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Behavior

How to set personal goals

Behavior, GTD, Motivation, StrategyEdward Kiledjian

I will use this entry to talk about setting personal goals. Yes.. Yes… I know it is June and that most people set their personal goals in January but how are those coming along?

Do a cleanup

Before building a new house, the contractor will clear the ground to ensure he is starting with a solid footing.  The same concept applies to your personal life. Before even thinking about your goals, make sure you “clean your house” (both physically and mentally) to ensure you start with as clean of a slate as possible. The cleaner the slate, the more likely you are to achieve your future goals.

List your accomplishments

Before you spend any time thinking about your future goals, it is beneficial to do some introspection and create a list of everything (of importance) that you have completed in the last 12 months. This is an extremely powerful technique to ensure you go into your goal setting with positive energy and  fully recharged psychic energy.

Start with the end in mind

In his bestselling book “The 7 habits of highly effective people”, Stephen Covey shares one of the most powerful nuggets of wisdom I have ever heard: "Start with the end in mind." Would you get in your car and just start driving? Of course not. You want to know where you are heading, so you can plan the best route. Same concept applies to goal setting.

Stephen Covey says “all things are created twice”: once in the mind and once in the real world (in that order). Setting goals with the “end in mind” keeps your brain thinking positively about what can be achieved.

This concept is so powerful other business visionaries have also adopted it in their models of efficiency such as David Allen in Getting Things Done (GTD). Napolean Hill stated it as "What the mind of man can conceive and believe, It can achieve." Professional athletes use visualization as one of their training tools.

Know that it works and spend the time to think about what “done means” for each of your goals? What does the successful completion look like? How will it feel? How will you know when it is successfully completed?

Your goals should be “SMART”

Many believe that the concept of SMART goals was first proposed by the grandfather of modern business theory, Mr. Peter Drucker in 1954. The reason this concept has been around for so long is that it works and is based on sound logic.

  • S – stands for specific. As mentioned above, start with the end in mind and make your goal as specific as possible. Saying you will “lose weight” is not specific. Saying you will “lose 30 pounds in the next 6 months by lowering your calorie intake by 1000 calories and running on the treadmill for 60 minutes 4 times a week” is specific.
  • M – stands for measurable. Your goals has to be specific and measurable. Being measurable is important to ensure you know you have “arrived” when you reach this threshold. S and M go hand in hand.
  • A – stands for attainable. Your goals should be “Big Hairy Audacious Goals” as proposed by James Collins and Jerry Porras in their 1996 article entitled Building Your Company's Vision. This means your goals should not be easily reached but logically attainable with enough hard work and commitment. Too many people set unrealistic goals then get disappointed when they miss the mark.
  • R – stands for results-oriented. This further reinforces the first section above. When setting goals, don’t let your mind get overwhelmed by all of the actions you need to complete to reach your goal. There is a time and place for everything and when setting goals, accept that you think about specific actions later. Right now concentrate on the desired end result. I strongly recommend you read my article about using the “Next Actions” methodology from GTD.
  • T stands for time. This means that each of your goals should have a specific deadline. When engaged in coaching, I work with my customer to get as specific as possible (to the day even).

Don’t beat yourself up

Next December, take the time to ask your friends and colleagues about how many of their goals they achieved. You may be surprised at how negative the conversation get’s and how quickly people make up excuses. Remember that beating yourself up is very self destructive and will not help you achieve your goals. Instead acknowledge that you may have missed some goals, spend some time thinking about why and about how you can approach your goals differently next year to have a better chance of meeting your targets.

How many goals should I have?

This is a question I love asking my employees, friends and family. Ask people how many goals they set for the year. Most of the answers you get will be in the low single digits. People believe that making a small number of goals increases the likelyhood of successfully completing them. WRONG!!!!

I believe you should set as many goals as possible and my rule of thumb is 30-50. Remember that not all of your goals should be to “cure cancer” or “solve world hunger”. A goal is anything you would like to be true by this time next year. It can be as complex as finishing up a master’s degree or about as simple as how you would like to perform when playing golf or what kind of outlook on life you want to have.

Ask yourself “What would life look like in a year, if it was better?”

Remember that out of the goals you set at the beginning of the year, you will likely end up working on a handful (10% or less). Read the following section to find out why.

Remember that you will not achieve most of your goals

You set your goals at the beginning of the year based on the best information available at the time. As you work through your various goals, you will acquire additional data or perspective and may decide that something else is more worthwhile.  This new goal may not even have been visible when you did your initial goal setting. You likely saw this new more worthwhile goal because of the effort you put into achieving your original one. Without that original one, you may never have seen this more valuable one and that is why it is still important to set those goals and drive towards them with everything you’ve got.

 

"What is the next action" may be the most powerful question you can ask

Behavior, GTD, StrategyEdward Kiledjian

In a previous article, I wrote about the wondrous power of implementing “Getting Things Done” as explained by David Allen. One of the most powerful tips it teaches is the power of asking “What is the next action” for each and every project on your to do list. 

It is a powerfully simple question that can be transformative if systematically implemented. For those that do not know GTD, here is some background information you need to understand the power. 

Anything that requires more than one action to complete is defined as a project in GTDland. So the first thing to understand is that you cannot do a project. You cannot “replace muffler”. “Replace muffler” is a project and has multiple action steps to complete. The breakdown can be something like this: 

  • Call 3 garages to get estimate
  • Determine cheapest option
  • Call to book appointment
  • …

Most people have dozens of these types of projects on their to do list that often seem to be stuck because they are not broken down into actionable steps. Most smart people get overwhelmed when you ask them to break down a project into individual actionable steps. They worry that they may forget a step or get one in the wrong order so often they avoid doing the breakdown and simply leave it in their to do pile. 

GTD simplifies the process by asking you to only define the very next action item to move the project along. Ask yourself “What is the very next action I have to take to move this project along.” All you have to do is the very next action item. Don’t try to create an exhaustive 25 point breakdown or you will overwhelm yourself. 

During your next team meeting, 20 minutes before the planned end, force your team to answer the question “What is the very next action item we need to take to move this along” (ensure someone owns the action of course). You will see a flurry of discussion much deeper than previous discussions. This question will force the team to think in a more action oriented way and will lay accountability in a clear and unambiguous way. 

Even if you have not implemented GTD in your life, I recommend you implement the above process immediately. Many people have called it transformative. It seems too simple to be effective but I guarantee you will  be surprised.

5S is an easy Japanese philosophy to improve your work environment

Behavior, Management, Motivation, OrganizationEdward Kiledjian

My current employer is committed to achieving excellence and empowers its employees with simple yet powerful work strategies. One of the tools we use is called the 5S. It comes from the management practice of the Japanese giant Toyota and each of the 5 guiding principles start with the letter S: 

Seiri – Means to sort. It mandates that you get rid of anything that is underused or not used. It allows your employees to work in a clean environment with less distraction.

Seiton – Means to straighten. This is the mandate to streamline. The old adage of “A place for everything and everything in its place” is a great description for this step.  

Seiso – Means to sweep or shine. This is the concept of maintenance.  It is the principle of keeping the work area (and equipment) clean and tidy. Would you rather work in a pig pen or a clean office? The 5S process does provide some guidance and recommendations but feel free to extend it beyond these simple examples: 

  • Ensure adequate lighting in all work areas
  • Repair all work equipment
  • Clean work areas including floors, walls. ceilings, windows
  • Implement processes to minimize dirt (i.e. taking boots off at the entrance)
  • Conduct maintenance for work area and equipment 

Seiketsu – Means to standardize. This allows more people to do the same process thus creating redundancy. It also allows people to undertake more tasks since things are documented and easier to explain.  In this case, standards may apply to all aspects of your business including: 

  • Procedures
  • Processes
  • Work methods
  • and more 

Shitsuke – Means discipline. It is the step that 

  • Ensures people practice the rules
  • Form good habits
  • Look for opportunities to improve 

Getting Things Done may be the most important business skill

Behavior, GTD, Management, Time ManagementEdward Kiledjian

From a very young age, I realized that if I really wanted to succeed, I had to be smarter, faster and better than everyone else in my field. I have spent thousands upon thousands of dollars on training products and seminars.

When working with younger professionals, the question I get asked most often is this : “What do I consider the one most critical skill required for success in business”. This is a great question and the answer is simple, learning a technique that allows you to GET CONTROL of your to dos. Notice I did not say time management because the minute something unexpected happens, most time management strategies go down the drain. I am talking about a system that allows you to always stay in control of all of your commitments. 

I have bought dozens of time management training products and attended even more training seminars. Nothing has proven more effective than “Getting Things Done” as taught by the master himself, Mr David Allen. 

The Stuff factor

In his first book, David defines stuff as “anything you have allowed into your psychological or physical world that doesn’t belong where it is, but for which you haven’t yet determined the desired outcome and the next action step.”

Stuff can be anything from buying groceries to preparing the big merger plan. If your system forces you to keep this “stuff” in your head (which most people do) then it is likely causing you undue stress and keeps popping into your conscious mind at the worst possible time. Have you ever been lying in bed at 2am and all of a sudden get a “to do” pop-up in your mind?

Because most people keep this stuff in their heads, they really don’t have a good way of conducting a full inventory of their “open loops” (aka all of the stuff you promised to do) and usually work on the latest and loudest item.

GTD

GTD is not a product. It is not a computer software that manages your time. It is a strategy that helps get stuff out of your head and into a trusted system where it can be captured, evaluated and prioritized.

In GTD a project is anything that takes more than one action to complete.

To really appreciate GTD, buy one of the books, CDs or DVDs. I guarantee it is worth the money and your time.

To introduce you to it however, here is a Coles Notes version:

  1. Collect all of your action items
  2. Process what they mean and what to do about them
  3. Organize the results in a trusted system
  4. Review
  5. Do

 Ok… here is a little more detail:

  • Identify all of your open loops (action items you have agreed to). This takes anywhere from  1 hour to several days, depending on how badly you have been managing your tasks.
  • Track each project on a project list. For each project as yourself 2 questions: What would be the successful outcome to this project and what is the very next action you need to take to move this project along.
  • The 2 minute rule. Any action that takes less than 2 minutes to accomplish should be done immediately. Filling it for later evaluation would take more time and “Getting Things Done” is empowering.
  • Cleanup Determine if there are things on your list that no longer need to be done and cross those off. Maybe you missed some deadlines, it’s ok. Just cross those off. Are there any actions that should be done by other people, make sure you transfer those (determine if you need to keep track of these or can just transfer and forget).
  • Contextualize your stuff. For each action, determine what you need to get it done. As an example, you need a phone to return phone calls for the context would be @Phone. To send emails, you need to be in front of a computer so the context would be @Computer. By contextualizing your actions, you can determine what to do regardless of where you are.
  • Create a “waiting for” list. Everything that has been delegate but must be tracked should be on this list.
  • Weekly review. Once everything is categorized and in your system, conduct a weekly review to make sure everything is in tip top shape. It is the time to gather and review all of your stuff. Update your lists.

The Power

GTD means everything is written down. I mean everything. The minute I take ownership of an action or project, it get’s written down on a piece of paper and put into my inbox. Once a day (usually in the morning), I process my inbox and ask myself the key questions:

  • What is the item ?
  • Is it actionable

If not actionable then:

  • Is it trash
  • Put in the Someday/Maybe file (i.e. something without a fixed timeline like getting a degree)
  • Stored in my reference system

If it is actionable then

  • What is the very next action item
  • Who should do it?
  • Does it take less than 2 minutes? If so do it now. Otherwise add it to one of my task management lists and track until complete.

By having everything in a trusted system that I know I will keep coming back to, my mind is in a state of clear. I am always confident that I am working on the right item at the right time.

GTD is not software

 This is worth repeating. Dozens of products claim to be GTD compliant but David Allen doesn’t really endorse any of them. He believes that there is no perfect GTD system yet and that the important is to implement the system. He actually recommends starting with paper for most people.

Call to action

I hope you can feel the enthusiasm I have for this system. It is so empowering to know that you are in control and not a victim. I recommend getting the book and going through it. It is well written and easy to understand.

Like any other learned skill, GTD will take time to properly understand. You will likely re-read the book (or sections of it) a couple of times. You will periodically fall of the bandwagon and David provides guidance on how to get back on the horse.

 

 

How to handle a "crappy job"

Behavior, MotivationEdward Kiledjian

One of my first articles was entitled “the YOU brand” and is still one of my favorite articles.

I strongly recommend you read it as it has helped many people change their approach to career management. I will assume you read it and accept the premise that you are selling your services to your company in exchange for salary, benefits and working conditions.

What happens if you are in a “crappy job”? Crappy can mean different things to different people. For some it means no work-life balance. For others it means sub-par pay. For others it may mean lack of career progression. Regardless of what it means to you, what do you do?

You are not responsible for being in a “crappy job”, you are responsible for staying in it.

As a consultant selling your services to your company, you are responsible for your career and all its qualities/deficiencies. Ultimately the decision to stay in the “crappy job” is yours and yours alone. Remember that there are always options and that you should manage your career like a business. If the conditions are no longer favorable, switch positions, departments or companies. If you don’t have the skills or experience to switch right away, make a plan and follow-it. 

Remember that the best investment you can make is in yourself.