Is Goal-Setting On Your Holiday List? |
"Did he really say that?" |
Is Goal-Setting On Your Holiday List?
Goal setting is hard. Most of us (myself included) suffer from the disease as common as the everyday cold known as: I-can’t-get-outa-my-own-way-to-be-disciplined-enough-to-set-annual-goals-ITIS.
This is a common condition and we don’t have to be afflicted every year.
These are the main reasons we don't write down goals:
1. It’s a hard exercise. Period.
2. We often can't articulate what we want.
3. We're not disciplined to slow down and think about the process: setting a goal, creating a task list, and monitoring progress.
4. Things have turned out pretty good so far, so let’s keep winging it.
But the why is secondary to our focus on the how. Ok, put on your belt-buckle for the earth shatteringly easy way to get on the right side of the road regarding goal setting….ready? Here it is: Set one goal only for 2015. (But make it a good one.)
We can all agree that when things are simple (and short), there’s a higher probability for a 'positive completion rate’. And there’s nothing worse than starting something and not finishing it. So let’s just start with the process by selecting one, meaty goal and sticking to it.
It’s a given you want to buy a new boat, buy a condo, buy a vacation house, go on a first-class European vacation, etc. Those are all common, realistic (fun) goals. But what we’re talking about here is examining what you have to do in order to get the money flowing more freely, which in turn will provide you with the opportunity to buy that condo, etc.
Here’s a list of potential things you may want to think about for your ONE 2015 goal:
1. Become a better, more dynamic presenter and public speaker so you can command the room with more authority. Those who possess exceptional presentation and communication skills are going to excel faster in a career because they’re naturally going to earn more trust and respect from prospects, clients and associates.
2. Improve at how you handle obstacles. This does not pertain only to what prospects throw your way during sales situations, but also how you apply strategic thinking and an analytical process to work through, under, or over the walls in your work.
3. Develop more inspiring and stronger leadership skills. Regardless of whether you manage zero people, five, or fifty, you can develop a more refined and sophisticated skill-set which elevates your game as a leader, thus creating more opportunities in your workplace.
The best news is there are only four steps needed to work toward your 2015 Goal Establishing Method (heck, let’s even throw an acronym at it: GEM'15).
1. Choose just ONE of the goals specified above or, better yet, create your own single goal for 2015…but ONLY CHOOSE ONE. Resist the temptation to be overly ambitious and just go with one this year. Next year if you’re feeling ambitious, you can ride the bike with no hands pick more;
2. Write down the tasks you’ll need to do: probably these are things like interviewing mentors, reading books, taking courses, signing up with executive coaches (I know a good one), etc.;
3. Open up your desktop calendar and set monthly check-ins with yourself with a one-week reminder bell;
4. Create a document on your desktop dedicated to your one goal and record everything in there...progress, task list, etc.
Yes, you know all this; you’ve read it a million times. But if you’ve made it this far in the article, it means you’re trying hard to get on the bus and very much want to be a goal setter. Congrats. You’re very close to creating your GEM’15! Now all you have to do is DO IT. Good luck, and of course, let me know how you’re doing, as I might be able to provide some insight and guidance.
This is a common condition and we don’t have to be afflicted every year.
These are the main reasons we don't write down goals:
1. It’s a hard exercise. Period.
2. We often can't articulate what we want.
3. We're not disciplined to slow down and think about the process: setting a goal, creating a task list, and monitoring progress.
4. Things have turned out pretty good so far, so let’s keep winging it.
But the why is secondary to our focus on the how. Ok, put on your belt-buckle for the earth shatteringly easy way to get on the right side of the road regarding goal setting….ready? Here it is: Set one goal only for 2015. (But make it a good one.)
We can all agree that when things are simple (and short), there’s a higher probability for a 'positive completion rate’. And there’s nothing worse than starting something and not finishing it. So let’s just start with the process by selecting one, meaty goal and sticking to it.
It’s a given you want to buy a new boat, buy a condo, buy a vacation house, go on a first-class European vacation, etc. Those are all common, realistic (fun) goals. But what we’re talking about here is examining what you have to do in order to get the money flowing more freely, which in turn will provide you with the opportunity to buy that condo, etc.
Here’s a list of potential things you may want to think about for your ONE 2015 goal:
1. Become a better, more dynamic presenter and public speaker so you can command the room with more authority. Those who possess exceptional presentation and communication skills are going to excel faster in a career because they’re naturally going to earn more trust and respect from prospects, clients and associates.
2. Improve at how you handle obstacles. This does not pertain only to what prospects throw your way during sales situations, but also how you apply strategic thinking and an analytical process to work through, under, or over the walls in your work.
3. Develop more inspiring and stronger leadership skills. Regardless of whether you manage zero people, five, or fifty, you can develop a more refined and sophisticated skill-set which elevates your game as a leader, thus creating more opportunities in your workplace.
The best news is there are only four steps needed to work toward your 2015 Goal Establishing Method (heck, let’s even throw an acronym at it: GEM'15).
1. Choose just ONE of the goals specified above or, better yet, create your own single goal for 2015…but ONLY CHOOSE ONE. Resist the temptation to be overly ambitious and just go with one this year. Next year if you’re feeling ambitious, you can ride the bike with no hands pick more;
2. Write down the tasks you’ll need to do: probably these are things like interviewing mentors, reading books, taking courses, signing up with executive coaches (I know a good one), etc.;
3. Open up your desktop calendar and set monthly check-ins with yourself with a one-week reminder bell;
4. Create a document on your desktop dedicated to your one goal and record everything in there...progress, task list, etc.
Yes, you know all this; you’ve read it a million times. But if you’ve made it this far in the article, it means you’re trying hard to get on the bus and very much want to be a goal setter. Congrats. You’re very close to creating your GEM’15! Now all you have to do is DO IT. Good luck, and of course, let me know how you’re doing, as I might be able to provide some insight and guidance.
"Did he really say that???"
“He said THAT?” proclaimed Gina, surprising herself as someone who has seen it all during her 18 year sales management career.
“Yes, and all 4 on his team were standing right there,” confirmed Abe, who manages Mark, the dude who’s obviously in a bit of hot water. “But I know they all heard ‘cuz I walked up right at the end and saw the whole thing. It got real silent – obviously – and then they all scattered…except for Mark, of course.” “So what did you say?” Gina replied. “To be honest, I was so shocked, the only thing I could say was, ‘what did I hear you say?’, but of course I knew and he knew I knew,” answered Abe, who then continued after a pause, “From the top, I heard him say, ‘they knew I was talking to Acme.com so they paid me a bonus of $10k to stay, AND, guaranteed my commissions this year, AND, upped my salary to $150k…ha! Who’s laughing now??’ It’s definitely the ‘who’s laughing now’ that ticks me off big time’. When Sarah, Mindy and Sal saw me a few feet away, they all just scattered right away like scared mice,” mildly chuckled Abe. “Gosh darnit, EVERY YEAR this happens at the party…someone gets their drink on and pulls their pants down about how much they’re making…really ticks me off,” Gina blurted. “You did give them the speech last week about controlling themselves and managing their intake at the party…yes?” “Of course I did,” Abe firmly replied, “a lot of good it does. Can I kick him now?” “If I don’t first. Of course now we’re on the defense because even though we did up his salary and tweak his commission plan, everyone’s gonna think we hand out bonuses and guarantees …and we don’t,” an exasperated and ticked-off Gina answered. “And don’t forget that if they merely threaten to leave they’ll get what they want in a sick kind of corporate extortion move,” offered Abe. “So who has approached you so far,” asked Gina. “I think most of ‘em probably know how games are played and that they each have the best possible deal they can have, yet the more inexperienced ones – Sal and Becky – pinged me saying they wanted to talk today…those two are more than mildly opportunistic, so I know it’s coming. And they know they produce more than Mark so it’s coming for sure,” Abe dejectedly reasoned. “Keep your chin up, bucko, we’re getting good at this…unfortunately,” retorted Gina. “So what do we do?” asked Abe. ++++++++ It wouldn’t be the holidays without a nice tidy mess to clean up from the holiday office party, eh? So the situation is this: Gina is number one on the sales management totem pole, Abe reports to her as a regional director, and Mark, of course…well, Mark is obviously a highly paid sales executive bozo who reports to Abe. To complicate matters, Gina and Abe have not had good success working with HR on a myriad number of issues: HR is stretched thin, moves slowly, and lacks expertise in handling the sticky situations that can occur inside a sales force of a fast-growth company. So if you’re Gina, the one step she needs to take first? 1) Gina needs to get HR involved right away. This is a serious issue and she should hand it over as fast as possible to people who are trained to deal with these types of situations. 2) Gina and Abe should pull Mark in right away and hear his side of the story, and then head to HR with their findings. 3) While Gina sits with Mark to hear his side of the story, Abe needs to visit with each individual who heard the remark at the party and explain the company’s compensation policy, and assure each individual that Mark’s comments were false. 4) Gina should move toward termination for Mark (after her due diligence). She has enough information from her Sales Manager Abe to begin this process. ++++++++ January commentary after poll result. Just under 60% of you suggested Mark should interview Mark right away and then head to HR which I think is a good solid plan of attack. Almost a third of you (29%) concluded Gina should move toward termination right away which was good to see that you think aggressively about the bad behavior. There are certainly mitigating factors which could effect the decision path for both Gina and Abe, yet a combination of #2 and 4 make most sense. What kind of a corporate citizen has Mark been in the organization? Has he earned enough 'good will' in the past to justify probationary action on this incident (and not termination)? How clearly and forcefully has the company communicated its policies around behavior like what Mark exhibited at the party? What is the risk/reward of both sides of action that effects all involved? Either way, an immediate sit-down with Mark is probably the first, most important step for Gina to take as it is only fair to hear what Mark has to say before proceeding. |
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