It's at this time of year that many of us set new goals or, just as likely, resurrect old goals for the year ahead. Unfortunately the success rate of these resolutions or sustaining the motivation or effort to have success is alarmingly low for most of us. So what might make 2016 any different than previous years? What does it take to
be successful then? A quick and not unbiased view would be to engage an external, unbiased and objective support in the form
of a coach, mentor or similar sounding board. I will reinforce that
perspective again but put it within the context of a broader set of
tools and techniques that can help you be the better leader you want to
be.
Fundamentally, I believe that to be successful you
need to treat your leadership development plan or resolutions no
different than you would any major project or change management
initiative. Any successful organizational initiative adheres to a
certain core set of steps to move from vision to successful conclusion.
Success in reaching your leadership development goals can be achieved
from taking a page or two from this experience.
First,
how have you arrived at your particular conclusions that the leadership
goals that you have set for yourself in the coming year are in fact the
correct or best ones? What process or assessment have you utilized to
evaluate your leadership success and opportunities for growth on a
go-forward basis? How objective and comprehensive has this evaluation
been? As with any large-scale organizational initiative, it is to be
hoped and expected that the plans for the coming year have been based on
some concrete evidence that the efforts planned are the best use of
your available resources. Just as with an organization-wide effort,
your time and money are limited resources and you want to leverage them
to best effect.
Second, how compelling are your
leadership development goals? How compelling is your vision for
change? Without having a compelling vision for your personal
development, for how you want to be different as a leader, you are
unlikely to make the kind of commitment it will take to succeed. This
of course presumes that your goals are a bit more ambitious than merely
getting into work 30 minutes earlier than past practice. If you are
setting ambitious or stretch goals for yourself what are you prepared to
sacrifice to be successful? What kind of personal change are prepared
to endure to take your leadership to the next level? If your leadership
vision is not compelling enough you are likely to falter upon hitting
that first significant barrier.
Next you need to
document your plan of attack, break down your goals into smaller
objectives, set milestones, and start working the plan. You have to
move from evaluation and vision to action. Like any good strategic or
project plan, you have to move your personal leadership plan out of your
head and off the shelf to be of any true value. It's at this point
that you move from the grand vision to SMART statements - Specific,
Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-limited. This can be a
challenging piece of personal work and perhaps more so in the realm of
leadership behaviors and skills. This is why I also caution leaders not
to get caught up in trying to create the perfect plan before they take
action. This is tantamount to paralysis by analysis. Your plan should
continue to evolve and be flexible enough to respond to changing
circumstances while keeping your grand vision in mind.
In
this plan key milestones, short-term objectives and evaluation measures
must also be identified and adhered to. It is for this reason that a
well-developed written plan as identified above should be created AND POSTED IN YOUR LINE OF SIGHT
to review on a regular basis. Again, like any organizational plan,
what gets measured/evaluated gets managed. You need to provide yourself
with dedicated time on a periodic basis to check in with your plan.
What goals or objectives need to be adjusted based on circumstances?
What additional effort or compensating strategies do you need to put in
place to continue on track with hitting your targets? Without setting
aside dedicated time to do this you will find yourself off track - and
demoralized - in no time.
Put in place the necessary
supports to ensure your success. Too often individuals (and
organizations) fail to leverage all the potential resources they have at
their disposal to ensure the success of their development effort. We
often - and mistakenly - assume that achieving our personal goals is
merely or solely an act of will. Conversely, we then often identify
failure in achieving our goals as a reflection on our personal strength
or character. In reality, what we have failed to do is to take all the
necessary steps to ensure success. As noted above, one of they key
supports you can put in place for yourself is a written plan. The very
act of committing your goals and strategies to paper increases your
chances of success. Sharing your plan with others - publicly declaring
your intentions - further cements your commitments to yourself and may
enlist others in supporting your efforts.
At any and
all points in this process you may choose to get the support of a
confidential, objective resource like an executive coach, peer advisory
group or similar individuals or entities. Such a resource can help you
objectively evaluate your leadership development opportunities, support
development of a robust plan, and help hold you accountable to your
plan.
Finally,
make sure you build in the ability and opportunity to celebrate your
achievements along the way. This is where establishing a series of
incremental steps towards your ultimate goal becomes an essential
element of your leadership development plan. You can't eat the elephant
whole! Make sure that you can experience success one small step at a
time. Otherwise you can be daunted by the enormity of the task you have
set for yourself or be discouraged if you are unable to see tangible
results for the efforts or sacrifices you are making. Don't be shy
about rewarding yourself in some tangible way.
Treat the
achievement of your leadership goals as you would any other large scale
project. Give it the same care and attention. You are worthy of the
effort and you will benefit yourself and those you work with as a
result.
______________________________
Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca
Helping
leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve
their potential through the application of my leadership experience and
coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.
Excellent read! The examples you provided really helped to illustrate your points.
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