Sunday, January 17, 2016

Accomplish your Goals in 2016


Leaders, new year celebrations are over and so is the excitement over new year resolutions. It's time for the grind. Without a good plan and implementation strategy they will remain just resolutions. Since it is also time for some of us to set our annual individual and organizational goals let us walk through the process of setting up ourselves for success.

In order to accomplish the goals you need to first establish SMART Goals; where SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. It is not just enough to write a goal that you want to reduce your weight or you want to earn a million dollars. You need to specify how much weight you want to lose and examine if it is achievable, is it relevant for your body structure and age and by when you want to do it. More the clarity on the goal more is the likelihood of accomplishing it.

Once the goals are established, next break them down into specific tasks. Determine which tasks need to be completed sequentially and put them in order. For each task determine measurable outcome. Determine what resources are needed to carry out each task and make sure that you have them available. Establish timeframe for completion of each task. Set up milestones to review task completion and its impact. Consider any obstacles that may impede your progress and map out possible solutions to each obstacle.

Finally assess your progress. Work from your daily and weekly schedules. As you reach milestones review next tasks and required resources. As you progress, update everyone involved in achieving your goal. Step back quarterly to see if your goals are still achievable and relevant. If the goal no longer creates value revise it. When you feel  or think you have achieved a goal, confirm from others that they agree that the goal has been accomplished and the desired impact achieved.

Most literature on the subject does not go beyond this point however there is one more important thing that keeps you motivated. In order to achieve your goals successfully you also need an accountability partner. The accountability partner is the one who will not let you rest when you feel lethargic and will be your cheerleader when you are on course. Hence it is important to choose an accountability partner. It could be someone from your own organization or from your neighbourhood. And if you cannot find one you could look for that support from The Freedom Journal which will take you step by step to your #1 goal in 100 days.

If you like this post please share it with your friends. If you have feedback about this post or if you would like to share your experience please leave your comment. You can also get in touch with me at rakgoyal@gmail.com.