SMARTER Goal Setting

Many of us are planning for our 2014 goals as we are now at the end of 2013. In order for our goals to stand a chance of being fulfilled by the same time next year, maybe it is a good idea to test them against these characteristics, using SMARTER as the acronym;

1. Is the dream Specific? Losing weight is a fuzzy goal. Losing 2 kg is specific.
2. Is the dream Measurable? As they say 'We can only achieve things (and goals) that we can measure'. Losing 2 kg is measurable.
3. Is the dream Actionable? Losing 2 kg is actionable compared to losing say 20 kg.
4. Is the dream Realistic? Losing 2 kg of weight is more realistic than losing 20 kg as per explanation above.
5. Do you allocate a Timeline to achieve it? Goals without timeline is nothing more than make believe.
6. Do you have Emotional reasons attach to the goals? Humans make decisions mostly on emotions, not only logic. Losing 2 kg because you want to be healthier so that you will have longer quality time with your family is a strong emotional reason.
7. What Routine do you plan to achieve your goals? To lose 2 kg may require you to pay a visit to your local gym 3 times a week.

Using SMARTER as a check list helps you to design a better goal for 2014  and increases the chances for you to achieve it by year end.

All the best in formulating your 2014 goals and may all of them will come true by this time next year.      

Swiss Cheese Method for Lasting Change.

When it comes to change, one of the greatest challenges is to maintain the momentum of change. Often after a while, most planned change die a natural death due to lack of commitment, poor follow up and haphazard implementation.

As now is almost the end of 2013, let us look back at some of our goals that we want to achieve this year. Are we anyway getting near to them let alone achieving them? A good example to observe is the parking space available at health clubs or gyms. Normally, it is difficult to find a parking space a few weeks in January. However, the opposite is true from February onward. We can park anywhere we want. This is a good example of starting with a bang and later on die in silent.

What is the secret to lasting change? Maybe the 'Swiss cheese' approach can offer us the solution. I used this method years ago to make a lasting change ie inculcate the habit of reading which is very important in my line of work.

The method is simple. Like the small holes in Swiss cheese, what we do is to perform a small portion of a particular task or allocate a short period of time to do something that we want to make permanent in our life.

In my case, I allocate 20 minutes (at first) everyday (other than weekend) to do my reading. After a few weeks, this 20-minute reading task  became a routine like eating and taking a bath that I feel 'incomplete' without performing it. Slowly but surely, it became my habit until this day.

So, what is the habit or change that you want to implement in 2014? Regular workout in a gym? Helping your kids with their homework? Or maybe be becoming a regular reader? Use the Swiss cheese method to built your new habit to make that lasting change. I assure you that in Dec 2014, you will look back and feel thankful that you make small but consistent change that lasts.        

Re-framing Technique To Manage Emotions

The late Stephen R. Covey in his book '7 Habits of Highly Effective People' stated that 'between stimulus and response there is a gap'. This implies that we have choices when it comes to the changes that we experience in the environment.

Some of the changes in the environment requires us to express emotional responses. As we have experienced many times in our lives, emotional responses can be positive or negative. Negatives emotions such as rage, anger, envy and others in the long run hamper our growth, destroy relationships and cause us to be less productive.

The opposite is true for positive emotions such as being happy, energized and motivated can propel us to greater heights. We experience more fulfilling life, are more productive and have rewarding relationship with others.

One of the technique to manage our emotions thus making us be more in control is Re-framing. What is re-framing? It is basically giving new meaning or interpretation for a negative event or experience that switch our emotions from negative to positive.

For example, if a car suddenly overtake us in a dangerous manner causing us to slam the brake, our natural and spontaneous response is to be angry and start cursing the driver. The worst part happens if we 'carry' the anger and vent it to our colleagues and family members long after the incident has happened.

Harnessing the power of choice, we can now re-frame the experience by saying to ourselves that maybe the driver is having an emergency and is on the way to the hospital. Thus, we have switched our emotions from being angry to that of a calmer state. We may even sympathize with the driver.

The good thing about this technique is that we can  use it in any circumstances and it can be done instantaneously in seconds. So the next time you experience something negative or unpleasant, remember that you have a choice on how to response in a more positive manner using the re-framing technique. Start practicing it today.      

Technique To Give Effective Feedback

Giving feedback is an important task for many executives and managers. Poor feedback causes subordinates to be unclear of the improvements they need to do, creates misunderstanding and can lead to poor job performance.

Good feedback needs to be done in a clear and well-structured manner. Using the acronym OILS, below are the steps that we can use to give well-structured feedback to our team members.

Observation. After stating the purpose of the meeting, we can start by giving our observation of the overall performance of our team members. Be specific and accurate as possible. For example, we can say, "Last week, I noticed that you were 1 hour late for work on Monday, Thursday and Friday" rather than just saying "Last week you were late for work".

Impact. The next step is to inform our team members of the impact or consequence of the observed behaviour. In the example above, we can continue by saying, "When you were late, I had to ask Mary to cover for you and this is not fair to her as she has her own job to do".

Listen. Next is to give the opportunity for our team members to explain the reasons behind the incident or scenario. At this stage, we listen actively for their explanation. If needed, we can ask open-ended questions to better understand the situation.

Suggestion. The last step is to offer suggestion on how to solve the situation or problem. To create a sense of ownership, we can first ask our team members for their suggestion to improve the situation and if needed, we offer our own suggestion.    

What To do When Feeling Down

I am sure you have experienced these before; tiredness, lethargic, unmotivated and unfocused. These are signs that you need to do something to get back on track. Like the wheel, life has its up and down.

However, if the wheel is mostly down all the time, then something needs to be done to put the wheel (your life back in order). Below are some of the tips to get you back on track and feel motivated again;

1. Write the gratitude list. The next time you feel down, take a pen and paper and spend 3 minutes to write 10 things that you are thankful (to God) for in your life. Be specific. If you want more impact, email it to yourself. I can assure you that you will feel better when you read your own email early the next day.

2. Allocate your Power Hour. Power Hour is the time, say 30 minutes to an hour that you spend with yourself, away from your spouse, children, friends and gadgets. Do something that you love during this Power Hour. Personally, I use this time to read Scriptures and motivational books, pray and meditate. Other activities include exercising, engrossed in your own hobbies and others.

3. Take a break. Go for that long deserved holiday, go on a short getaway with your spouse, catch a movie or spend a day in your local library. Go deep sea fishing with your friends and forget about work for a day or two.

4. Surround yourself with positive people. We are like the 5 people we mix the most with. Choose to stay around positive people. These are those that look at life in an optimistic way, embrace challenges and like to uplift one another. They use positive language and seldom talk bad things about other people.

5. Feed your mind with positive messages. Read positive books. Go and watch uplifting movies, play and dramas. Buy motivational cds and listen to them in the car, your office or home. Do not let a little bit of negativity enter your mind.  

Balanced Life

One of the most pressing issues most working adults face today is having a balanced life. Balanced life means a person experiences fulfillment in all aspect of his life be they work, play, love and others.

One of the best ways to know whether we have a balanced life is by performing personal reflection using the Wheel of Life Technique. This technique is used by many professional business coaches to help their clients achieve a more balanced thus fulfilled life.

The technique is very simple. Rank your personal satisfaction by marking on the marks allocated at the wheel. The more satisfied you are, the higher the marks you allocate, the further it moves from the center of the wheel. Finally, connect all the marks and analyse whether your 'wheel' is balanced ie more or less round or imbalanced ie crooked.

Then, make plans to address the imbalances that you have detected from the exercise and take action on them daily.

 

10-Minute Planning