What’s Your Why?

In goal setting, “your why,” refers to the relevance that the particular goal has in your life. Relevance is the R, in the SMART Goals method of goal setting. This part of setting a goal for yourself is crucial because it’s about ensuring that the goal is important to you. There’s little point in putting time and effort into a goal that truly doesn’t matter to you. Goals should drive us forward towards something significant. Relevance of the goal you are setting should also align well with your other life plans. Decide the relevance of a goal by answering a few questions pertaining to the goal and your current life. Questions like:

 

• Does this goal seem worthwhile? 
• Is the tradeoff of time and effort worth the result?
• Does it align well with my other efforts and goals? 
• Are other aspects of your life driving forward in the same direction?
• Is this the right time for this goal? 
• Does this goal fit in with your personal goals? 
• Does it make sense financially?
• Am I the right person for this goal? 
• Is this goal attainable? 
• Do I have the skills and ability for success in the goal?

 

Coming up with answers to these questions will help you determine the goal’s relevance in your life. Some of these questions are not necessarily straightforward, black and white. You will need to dig deep to answer some of these questions to find the real “why” of your desired goal, to know if it’s relevant enough to move forward.

 

An example of a goal relevant to one’s life might be for someone whose goal is to be promoted in their field, to take available online courses, to gain knowledge and experience of their desired position. This plan is worthwhile because it provides professional experience. They offer the courses online, so you can take them at a time convenient for the subject. Online courses are affordable, so most likely they will make financial sense. The online courses will ultimately propel the subject forward, toward an even bigger goal, the eventual promotion. 

 

Relevance of a goal is an important part of goal setting. Deciding if a goal is relevant helps you match your goals to the rest of your life, helps you know if the goal matters to you, and if the time is the right time to achieve the goal. Sometimes, one must truly examine themselves and their life to determine relevance of a desired goal.

Why Reaching For The Stars May Be A Bad Idea

The A, in SMART Goals, represents attainable. When setting goals, be sure to choose a goal that is attainable - your goals should be within reasonable reach for you. Although the goals you set should stretch you out of your comfort zone and excite you, your goals should remain within reach. If a goal is impossible to achieve your efforts are futile. It becomes unproductive to put your time and energy toward a goal that will never come to fruition. You will end up losing motivation and feel like giving up if you aren’t able to succeed or celebrate your milestones along the way. Instead, be sure to set a goal that you can accomplish, this way you will keep focus and motivation, and have a chance of greater success. Along with your goal being unattainable, be sure that when you draft your goal, it’s written in a way that allows you responsibility for your goal. You should state your goals in a way that gives you control over the outcome. No one other than you should be the subject of your goal.
 
You should state attainable goals with success in mind. For example, let’s say you feel that you would benefit professionally from reading more books that pertain to your business. So, your goal might be, “I will read a business-related book every night before bed for 20 minutes, with my goal to be to read one business book per month, for 6 months.” This goal is attainable because what you’re asking of yourself is reasonable and achievable. The goal also only involves one person, you, who follows through to ensure success. 

Another way to assist attainable goals in being successful is through setting milestone goals. Milestone goals are small goals that you can set along the pathway to your goal. For example, in the instance above, a milestone goal could be to check in with yourself once a week. Checking in on your own accountability is a great way to stay on track. If you have followed through with your goal for the week, in this case, read your business book for 20 minutes every evening, you will know you are making progress toward your goal. As we already know, tracking or measuring your progress helps secure a greater success rate for your goal. Keep your goals challenging yet attainable and you will be on your way to being successful with your goals.

How Are You Going To Measure Progress

Measuring your progress for the goals you've set is the second part of the SMART Goals method. After all, you won’t know if you're making progress or gaining on your goal without a way to measure it. When progress is measurable, you can track how far you’ve come, keep focused and stay motivated by celebrating the small milestones you complete along the way. In order to facilitate assessing your progress, you’ll need a set of criteria for measurement of progress. 

 

Similar to the Specific step used in SMART Goals, you will need to answer a few questions regarding your goal as a criterion for measuring progress data:

 

• How many?
• How much?
• What is the indicator of progress?

 

How many or how much refers to progress as an indicator of what success for your specific goal looks like. The indicator of progress signifies the way in which you decide to track the progress you have made. This varies significantly depending on the goal. If it’s a business goal, maybe the indicator of progress is gross sales. Or it might be the number of pounds lost per week, if your goal is to get to a healthier weight. Tracking how far you’ve come within the goal is important because it will keep you focused on your ultimate goal. Motivation will be gained by ability to celebrate the milestones of the progress you have along the way. 

 

Using the same goal as above, to lose 10 pounds by exercising more. More specifically stated, “I will go to the gym to work out for 45 minutes every day weekday morning before work, in order to lose 2 pounds per week.” Now not only is the goal specific and clearly stated, we have added the quantity of measurement for the goal, 2 pounds per week. In this case the indicator of measurement would be the scale. In the arena of business, an example might be, if the goal is, “I will build brand awareness through social media, to increase gross profits by 20% per month.” The quantity of measurement and the indictor is the profit increase in comparison to previous months.

 

Putting the SMART Goals method to use has proven to produce a higher success rate for goal achievement. Measuring your goals is an important part of this process. When you track your progress, you will have the ability to stay more motivated towards your goal and keep a stronger focus.

How To Make Your Goals Specific

Specificity is crucial as it relates to mapping out the goals you set for yourself. Overly generalized goals will produce a lack of direction and ability to focus on what’s important. Goals that are too vague will end up setting you up for failure. For example, let’s say you want to drink more water per day. “I will drink more water every day,” is far too general. Lack of specificity will enable you to make excuses. The wording doesn’t hold you accountable; it is not enough of a detailed plan to follow through with. Instead, clarify the specifics. Answering some questions about your goal will pinpoint your intention and narrow down the specifics. You must answer what’s known as the “5 W’s” of basic information gathering; Who? What? When? Where? Why? Answering these five questions will help you develop specific clarity and motivation towards your goal. 

 

Answer these five questions to draft your goal:

 

• Who will this goal involve? 
• What exactly do I want to accomplish?
• When do I want to accomplish this goal?
• Where will you achieve this goal?
• Why is this goal important to me?

 

After filling in the blanks to the five information gathering questions, your goal will look something like this: “I will drink 8 glasses of water every day - 2 glasses of water in the morning before breakfast, two glasses with lunch, two glasses after the gym and two glasses before bed to become healthier. This goal is specific and direct. It explicitly states what your expectations are for yourself and enables accountability.

 

Another example of a goal without detail and focus is “I will exercise more.” This goal is positive and relevant; however, it lacks specificity, and therefore it becomes a setup for failure. Answering the 5 w’s will provide the specifics you need to set meaningful, constructive goals that will give a higher rate of success in achievement. After answering these questions, you will end up drafting a goal that sounds more like this, “I will exercise at the gym for 45 minutes, every weekday morning, before I go to work.” This statement is a detailed plan for what, where, how and when you intend to follow through with your plan. Its details will ensure a higher goal success rate than that of the first, vaguer statement.

 

S stands for specific, in the acronym, SMART goals. Drafting specific goals is the first step in coming up with goals that stick and are successful.

Why You Need To Set SMART Goals

We can define goals as objects of a person’s ambition or an aim at a desired result. Most of us have some goals set out for ourselves to improve our lives. We can relate your goals to personal or professional progress. Either way, without goals, there’s not much room for advancement and without the challenge of reaching a goal you’ve set for yourself, life would be stagnant.  But the process in which we set goals for ourselves matters. Although, you are responsible for whether you follow through with the goals you’ve set for yourself, how you set them has a hand in determining how successful you’ll be in achieving them. 

 

The term SMART Goals refers to a process in which you set your goals that will give you greater success. SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time Bound. The SMART goals method will help you with your organization, focus, and clarity with your goals. Research has shown that using the SMART goals method can save you time and simplify reaching your goals. SMART goals are easy to implement and can be used by anyone with the desire to improve their life by setting and achieving goals.

 

The SMART Goals method of goal setting works because it lays each step out for you. 

 

The S stands for specific, meaning the goal needs to be clear and specific. When setting a goal for yourself, you must steer away from generalized statements. The more precise the goal is the better. 

 

M is for measurable. Measurable goals refer to tracking your progress. Your goal will be easier met if you can assess progress along the way, giving you more motivation and focus toward your ultimate ambition. 

 

Next, A. The A is for attainable. Although your goals should help stretch you outside of your comfort zone and push you to the next level, it’s important that the goals you set remain achievable. 

 

R, relevant goals are imperative to your success. This means that the goals you set should be important to you and aligns well with your life and other goals you have set. 

 

Finally, T, for time bound. Your goals should have a deadline to achieve them. This will help keep you on track and focused, and give you opportunities to celebrate your small wins along the way. By implementing the SMART Goals system, you will gain the ability to achieve your goals, faster and with a higher success rate.

Day Seven: Lift Up Leaders and Help Them Grow

 

Being a mentor is a wonderful thing. Helping lift up-and-coming leaders up and help them grow through a mentorship relationship helps the mentor and the mentee. Outside of mentorship, leaders can help one another out too. Your colleagues need your support to help them thrive and grow…. because leadership isn’t for the weak. 

 

Everyone faces tough times- Businesses close, projects fall apart, new launches are delayed, and things at home can impact everything else. Leaders need other leaders to help. No one understands the struggles that leaders face better than other leaders. It’s important to lift leaders up and help them grow in the process. 

 

Be there when your colleagues need you

 

Leadership is its own club. People who lead need other people who lead to be there when times are hard…whether they ask or not. If you see someone in the leadership community struggle, get in there and offer your support. Reaching out and letting someone know you care can make all the difference in how well they cope during a tough time. 

 

Note- leaders aren’t just work folk. A struggling mother or father is a leader. If you see someone who needs support, reach out and help lift them up. 

 

Celebrate when your colleagues win 

 

It’s natural to feel a tinge of jealousy when your “competition” gets a win. Great leaders celebrate big wins whether they’re for the competition or their friends. Your genuine enthusiasm for other people’s success will only make yours stronger. There’s no limit to the amount of success available to you and those you are in leadership with. Get excited about their successes and genuinely congratulate and celebrate with them. 

 

Step in when your colleagues fall down

 

Sometimes people take a fall. An illness, injury, or even a scandal can set someone in leadership back. Be willing and able to step in when your colleagues fall. Offer to take some of their workload, offer to assist them in practical ways, or take the initiative and lead for them in their absence. You’re a leader and there’s no better time to lead than when your fellow colleague can’t. 

 

Being in leadership is a sisterhood and brotherhood unlike any other. There’s a comradery between leaders who have worked hard to encourage, mentor, and motivate their teams. They need the same encouragement themselves. Leaders lean on leaders who understand and have the unique abilities to support them and help them grow too.  

Day Six: 3 Tips for Growing as a Leader

 

Your promotion to leadership isn’t the end of the line…You’ve only just begun the leadership journey. Becoming a leader qualifies you to lead others, but your skills will grow over time making you more and more effective. Growing as a leader should always be the goal whether you’ve just begun or you’ve been leading for years. 

 

The best leaders have things in common. They are generally:

 

• Confident
• Considerate
• Consistent 

 

Being confident, considerate, and consistent are not static things. They change all the time. Being confident wanes from time to time when life throws curve balls. Being kind and considerate of others can be a challenge when you’re overly stressed or worried. Consistency gets jeopardized when life is overwhelming or underwhelming. That’s why great leaders are always working on these areas of their lives. 

 

Here are some practical ways to keep growing as a leader in the areas of confidence, consideration, and consistency.

 

Confidence. Pay attention to what gets you down. We all have the triggers that affect our confidence. It’s possible to be highly confident in one area of life and completely wrecked in another. Pay attention to what gets you down at certain points of life. Your confidence might need to be bolstered here and there, even when you’re leading. Life’s circumstances can trigger areas where you don’t feel strong. Seek to find solutions when you feel your confidence get weak and you’ll be able to overcome your insecurities and become a more effective leader in the process. 

 

Consideration. Pay attention when you feel foul. When life’s firing on all cylinders it’s easy to be kind and considerate. People respect leaders who are fair and decent. They resist leaders who are harsh, unrealistic, and mean. Your off-duty life could be affecting your on-duty leadership. If you’re going through a tough time, it’s a great time to stretch and grow and learn new stress management techniques or how to overcome overwhelm. Whether you are leading your family, a community project or a team at work, being considerate is a primary character trait of successful leadership. 

 

Consistency. Pay attention when you are erratic. One of the key characteristics of great leadership is dependability and consistency. That how you show up is the same today, tomorrow, and down the line. The surest thing to breach trust with others is to be erratic. When it comes to leadership, consistency is key. If you find that you are going through a season where you’re dropping the ball or you are acting in unpredictable ways, it’s a great time to grow as a leader and learn how to manage yourself and get back on track. 

 

Leadership is not a destination, it’s a journey. Being an effective leader includes the commitment to grow. The issues you face today, won’t be the same tomorrow. The people you lead on and off duty will cause you to need new skills. Keep focused on your confidence, consideration, and consistency so you can grow and maintain high-quality leadership skills. 

Day Five: Mentoring Others Makes You a Better Leader

 

If you’re in a leadership role, you didn’t get there on your own. Someone at some point poured into you and helped shape you into the person you are! Having a mentor can make all the difference when it comes to being an effective leader. Being a mentor helps pay forward the help you’ve been given and the lifetime of knowledge you’ve accumulated. 

 

Mentoring others makes you a better leader because it helps you 

 

• Teach a wider range of skills
• Motivate new leaders
• Keeps you grounded 

 

Mentoring teaches more than the obvious. Mentoring an up-and-coming leader requires more than basic skills. Mentoring someone to do a task in and of itself is a great thing to do. Passing on traditions and skills has been a form of teaching for generations. Mentoring someone in leadership surpasses practical skills and includes esoteric skills that go beyond the technical aspects of a trade. Mentoring leaders teaches the psychological and inter-personal skills that make great leaders. 

 

Mentoring motives new leaders. Part of the role of leadership is motivating others. Getting them excited about the possibilities and feeling confident about what they can accomplish. Mentoring new leaders is the epitome of motivating. Sure, you’ll have to cover the challenges of leadership- which are many, but overall you can help motivate a new leader to be their best. This in turn, motivates you and helps remind you of the benefits of being a leader as well. 

 

Mentoring keeps you grounded too. Being in leadership should be humbling. Serving others is what leadership is all about. Being a leader has perks and advantages, but it also has tough realities those who aren’t in leadership don’t have to face. Mentoring others keeps you grounded and reminds you that leadership is an important responsibility and that the well-being of those you lead is in a leader’s hands. 

 

Mentoring is a wonderful way to sharpen your leadership skills and transform you as a leader. Teaching up-and-coming leaders, the nuances of their roles can help them become better leaders in a shorter amount of time. Remember those who taught you along the way and be sure to pay it forward to the people you are fortunate enough to impact. Your teaching time can be learning time for you too because your mentee will surely have something new to teach you as well. Celebrate your mentees and help them achieve their best by mentoring them and pouring into their futures. 

Day Four: Serve Others - Even When You’re the Leader

 

Most leaders started out as followers. Leadership comes from mastery of a concept or idea and inspiring and motivating others to achieve a common goal. Good leaders have spent significant time in the trenches and never stop, even after they’re promoted. 

 

Being a leader means more than being the boss. It requires a willingness to take on more responsibilities than the team and to be willing to work just as hard, if not harder. Sadly, leadership can get a bad name. The imagery of someone sitting at a desk with their feet up while others do the work that they claim for themselves leaves a bad taste in your mouth. The idea is that leaders have paid their dues and don’t have to work hard anymore. Sadly, this is a way that leadership gets a bad name. In addition, some leaders lose touch with what it takes to be on the front lines and diminish or discount the hard work of the people they lead. In both cases, this can cause a rift between leaders and teammates. 

 

The best leaders have a heart for service and never stop. No matter how high their leadership title, great leaders serve others and seek to better understand the needs of the people they are leading. Here are some easy ways to continue to serve, even when you’re the leader.

 

• Don’t be afraid to do the work too
• Seek to determine what others need
• Ask more questions

 

Delegate, but be sure to do the work too- The best leaders make time to get alongside the people they serve and do the work too. Delegating is an important function of leadership. You can’t lead if you are doing all the work but it’s important to keep morale high and keep your skills polished too. You can do both by working alongside the people you lead and showing them there’s nothing you aren’t too important to do. 

 

Find out what people need to make things easier. The people you lead have a lot on their plate. They have on and off duty lives too. Keeping your finger on the pulse of what they need offers opportunities for you to serve them and build their trust and respect for you. Great leaders know when their teams need something to make their work easier or to offset troubles they have off the clock. Stay in touch and in tune with your teams and you’ll transform your leadership skills exponentially. 

 

Always ask questions. Leaders have to hand down a lot of policies and procedures that their teams have to follow. Whether it’s your family or people you lead for work, asking them questions and getting their input can help everyone feel heard and valued. Sometimes someone you lead might have an idea or a process that is better than the one you came up with. Great leaders include their wealth of resources in their leadership. This includes asking questions of the people they lead. 

 

Serving others, even when you’re the leader, is vital. There’s no title too high that excludes someone from service. There are many ways to lead and many ways to serve and the two always go hand in hand. 

Day Three: Treating Others Well is the Sign of Great Leadership

“The people with the greatest love, not the most information, will influence us to change.”- Bob Goff

 

Bob Goff is the New York Times best-selling author of the book Love Does. His quote reminds us that it isn’t what you know that matters as much as how you behave. You may have all the knowledge in the world on important subjects which will make you an expert, but if you don’t have the social skills to lead others with love, you won’t be very effective. 

 

Goff shared a story in a blog post about Galileo, a scientist who used a telescope to determine that the Earth and the other planets rotated around the sun. At the time, this went against the standard beliefs in science and caused Galileo to be arrested and jailed. What Galileo discovered was truth, but his truth threatened those in leadership and instead of listening, they reacted defensively.

 

As leaders, it’s important to realize that information changes and what we think we know might be proven ineffective or wrong at some point down the line. As a leader, how you treat others is more important than what you know. Here are some keys concepts to keep in mind- 

 

Being challenged doesn’t require defensiveness. Some leaders feel that their authority should not be challenged. It’s true that a leadership role holds an expectation of authority and in most cases deserves respect; however, respect is best when it is earned. If your authority is being challenged, hold your peace and your maturity and determine if the challenge is worthy. If so, embrace the challenge and work together to seek a solution or remedy or embrace the new information with gratitude. 

 

Seek to inspire not command. Leadership should inspire others to want to take action on behalf of the leader or the common goal the leader represents. How you treat others will determine how willing they are to serve the cause. Great leaders inspire people to go beyond what they might do on their own. By serving as an example, doing the work alongside others, and being the hardest working member of the group, leaders can encourage others to give their best as well. 

Surround yourself with people smarter than you are. Great leaders know that life’s an ever-evolving thing and it requires life-long learning. No one person can know everything in all areas. Strong leaders surround themselves with people smarter than they are in certain areas and empower them and support them to shine. They aren’t threatened by someone else’s knowledge or the fact they don’t know everything. True leadership includes the humility of being less knowledgeable and making no apologies. 

 

What you know isn’t as important as how you operate. Being a great leader includes knowing your stuff, but more importantly it includes being kind, compassionate, and treating those you lead with dignity and respect.