How we can succeed at setting our goals

Kyle pointed out something I often see. People become good at setting the goal, yet they stall out when trying to work through all the steps. Like here, the ownership of the goal is placed entirely on the individual writing it. I don't know of too many people who want to create more work for themselves so it's common nature to avoid creating action steps and timelines. That's a big commitment!

In order for us to succeed at our goals we must take a look at what we are currently doing on top of planning the goal. In other words, are we using time to the best of our ability? Are there other resources that can help us accomplish our goal? And are the thing I am working on producing the right results?

Here are some steps to help you accomplish your goals.

1. List them out - Write down what you want to accomplish. Written goals already start becoming more real to us once they are put to paper.
2. Prioritize - Work on the most important things first. Important doesn't mean the quickest to complete or the easiest. Know what is the number one thing you should be working on and why.
3. Rewards vs. Consequences - In order for you to take action on your goal, the reward has to be great enough or the consequence has to be bad enough for you to want to make the change. These also become the prime motivators as you are working towards your goal.
4. Possible Obstacles - What's in the way? Is there anything that has prevented you from achieving this goal already? Think of as many as you can, no matter how big or how small. Also consider that YOU may be one of the obstacles. Most often the beggest challenge to reaching our goals is ourselves.
5. Possible solutions - How can you overcome these obstacles? Figure out what would remove them from your path.
6. Plan out your action steps - Work on the steps that will eliminate the obstacles.
7. Delegate and set completion dates - Who could be working on this besides you? Often there is someone who can help us get our goals accomplished.
8. Make sure you are doing the right things - What brings value to you, your company, your employees and your customers? Often we do things because that is what we have always done. When we set goals we heap more on our plate of work thus our reluctance to set timelines. Part of a change process is eliminating obsolete processes. Rarely do we do this. If you are having trouble figuring out what to let go of, talk with your staff, they may have the answer. Need more help? Find someone outside the company who will ask the right questions and help you become more efficient.
9. Incorporate others in the goal setting process. - Whenever possible, bring in advocates to assist with the change process. Overall, your goal setting and achieving will work better and you will have some people who can help implement the change.
10. Accountability - Without accountability, little would get done. Get support from others to help you as you work towards your goal. Report your successes and where you are stuck. Have them keep you on task and on target. There will be a greater chance for success.

Empowerment is a four letter word

Can empowerment be evil? That depends on how it's defined. For some people, empowerment is a challenging concept because it is interpreted as lack of control and lack of discipline. The discussion I had with Kyle this week focused on this very topic.

Empowerment is a word that is used a lot today. It has become one of those cursed "Business Buzz Words" we hear often, but until someone creates another word/phrase that can be overused, I will continue to abuse this one. We read books on empowerment, attend speeches, and occasionally read blogs on the subject. I find leaders are often split on whether or not empowerment is a good thing. It all depends on the definition.

One group interprets empowerment as total freedom for employees to do whatever they want in their jobs. The responsibility is handed to the employee and we as leaders are left flying blind. By this definition, even I would be scared to let my staff steer the ship. If this becomes the predominant belief in the organization, then the outcome is the need for greater control because the leadership may not trust that the employee will do the right thing. After all, that is why we have leaders isn't it? They're here to tell people what to do. They make sure the work gets done. Right? In this model the value of the leader is placed on that leader's control and not on the ability to lead.

Here's an example: Think of a time where you worked in a job that had very strict procedures. In no way were you allowed to deviate from how you did your job because someone else already determined that the process implemented was the best way. You spend your days following the manual to the letter. Sounds fun doesn't it? No thinking needed. Just follow steps 1 through 10. While we all have times that we would like to turn off the gray matter, most of us want a little more stimulation in their jobs. In addition, we need to be active in what we do. Our brains are like a muscle. They require exercise to build creativity. The more structured the job is, the less you are required to think of new ways to get things done. Inevitably there will be a time when you will have to change what you are doing and it will be difficult to find that new solution.

The other challenge is we do not live in a black and white world. There are many different colors and many shades of gray. In virtually every situation, you will come up against a problem that doesn't work in the procedure manual. Now what? For some this means you need to create a new process. The new process will fix the loopholes in the old and make it more restrictive. This pattern continues until all the loopholes have been fixed. The problem is loopholes are often infinite.

The other definition of Empowerment has a different twist. It involves giving the employee the ability to make the correct decision for each situation by following the guidelines set by the Vision, Mission, and Values of the company. Here, instead of control we use discipline. This involves doing the right things the right way for the right reasons at the right time. Discipline is internal where control is external.

I would compare the proper use of empowerment to following a highway to your destination. As long as you stay on the road you will get to where you are going. But the highway has to be wide enough for you to safely maneuver past cars and around slower traffic. It also needs lines painted on it so you know which lanes you are in and where the edge of the pavement is. If the road is well thought out and well marked, anyone with the skills to drive a car and an understanding of the rules of the road can get where they want to go. In this case the destination is the company's Vision, the road is its Mission, and the lines on the highway are the Values. If you fail to follow the rules of the road or deviate to far from the center line, you will wreck.

Our challenge as leaders is understanding these differences, as Kyle does, and being able to lead and develop our people to know what they need to do through the results they need to meet. An even greater challenge is instilling these ideals in our people so we can get out of their way and help them be successful.

Leadership would be easier if it weren't for all these people.

People are what make your business successful. In addition, they make it complex, challenging and frustrating. Why? Because everyone is different. That was the discussion I had with Kyle this week.

At any one time you and your people are at different stages in their life which they have different needs. Each individual communicates differently and interprets information differently. In addition, people learn differently, have different needs and constantly battle their own insecurities. As leaders, we must learn how to "read" these behaviors, adjust our communication to match theirs and still try to get something accomplished. On top of all that, we need to own our behavior, and to a certain degree, the behaviors of others. This is quite a daunting task. While this can be very difficult, it is one of the major factors that separates leaders from managers.

Conflicts in business arise every day. These can be positive, such as collaborating on a new production process. It may create disagreements and even arguments, but the goal of the group is not to attack, but make the process better. Other conflicts may be negative. They are the actions that serve no other purpose than to disrupt. Spreading rumors, name calling and accusations are examples of these.

Often the negative conflicts take us away from what we really should be doing which is achieving the Vision of the company. Instead we end up putting out fires and doing what we often call "babysitting." As a leader it can be the most draining part of your work.

However, successfully proactively dealing with individuals' communication style and behavior can be quite rewarding. Part of leadership is becoming a master of reading people. Learning what makes someone do what they do allows us to potentially curb that behavior for a more positive one. It comes at a cost though. It forces us to own the communication process. We must accept that our actions dictate the actions of others and that can make us resentful because we can't make the other person own their behaviors. What we need to remember is we cannot change others, we can only change ourselves. And it's only when we change that others will.

It sounded good when I read it, but...

A common theme that Kyle (and many others) have brought up as they go through the materials is, "this all sounds good and I agree with the concepts, but does this actually work in the real world?" For the most part I will say, "Yes, it does."

When I discuss things related to communication and leadership with my clients, they are often surprised that they have heard this information before. There are many books that discuss these topics, and for the most part, they say the same things. Yet we get hung up on the belief that these concepts may work in other situations, but not ours.

The basics of leadership and communication are relatively simple. It's about understanding and being understood. Though the concepts are simple, it doesn't mean they are easy. Best practices work best when they are practiced. Sometimes we get it in our heads that once is good enough or if it doesn't work the first time then it won't work... EVER. Neither statement is true. The art of leadership and communication requires constant practice. Saying something once means it's rarely remembered. However when you reinforce it multiple times the outcomes change. For example, many companies have a Vision statement. How many people know it? More importantly, how many understand how their job impacts its outcome?

Here's an exercise for the business leaders out there. Ask your people to tell you the company Vision statement. In most cases, less than one out of every ten can tell it to you. Why? Often because it was created absent of any involvement of the staff. In addition, after it was created it was assumed that people would learn it through osmosis. Just by walking into the corporate office, you will come to know it and live it. Nothing could be further from the truth. But if you have a Vision and if you find ways to incorporate that Vision into your daily discussions with your people, the ratio changes. Through the dialog you create an understanding of the idea and the impact each person's job has on it. Now eight out of every ten may know and understand it.

So the concepts are simple, but not easy. In order to be successful you must practice your communication every day and you must be willing to adjust and improvise as necessary. Leadership is as much art as it is science. That is why some are more successful at applying these traits than others. Everything from personality to ability to attitude impact the outcome. This is why these concepts usually work. When they don't it may be from the belief that they would not work in the first place. Make a difference, put in the effort on some simple concepts to get the maximum result.

Working early on to define Vision and Leadership

Kyle mentioned my challenge to him to think of legacy in terms of leadership. What differentiates really good leaders from great ones is their ability to create an environment where everyone understands the Vision, knows the role they play, and is empowered to excel. The true test of this is what happens when the leader is not there.

There were periods of my life as a leader where I dreaded leaving the office for vacation. I believed that I would return to a larger mess when I got back and regret taking the time off. I would prove myself right every time. When I made my people capable of doing the job functions and understanding the outcomes, I found fewer fires when I returned from time off.

Leadership has many variables. Kyle and I discussed some of them as we began digging into the work. We even got on the subject of nature vs. nurture when it comes to producing great leaders. While leaders are not born, who they are has significant impact on their abilities. And even the right leader now may not always be the right person for that situation in the future. So timing can impact leadership as well. That is why so many variables make up a leader and the decisions that leader makes. The challenge is finding out where you fit and can you sidestep ego and insecurity to do what is right.

Pre-Work and the Kickoff

Part of my process requires the client to do some work before we get started with the coaching. To get things going, I require my clients to fill out a brief questionnaire regarding their expectations of our work together. This allows the client to start defining their definition of success in our relationship as well as their expectations of me. This helps us lay out some ground rules early on about my interaction with Kyle. Some of the questions include, "Where do you see yourself in two years?" and "How would you like to receive feedback from me?"

I also require my clients to complete an assessment called the Attribute Index. This assessment helps us look at patterns of thought. Since we all process information differently, the Attribute Index helps define the client's bias and clarity on their thinking, doing, and feeling traits. This helps us understand how we process information and what changes that causes in our behavior. By doing this assessment early on, I can help Kyle recognize some areas we may want to address in our conversations. The tool also ties in well with the material I use and we can align specific attributes to different life categories.

Prior to the kickoff, the results of both the questionnaire and assessment is reviewed. Kyle learned that he had high levels of understanding in the thought patterns related to systems and people. His strengths in these areas were integrating systems with human resources, organizational and human resource development, applying systemic thinking to humanistic resources or needs, respect for policies, understanding people, and big picture thinking.

Much of this process is about developing strengths within the individual. We want to take what someone is already good at and make them better. The assessment also addressed a number of minimizers that could negatively impact Kyle's performance. I will let Kyle share these with you if he chooses, and you will likely see some of the challenges come out as we work together. What I focus on is how do we take someone's strengths to overcome their weaknesses, and then how as leaders do we surround ourselves with the right people to fill in the gaps we cannot change about ourselves.

The Attribute Index also measures internal patterns, or what we think of ourselves. Kyle is both strong and balanced between the patterns of Self Esteem, Role Awareness, and Self Direction. He craves continuous improvement within himself and believes in lifelong learning. For this reason, he should be a good candidate for coaching.

The next step is the kickoff. At this point I introduced Kyle to my process for learning and development. Because I have materials that Kyle will be working from, and a program that will last 16 weeks, I take the time to cover the process with some detail. In the kickoff, we discuss the importance of change and that it requires us to open our minds to new ways of doing things. I also share the concept of learning through spaced repetition along with some of the subject matter we will be covering. Finally I wrap up with an introduction to the materials we will utilize over the next 4 months as part of the development process and give out the fieldwork for the first week. My clients are required to spend some time reading the materials as well as start work on an action plan which will help us uncover specific goals to work on over our time together and beyond. I ask my clients to invest an additional thirty minutes to an hour a day on the materials. Kyle and I are scheduled to connect again next week to review.

What to look for in a coach

As I have said before, The Coaching Project's purpose is to give people a firsthand experience of coaching. More accurately, it is an experience of a particular style of coaching because there is no one written standard for the coaching practice. If the thought of hiring a coach interests you, then you will want to know what questions to ask.

Here are some things to consider when seeking out the services of a coach:

Reason - What is your purpose for hiring a coach. Is it sales focused? Are you seeking a business adviser? Are you looking for greater work/life balance? Coaches may specialize in one or more of these aspects. You have to determine if you are seeking a generalist or someone who targets a specific need.

Reputation - It seems like nowadays everyone is becoming a coach and there may be a number of different reasons why. Make sure your coach is passionate about his/her work and has the reputation to back it up. Seek references from the coach's clients. Ask specific questions about style of coaching and outcomes achieved.

Chemistry - How do you and the coach interact during the interview process? Do you feel like you can trust this person? If you two mix like oil and water then it is probably not a good fit. Find someone you can connect with.

Interest - Who spends most of the time talking? Is it you or the coach? Reputation is important, but the coach should not spend forty-five minutes talking about himself. Does this person show a true interest in you? Do they ask lots of questions and can they listen. Coaching is not consulting. A good coach seeks to help you discover the answers you already possess.

Process - Every coach has a process. Some are more defined than others. How is this person going to generate a conversation with you? You are hiring this person to help you achieve results. Seek out a coach who has the tools needed to get you where you want to be.

Commitment - What is your commitment to the process? Is it just a couple of meetings or is it longer? How serious are you about changing? There are three commitments you have to define: Time, Money, and change. Any coaching relationship that works requires time. Are you going to have fieldwork to do? What is the amount of time you will have to spend outside of your coaching meetings to get the results you want? Money is also a consideration. Coaching fees can range from $50 an hour to thousands for a long term commitment. Which will provide the best results for your investment. Don't be surprised if it is not the cheapest one. Finally you will need to commit to change. This is harder than it sounds and is often the biggest challenge that most people face.

Be sharp. Do your research and find that person that best fits your needs. And if you still have questions, please feel free to give me a call.

Meet the Coach

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Daniel Paulson

CBC

Daniel Paulson is President/CEO of InVision Business Development and is a strategist, executive coach, writer, and public speaker. His certifications include: Certified Business Coach and Attribute Index Assessments. As a coach and strategist, Dan works internationally with CEO’s, Boards of Directors, and business professionals to develop the skills necessary to become world-class organizations that deliver on performance, profitability, and customer loyalty. He has written for Business Watch, several trade publications, and actively blogs about current events in business.

Dan also has a loyal following with his “Biz Bits” online monthly newsletter which is recognized for its short, to-the-point messages about success in business. He has participated in other collaborative book projects and intends to release his first solo project “Apples to Apples” in late 2009.

Dan’s company works with executives to get the profit out of their plan. He founded InVision Business Development in 2005 to help leaders address their challenges with people, planning and process. He recognized early in his professional career that strategic plans often fail due to poor communication and improper alignment to the Vision of the company. Taking his expertise in strategy and leadership development, Dan has helped many companies grow and prosper. He speaks nationally to groups on the subjects of strategy, leadership, sales and customer loyalty.

Active in community projects, Dan works with local chambers of commerce to help small businesses establish themselves. He is actively involved in DMI (Downtown Madison, Inc.) and has been on the advisory boards for Techskills and Madison Media Institute. He currently serves on the board of directors for With Wings and a Halo (www.withwingsandahalo.org), a not for profit dedicated to supplying books and backpacks to emergency workers to give to children affected by traumatic events.

You can contact and follow Dan directly at:

InVision Business Development

P.O. Box 45920

Madison, WI 53744

Phone: 608-235-5320

Fax: 608-935-2010

Web: www.invisionbusinessdevelopment.com

Blog: www.invisionbusinessdevelopment.com/blog/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/invisionu

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Dan-Paulson/1027446144

Twitter: www.twitter.com/Invision_brand