The Versatile Nature of Goal Setting

Success, work/life balance, personal fulfillment and the many other issues I confront with clients go well beyond goal setting all the time.

Goal setting is a useful tool, but only one of many, that helps us work together to get to the heart of a problem and, hopefully, make a change that will be useful and enduring.

So even though the home base for my operations is setting-and-achieving-goals.com, and even though I frequently write about goals, I don’t suggest that goals are a universal miracle medicine that cures everything.

That said it was really wonderful to find goal setting addressed in two very different contexts just within the last 24 hours.  One blog post addressed the importance of goals as a success tool for traders. On a second blog Leah Schmeri of Kaplow (a NY PR firm) noted the connection between well understood goals and c-suite level communication when evaluating a public relations campaign.  http://ow.ly/1sBo6

Versatile as goal setting is, we can sometimes forget that it has applicability beyond the scope of personal development or team performance. Setting goals that are context-rooted can enhance outcomes and results in all kinds of situations.  For traders, for PR professionals, and perhaps, even, for your next endeavor.

Chess Instead of Juggling Anyone?

I’ve always loved the image of the “Redbook Juggler.”

For those of you who may not remember back that far the Redbook Juggler was an image at the heart of an advertising campaign for Redbook magazine in the 1980s. Women had just recently started to enter the workforce in large numbers and the prevailing notion was that we could manage it all. The Redbook Juggler effortlessly juggled her responsibilities to work, to home, to relationships, to community and more.

It was a prevailing theme of the moment. The lyrics of an Enjoli perfume ad from 1980 similarly declared:  “I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan, and never let you forget you’re a man…” (That commercial is on youtube of course – have a look here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA4DR4vEgrs)

Those days are gone but the image of the modern professional woman as a juggler has stuck. Somehow we need to keep it all going and we do keep it all going without ever letting all the balls fall to the ground.

Last night I read an intriguing blog post questioning the continued validity of the juggler image for professionals of either gender. Michael Felberbaum of Numespot writes:

…did you ever put the balls down, step back and think about the cost of viewing your work as a juggling act?  What is the personal toll of being a juggler all the time?  Is it a healthy metaphor for your work? http://tinyurl.com/y9mafd5

As Michael rightly points out the juggling metaphor has serious limitations. Chief among these is the pressure of having to keep everything going lest we drop one or more balls and watch the whole thing fall apart.  Oh the pressure! Do we really need it?

I suggested to Michael directly that perhaps the time had come to substitute an image of professional – whether man or woman — as chess player. Thinking about it more the chess game image seems especially appropriate for the nearly universal goals of getting it all done in less time, and substantially increasing the quality of life:

• Making the moving parts chess pieces more closely mirrors the fact that each element of the many things we try to juggle has its own characteristics. Representing family responsibilities as moving pieces like pawns or knights, or the demands of the job like a rook or a bishop, gives a more dimensional picture than a juggling ball.
• The chess pieces image is also a better fit for the complex way our myriad responsibilities occasionally work together and occasionally feel as it they’re failing each other (falling on the board) or working against us.
• In the same way, the other team is composed of lots of players with different attributes—some very similar to ours. This looks a lot like the changing nature of what anyone trying to “do it all” is up against, especially the part where what is a challenge (the opposing piece) often bears a strong resemblance to ourselves.
• The goal of a game of chess fits really well too if we understand “capturing the King” as capturing the elusive prize of balance, however temporarily. We win when we get it and get there. What that means varies from day to day on the chessboard and in life too.
• The plays we all make, trying to manage the various moving pieces each with their own idiosyncrasies, keep the dynamism of the act of juggling in the image. We’re not tossing balls in the air and trying to avoid dropping them. But we are constantly arranging and rearranging the pieces on the chessboard to move towards than oh-so-hard-to-secure win.

I am aware that the game of chess is a battle between two armies. But there are crucial differences between a real war and the fight of a chess game.

For one thing, you can stop a chess game at any moment and walk away from the fight but most of the pieces stay right where they were. (An opponent’s move during your pause might be an exception.) That feels a lot like letting go of the big picture focus for a bit to zero in on one aspect of our life.

We all do this all the time when we prioritize a work project over homekeeping for a while or a child’s school event over a monthly social engagement.

But the game waits for us. As opposed to what would happen in a real war. And as opposed to what happens when we move our attention away from juggling for a second and the whole circle of balls crashes to pieces.

When we’re ready, (or forced,) to resume play we get right into the battle again. But we know it’s a play battle, simulated, and that relieves a lot of the pressure.

In fact, the more I think about it the more I like this idea of a constant chess game in which we aim to rearrange the pieces to suit the goal of the moment.

Care to join me in a game anyone?

Let me know what you think.

Checked Your Wake Lately?

Looked over your shoulder lately to see what you’re leaving in your wake?

A boat’s wake, of course, are what is churned up and flows behind the boat as it passes through the water.

Water being the fluid medium that is a wake frequently runs long and wide. Which is what makes it so apt an image for the way we impact the people around us.

I wish it were mine but in truth the concept comes from Kip Tindell, Chief Executive of the Container Store,  speaking in yesterdays’ New York Times:

“We talk a lot about a person’s wake, like a boat’s wake. . .. Most people’s wake is          much,much larger than they can ever imagine. We all can’t imagine that we have as much mpact on the people and the world around us as we really do.” (Read his full interview here  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/business/14corners.html?scp=2&sq=adam%20bryant&st=cse )

Too true — isn’t it?

How quickly does your mood change when a co-worker or supervisor sails by feeling tense . . . or angry . . . or pressured . . . or distracted.  How many other people with whom you interact feel the impact of your reaction, and react accordingly?

The wake image works so well because it focuses us in on several key aspects of our interaction with others.  We know, first, that very few if any interactions are neutral — just as each action has an equal and opposite reaction so does each interaction with others have a reaction. (Let’s save for another day the question of whether that reaction is equal and opposite. That sounds like an interesting question all on its own.)

• like a wake the reaction to our communications is immediate — it connects directly to what we say or do and keeps on going.
• like a wake, the reaction to our communication or interaction is long. As long as the wake in the picture, above, flows, the real wake flows longer and longer still.
• like a wake, the reaction to our communication or interaction fans out in wider and wider circles.  We create not just one strong reaction line but others too. These fan out in wide paths, starting from us and flowing through others, and from them to others, and from then to yet others in a wide circle of impact.

If you’ve ever been boating you know how difficult it is to run a motor boat without a wake — it’s almost impossible. Similarly, our impact is almost never non-existent.

Taking the time to look over our shoulders regularly we can become conscious of the ripple’s we’re leaving behind us. And consider what changes are worth making to create a different flow.

Sometimes when we’re thinking about goals and we’re thinking about action and we’re thinking about progress it starts to feel like we’re thinking about something very big.

Big effort.

Big amounts of time.

Big changes.

It occurred to me this afternoon that “big” in this context can be a distraction. We can achieve a lot of things without going big at all. Which led me to think about the power of 2.

To my mind (pun intended) 2 is an amazing number. Amazing because it’s a low number, relatively easy to reach when you’re keeping count, and yet really powerful.  You can frequently do quite a lot with 2, making a strong start, or really getting all the way to where you want to go.

Just for purposes of discussion, I compiled this list of 22 things you can do with 2.  Fair warning – the list is random but it is intended to be. Take a look at some of the many ways 2 of something can make a big impact.

And keep this list in mind the next time your thoughts of making change turn to thoughts of “big.” Maybe you’ll find it’s a case where 2 will do….

22 things you can do with 2

1. 2 heads are better than 1. Team up.
2. 2 degrees of change: you don’t have to make your correction in one fell swoop.  Adjustments of 2 degrees at a time will help you change course when change is needed and they’re a lot easier to make.
3. 2 things: do 2 things every day to get where you want to go. This strategy has enormous applicability. It works in big publicity campaigns, for new businesses, for busy parents, for people pursuing a big dream. Just check off 2 items that need to get done. And the next day check off 2 more. Keep doing this consistently and huge things will happen over time, you’ll see.
4. 2 seconds: take a 2 second pause. Sometimes when we react quickly we can be more frank and expressive than we would like to be. In a difficult setting, or when someone is pushing your emotional buttons take a 2 second pause before speaking. The break will let you gather your thoughts and calm your emotions so you say what you want to say and nothing else.
5. 2 fewer bites can help with weight loss. Leave 2 bites of food uneaten at each meal and get used to having smaller portions.
6. 2 servings – For healthier eating add 2 more servings of vegetables or fruits to your diet each day. Pretty soon a healthy diet will feel routine.
7. 2 new people – If you talk to at least 2 new people at every professional event your circle of contacts will grow wider and wider almost without your realizing it.
8. 2 minutes – Get a bigger aerobic punch by pushing yourself to workout for just 2 minutes longer.
9. 2 more – Give your exercise routine a tiny boost. Do 2 more reps or 2 more yoga poses or add 2 more machines to your circuit. It’s more work but just a little more work and you’ll see results.
10. 2 hours – Give yourself the gift of 2 hours of productive time. Turn off the phone, close the door, and get off the computer and smart phone. Use the bonus time for reflection and making progress on a major task requiring concentration.
11. 2 drafts – You know it’s true. When you’re writing something the second draft is almost always better than the first.
12. 2 copies – sometimes you need a backup.
13. 2 choices – almost always create a feeling of control and empowerment.
14. 2 wheels and a few more parts will get you a bicycle ride on a sunny day.
15. 2 miles – a distance you can easily walk comfortably at even a really leisurely pace.
16. 2 minutes – When its all getting to you take a 2 minute break to clear your head or calm down.  2 minutes of quiet feels luxuriously long and will leave you quite refreshed.
17. 2 opinions – what you need for a debate.
18. 2 ingredients can create some excellent pairings – salt & pepper, pb & j, Bogey & Bacall ….. you get the picture.
19. 2 fish – can take you on a Seussian adventure.
20. 2 points are often the difference between a win and a loss, especially in a basketball game.
21. 2 points are also what you need to draw a line.
22. 2 turtledoves will get you started on a fine Christmas carol…

Alright, sorry for that last one but getting to 22 was not that easy.

Now, here is my question for you….can you think of 2 more?

Are There Boundaries On Your Workday?

“We’ll work around the clock if we have to” Brendon Fraser exhorts Harrison Ford  in a fraught moment in the recently released movie “Extraordinary Measures.”  Ford’s snarl in reply – “I already work around the clock.”

His fictional character is hardly alone.

At least that is how it appears from the messages in my inbox sent literally from dawn to dusk and then deep into the midnight hours.  Time stamps on messages waiting for me this morning included 11:38 pm; 2:43 am; 4:34 am; these were not advertisements or offerings but personal messages from colleagues known to me.

I can’t help wondering about these late night missives – and whether they send a bigger message about a lack of boundaries between work and home. In fact, they prompt bigger questions such as whether your workday ever ends or whether you are ever truly off from work.

Technology has made it easy to be uber-available. Thanks to the ever helpful smartphone and laptop work can be a portable feast. Your e-mail finds you, pinging resolutely throughout your commute to and from the office, your workout, your dinner preparations and your bedside table. Many of us power up the laptop on the way to the coffee pot, routinely doing a quick e-mail check-in literally as our feet hit the ground in the morning.

So ubiquitous are these enabling devices that we take our short leash for granted. We assume everyone works around the clock so we do too. We tell ourselves it is no trouble or part of our responsibility or a necessity if we are to keep our job.

Even in our 24/7 globally connected service economy are we all really so important that we can’t ever go dark?

This question becomes more compelling in the face of research showing the benefits to both individual and company of predictable time off. In a 4 year study of Boston consultants conducted by Harvard Business School teams enjoyed better communications, closer relationships with more sharing of personal information, better project planning and streamlining of efforts when they worked to eliminate the feeling that they had no truly free time from work. In some cases this led to better service to the client. And the participating consultants themselves reported better work life balance, more job satisfaction, and a lower attrition rate. In other words, a win, win, win – simply from letting the work day come to an end at the end of the business day.

The next time you sit down for an off hours shift at the keyboard give some thought to whether your immediate contribution adds anything but speed to the outcome. Would the result be just as timely and just as effective if it was accomplished a few hours later? If the answer is consistently yes, consider  cultivating the habit of letting it wait.

The time you reclaim may be just what you need to get to the next big thing. It may feel odd, but oddly great. Or, at the very least relaxing enough to give you a jump start when you dive in the next day.  In which case who knows what you’ll be able to accomplish.

Try it and see.

Are Goals and Success Important to You?

Hi out there.  I find that each and every day brings a stunning variety of information, opportunity and experience. At my central professional headquarters, www.setting-and-achieving-goals.com, I strive to provide you with useful guidance on incorporating goals and goal setting in your life and work. Information on how to set goals, why goal setting works, and how to achieve goals.

I’ve decided to offer this blog to offer a slightly broader commentary. Posts will address goals, goal setting and success and connected topics too. So that we can connect and discuss as many facets as possible of this wide ranging and very important topic.  I hope you’ll subscribe or visit frequently and comment too so this blog can be the most useful tool possible.

I look forward to our conversation and to your ongoing success.