It’s the end of another month and time to take stock of major achievements made during the month, as well as do some planning for the month ahead.
What were the team’s major achievements this month?
What was our key learning this month?
What team practices supported learning and performance?
What practices got in the way?
Where did we get off track?
What helped keep our focus?
What are our key goals this month?
What areas need laser focus?
When are we checking in around goals and accountabilities?
What will help us be successful?
​Have a great last day of May!
I get asked to speak regularly on topics related to goal setting, time management and personal productivity. Recently at a session I was giving to an organization a great question came up about good apps you can use to support you with goal setting and also time management.
Michael Hyatt's 7 Apps to Help you Achieve Your Goals and Build New Habits - Read his post here.
Lisa Evan's post on Entrepreneur on 6 Apps that Help you Stick to Your Goals - Read it here.
Tech Co's article - 7 Best Goal Setting Apps. Read it here.
​If you use a goal setting or tracking app, let us know what you use.
Today's quote continues along our current focus on the Foundations of Goals.
Making and keeping goals visible through post-it notes, reminders on screens, white boards etc. is a key part to goal success for many, especially if you have a preference for visual learning, which approximately 60 percent of North American adults have.
Keeping goals visible helps to focus action by reminding us of the most important things we are working on.
How are you keeping your most important goals visible right now? Where do they need more visibility?
Today's Team Building Tip is an encouragement for you and the team to consider the question: Where do you need to slow down in order to speed up?
In today's wired world, where many of us are constantly on, we often shirk time spent planing and in a slower mode. In my former work as a Program Manager and Director, these moments of slowing down and planning and strategizing were critical to success with programming that impacted communities and nations.
This week consider your most important goals (see yesterday's post on Execution) and consider where you need to slow down in order to speed up.
This week we are taking a look at the Foundations of Goal Setting and Action. Today's post takes a look at Execution or Getting It DONE!
Key to goal success is implementation. As we see year after year with personal goals being set through new years resolutions, if we don't execute on goals we won't succeed. Part of goals success also involves making sure we have adequate resources to get things done, and the proper support system. Having a framework of accountability where we have to check in with others also supports goal success.
1. What is your most important goal this quarter?
2. What's working in terms of moving the needle on this?
3. What's getting the in the way? What can you /do you need to do about this?
4. What time have you allocated for the key tasks?
5. What support could you benefit from?
6. Who are you accountable to around this goal? When did you last check in with them? What do you need from them?
7. What else will it take to be successful around this goal?
"Today we are at G in the Leadership a-z. A central focus of coaching conversations, whether working with individuals, teams or groups, is on goal-setting.
S- Specific: What exactly are you going to achieve? What are you aiming for?
M - Measurable: How can you measure your progress towards this goal? This might be a specific number, percentage or other.
A - Achievable: Is the goal achievable, with a stretch? What do you need to make sure you achieve it?
R - Realistic : It is realistic with the resoruces you have?
T- Timebound: What is the timeframe on these goals?
In my book, Effective Group Coaching, I add an E on the end, to stand for Exciting. If our goals are not exciting to us, what happens? The chances of them being fulfilled goes down.
1. What is the status of your current goals professionally?
2. How do they connect with your team or departmental goals?
3. What might get in the way of goal completion during 2013? What do you need to achieve them? What changes might be needed to the original goal?
4. As you look towards next year, what are some possible goals for your work?
5. What goal framework with work best for you?
6. What will support you in keeping your goals in mind?"
This week we turn our attention to the Foundations of Goals. Following on to last weeks focus on feedback, goals are critical for performance in organizations – for individuals and teams. If our goals are not clear, it is hard to provide feedback of quality and relevance.
Over the next two weeks we’ll be looking at goals, and accountability, throughout our various posts. As we get started, today’s post gets you thinking about goals and goal setting.
How are the goals being set SMART? (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound?
What goals are important in the short term? Medium term? Long term?
Who else needs to be involved in the goal setting?
Who needs to have goals communicated to?
Where do goals intersect? Do team members know how their goal success ties into another’s success?
How often do we revisit, or check in, with goals?