The circumstances we are likely to face present both a physical and mental challenge to our goals for the races. Even leading up to the race event I would say that I feel less prepared for racing the distances than I did last year through a combination of illness in November, general life busyness, and the closer proximity of Christmas (and Ukrainian home cooking) to the races than was the case last year. I would suggest that the experience of goal setting, preparation, expectations and beliefs is quite similar to anything else I could compare it to in my business and leadership world. I suspect that very many of you will relate to the similar experiences. In my personal experience - both as entrepreneur and as an executive coach - there are usually no shortage of expectations. What I have come to appreciate from the breadth of my experiences is that success in meeting or exceeding those expectations comes from more than just declaring a dream or vision. A number of supporting elements must be in place to deliver on one's own expectations.
First, expectations are important. Even more important, however, is the quality and specificity of those expectations. One of the most powerful tactics that I believe I have employed with myself and for my clients is to drive specificity, detail, targets and timelines in respect of this future state of affairs. In addition, I have tried to establish a multi-year perspective on where I would like to be along with an annual set of goals that become even more specific and detailed. This "visioning" exercise and template is updated at least annually and assessed for progress on at least a monthly basis. I use the same tool - as warranted - with my clients. Without exception, they have all indicated that this has been one of the most powerful tools in our work together. The key here is that none of us lack for dreams and expectations. What we too often lack is a level of detail that helps to hold us accountable to a specific set of actions and milestones.
Second - dreams, visions and accountability are all for nought if we are not prepared to take substantive preparation and action towards those stated goals. Again, it is absolutely not enough to declare a positive personal, leadership or organizational vision for the future without being prepared to put in the preparation, work and effort to succeed or to even have a chance at success. So within the context of the Dopey Challenge, the goals for finishing time for each race has been set and has then driven a training regimen that positions me for the opportunity of achieving my goals. As an aside, I also get a lot of value in comparing notes with other athletes, coaches and leaders on their goals - benchmarking if you will. Each of us must often seek some means to challenge our own limiting beliefs and assumptions about what is possible. So, I believe - both in business and athletics - that despite a perceived late start in both streams that I have the ability to continue to set personal bests.
Third, as last year's weather for the Dopey proved out and this year's weather threatens to provide a repeat performance, the best laid plans never proceed as developed. So aside from all of the preparation and effort that must go into any endeavor we must develop the mental fortitude and strength of commitment to our targeted goals. Accountability to self and to others comes from an ability to respond to adversity - both anticipated and completely unanticipated - to continue along a path that allows us to continue to succeed rather than give up at the first sign of difficulty. This is not simply a "rose-coloured glasses" mentality at work. It's not blind optimism. However, it is surely beyond a woe is me/victim mentality as well. I recognize that there are some events that can be so dramatic as to be beyond our control in pursuit of our goals (e.g., complete cancellation of a race). This is where power, strength and detail of goals, expectations and visions becomes critically important. If the vision is powerful enough I am convinced we will find a way forward even if that means changing tactics and timing to get there. We remain committed to success despite setbacks.Finally, there are definitely going to be times when we fall short in terms of our commitment and effort, where we don't follow through in terms of stated strategies or tactics. As I have often said, this becomes the time to use our plan as a tool to reevaluate - not punish. In my estimation the former approach leads to an opportunity to reset and recommit (e.g., change race strategy, change business strategy) to a preferred set of goals. The latter approach of chastisement too often leads to despair, victimization and demotivation (e.g., I'm not hitting my race times in practice so I eat a bag of chips to console myself).
And remember - every year, the vision can get updated, new goals set, new improvement targets set. After this week's Dopey Challenge I move on to preparing for the Berlin Marathon in September 2018. After the end of this fiscal year in my business, I reset the goals and strategies to pursue the next level of performance. The power of expectations, goals, committed preparation and constant evaluation lead to greater levels of possibility.
What can you say about your expectations and commitment? What is possible for you. As Henry Ford is purported to have said, whether you believe you can or believe you can't you are right.
It's all about leadership and in this case its leadership for and about yourself. The pot of gold awaits those prepared to truly set the goals, make the effort and recommit through challenges.
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Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCCExecutive Coach/Consultant
BreakPoint Solutions
gregh@breakpoint.solutions
780-250-2543
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.
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