What's Your Style?

Style is an interesting word. It's one of those words that will take on different meaning depending on how the word is used. It can be a manner of doing something, a distinctive appearance or design, elegance and sophistication or a rodlike object or part. In this case, the reference is to the manner of doing something, but doing what?

Every manager has a style of leading/managing, communicating, goal setting, time-management and etc. Indeed, every person prefers different styles of working and accomplishing tasks. Today, the focus is on 'goals'. Here are some tips for a style of setting, working and reflecting on personal/business goals.

Prepare

Goals need to be tied directly to your personal values and dreams and not to those of others. It takes some thought and planning to make certain the goals being set are personally right. This planning step can help you to avoid struggles redesigning the goals later. The idea is to put considerable effort behind designing your goals right from the start.

Be SMART

Not a new concept, but to be SMART in goal setting means to make your goals Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timed. Spend time visualizing the positive impact of achieving the goals being set. This can help to encourage you through the process of designing the goals. Also, reflect on past failures and apply what you've learned to the new goals being set.

Motivate

Remaining motivated as you do the heavy lifting of working to achieve the goals that have been set can cause loss of motivation. Look for low hanging fruit (i.e. quick wins) to keep motivation high. Easy wins will boost enthusiasm. Build goals into To-Do lists and action plans so that you're actively working on the goals every day. Be willing to redesign a goal if you're feeling demotivated. Ask for support from friends or coworkers. Remember, this is all about change and change can be challenging. Look for resources and give yourself every opportunity to succeed.

Achieve

As you near the fulfillment of your goal, be certain to plan a celebration that's right for you. Recognize your personal achievement and reflect on the process. How you found success can be important to the next goal begin set. Think about each step, what went wrong, what was difficult and build your experience into future goal setting.

Big Tip

The goals you set should inspire you to do the work necessary to achieve the goal. Your goals should excite and maybe even scare you a little. When working through the process of setting your goals, identify feelings of excitement and even fear to help you know you're on the right track!

I hope this is helpful and inspires you to set some goals for yourself. Whether setting personal career or life goals, the process is the same. Take some time and start the work to get you to your next celebration. Have a great week and until next time, keep it cheerful!