with yourself about what you can reasonably accomplish at this point in your life while taking into consideration your current situation. This is the stage where you might set a task to learn more about how you are going to attain this goal e.g. “signup with a personal trainer, to learn more about getting fit” may lead to you setting new goals after you have learned from this trainer.

Realistic – It’s got to be achievable, real and practical.

Live a Healthy and Happy Life (TC Short Example)
I will retain my weight at 80kgs, each healthy food’s each day by planning out my meals and shopping on a regular basis to ensure I have healthy food to eat. I will weigh myself each week to ensure I maintain this weight or take necessary actions. (Weekly Action – plan out my meals and buy food for the week). (Weigh in Day – Friday)

I will walk a minimum of 30 minutes every day and during this time I will smile and be thankful for all I have in my life, including my wonderful family and friends. (Record distance and time in Journal).

I spend 20 minutes every day by myself meditating. I will go to sleep before 10 pm each night and get 6-8 hours’ sleep before I start the next day.

In the Summer of 2017/18, I will start to Surf again.

I will get regular health checks and continual learn new ways of being happy and healthy. (further Action – set appts in my diary).

I will subscribe to and read about how to improve my health and start to help others around me so we live a healthy life together. (Further Action, research books to read).

COMPLETE THIS EXERCISE FOR ALL OF YOUR GOALS.

NB: Part of your journey might be discovering the answers, so you may not be able to fill in all the blanks yet, you may create new blanks to fill in as you discover, learn and grow. Is this not what life is all about?

Once you have these Goals written down then you hold yourself accountable. You check them weekly, monthly, and annually. Each day you action your daily plan by writing down your goals for the day, starting the planning session by asking yourself this simple question.

“What am I doing today, to move me closer to my dream?”

December 15, 2016 1

How important is presentation?

Photo Credit: Werner Kaffl

How did you react to my photo? Was it intriguing? Is it too scary? Am I looking into your soul? More importantly did it help pull you in to read this article?

What light does this photo immediate place on your impression of me?

You see whether we like it or not people will paint a picture about how they feel about you. In extreme cases that can be the difference between getting an interview, winning a new customer or whether a potential life partner decides to make contact. It also dictates what sort of people you will attract.

I think most people understand how important it is to present themselves in the best possible light. Yet when you troll through Facebook or LinkedIn and our very own JobCafe you will find the majority of photos representing people are of a poor quality. Many of the LinkedIn profiles I visit are incomplete yet these same people will be the first to complain that “I get no leads from LinkedIn” or “Nobody has ever reached out to me as a result of my JobCafe profile”.

As a person who works primarily in the talent management sector I can tell you now Recruiters, Coaches switched on HR people are using these tools to find or checkout your profile. Customers are checking you out before you call.

There are so many fish in the on-line sea these days so much so it becomes automatic to skip those who just “could not be bothered” or “I used the camera on my PC, was always going to replace it” .

The reality for all of us is the landscape of finding people is changing dramatically and if you want to take advantage of this technology the time to take it most seriously is right now.

Anyway … so here are my tips on how to look great online

Use a professional photographer to create your online photos
Make sure you look as professional as you need for the industry or purpose your profile is for. The right photographer will help you here.
Back this up with the way you look when you meet people in real life.
Do the research on people who have a similar career path or business as yourself. How are they presenting themselves? Set your bar with the people who present themselves the best.
Checkout this wiki site that gives some great tips http://www.wikihow.com/Present-Yourself-in-the-Best-Possible-Way
Ask your better half – and listen to them.

Finally. It feels great when you get that haircut or see yourself in that new suit? You look great and feel great – this is the moment you ring your photographer. Refresh your look on a regular basis and you are halfway there.

September 30, 2016 0

Fifteen fundamental skills of a great leader.

1. Share the Vision
The most important thing a leader can do is provide their team with the WHY? What makes this work worth the time. Granted, the boss doesn’t always get to set the agenda, but a great one will advocate for something worthy, and ensure that she or he communicates it effectively and often.

2. They Lead
Sounds obvious but many ‘managers’ do not lead. To be a great leader you have to demonstrate some level of skill and in times of stress it’s the leader who stands up to be counted or finds a way forward. They make decisions.

3. They respect time.
Great bosses have little tolerance for boring meetings, mandatory fun, and making others wait unnecessarily. They also avoid long-windedness when straight forward comments will do.

4. Establish priorities.
When you try to focus on everything, you’re not focusing on anything. A smart boss understands that, and realizes that lack of focus can easily derail the plan. Everyone should be great at planning; leaders are great at planning and time management but also have that extra skill of being able to set the plans priorities.

5. Share information.
There are often good reasons to control the timing of information sharing, but overall the more transparent a boss can be, the more respect the team will ultimately have for him or her.

6. Provide feedback
People wonder how they’re doing. Great leaders let the team know, and they’re especially vocal and public about it when people are doing well. Building a culture of gratitude starts at the top. If the leader doesn’t take time to offer thanks to those around him or her and sets this culture in place.

7. They demonstrate empathy.
Great leaders are able to see things through other people’s eyes, especially their team. Of course this doesn’t mean that they are pushovers, but it does mean that they’re concerned about their people on multiple levels.

8. They recognise team strengths.
A great leader recognizes the talents of members of the team, and strives to lead in a way that lets everyone maximize their effectiveness together. They also encourage growth and nurture team members to develop their skills.

9. Be here now
They work in the present when dealing with anyone they focus on that person’s needs, they do not let distractions undermine giving people the right level of attention, they listen. This skillset of working in the present also includes when working on their own tasks – focused. They understand the importance of successful activity today is how you create what you want in the future.

10. They accept blame.
Ethical people accept blame for their failings. Maybe they don’t dwell on it, but they accept it. Great leaders go a step further, accepting the collective blame when the team comes up short, and then guiding everyone to move forward.

11. They are human
They show their emotions but work hard on being a positive influence. Showing happiness can be infectious and a great way to lead the team.

12. They set the expectations
It’s often true that more progress is made when we seek forgiveness than when we seek permission. However, there are rules, social norms, and basic decency. Great bosses strive to uphold them.

13. They celebrate wins.
Great leaders look for milestones to celebrate–whether that means a 15-second recognition or a full-blown party. Great teams celebrate, encourage and support each other throughout the journey – not just after the finish line has been reached.

14. They strive for excellence.
Because really, who wants to work for someone who strives simply to be adequate?

15. They create leaders.
Great leaders inspire their people to become great leaders. They’re thrilled, not threatened, when members of their teams move on to better things, in fact often they push these people forward (rather than try and retain or hold them back).

August 18, 2016 0

Becoming Great – Part 4 “Getting noticed and making impact”

In part 4 of my series for becoming great I would like to share my tips for you on how to get noticed, that does not mean getting noticed by everyone, but getting noticed and appreciated by those who matter. Whether those people be, our family (kids), bosses, work colleagues or customers.

Engage your ears, not your mouth.
In any situation you find yourself in whether it be at home, at work or on the sports field. Try and be in the moment ‘Be Here Now’ take in the conversations, arguments and ideas of those around you. Do not let other activities distract your focus on the topic, or situation at hand. If you have been asked to contribute thoughts, provide some comment initially but use questions to dig deeper into what those around you are thinking. Speak less and ask questions more.

By talking less and listening more, often the ‘more impact’ you will have when you do speak. People will start to listen to your ideas more. However, be smart, find out all the facts, and become the person known for wanting to explore all the options and details. You do not have to be the smartest person in the room, but you can be the most impactful, simply by being the better listener.

Timing is everything. Wait, until all the thoughts, arguments and ideas are in the room, then speak for the first time from a different viewpoint.

Do your Research
Simple, but the more you prepare the better equipped you will be to make meaningful contributions when you need to. When you share your ideas, back it up with fact, and if possible great stats or data. Don’t just come up with a view, or you maybe setting yourself up for a hiding.

Explore different views
Smart people around the world understand that a diverse approach is the most effective and most likely to come up with more ideas and different solutions. Be the person who seeks out different views from different cultures, people with differing stances, approaches. Try and think outside the box by exploring more. If you are an employer hire different people from different cultures, ages and backgrounds and build a business that is based on quality information from different sources. Find out how ‘it’ impacts everyone not just what it means for someone like you.

If you do not have different views in a meeting, then be the one to suggest seeking out those views, take charge of gathering the information and you will become known as the person who finds the best results.

Never repeat
People only hear it the first time; after that, it’s diluted and they switch off and forget the point you made. You may think you are making a point but your silence will be more powerful after you have shared your thought …

Take notes
Have your journal and pen with you at all times, take notes and arm yourself with the information being shared in the room. You will be forced to listen more as you write down what others are saying and your notes will provide you with ammunition when it comes time to think, analyse then speak.

Tone and volume
Don’t yell, don’t whisper, don’t screech. The greatest speakers in the world all take lessons so don’t be afraid to follow in their footsteps.

Speak from your heart not your head
Be careful with this, make sure before you speak from your heart that your head is full of different ideas and facts. Only then are you ready to give a passionate viewpoint.

You don’t have to have the last word
In fact if you have said what you think (for now) then leave it there, let others argue, you end as you begun – the best listener in the room.

February 23, 2016 1