Being a leader is about living your life in a way that inspires or encourages others. Here is the 8th in my series of monthly newsletters, each with a section on the skills you need so you can be a leader of your life. To lead is to serve. If you make it your goal to do the best that you can and to help people, then you can't fail. I encourage you to commit to keep learning.

The content below is extracted from Mike Holt's Leadership Skills - Taking Your Career to the Next Level.

Everyone at some time talks about things they’d like to achieve in their career or in their personal life. Some are quite ambitious—“I’d like to start my own business and be listed in the Fortune 500.” Some are seemingly minor—“I’d like to clean out my tool box so when I go looking for something, I can find it easily.”

There are different types of goals: health-related goals (quit smoking, exercise daily, lose weight); personal goals (be a water-ski champion, increase my bowling average, buy a house, get a new car); spiritual goals (establish a better relationship with my family, attend religious services on a regular basis); and career goals (get a promotion, a raise, additional training).

You set goals because there’s an aspect of your life or work that you want to improve. Setting goals and following through can be difficult, not only because doing so forces you to objectively evaluate each goal you choose to set, but also because it requires a commitment (sometimes an extraordinary commitment) to follow through and achieve that goal.

To achieve success, you must be sure your goals are driven by your own personal values, and then you can concentrate on becoming result oriented. Have a sense of the mission you’re trying to complete. Assess your own strengths and limitations objectively. Think hard about your goals, and consider any financial resources that might be needed, as well as compromises and sacrifices that may have to be made. Determine if this is something you really want to accomplish—then DO it!

Goal Setting 101—the SMART method. When selecting goals many people recommend using the SMART method. It’s a method that gives you a better chance of success and has repeatedly proven to be effective. Here’s what a SMART goal looks like:

S = Specific. Your goal should be specific and not general. An example is “I want to lose 20 lbs.” versus “I want to lose weight.”

M = Measurable. Your goal should be able to be measured by others. An example is “I want to lower my blood pressure to 'xyz',” versus “I want better health.”

A = Achievable. Are there steps you can take to make it happen? Is it actionable?

R = Realistic. If you’re middle aged and haven’t picked up a basketball in 10 years, then making a goal to be a professional basketball player probably isn’t something that can be achieved. Your goals should be lofty but based on reality.

T = Time Based. When do you want the complete your goal? A good goal has a deadline.

Using the SMART method will help you set goals that are easier to achieve than if you simply write down generalized ideas.

The First Step is to Identify Your Goals—Right Now! Procrastination is one of the biggest barriers to effective goal setting. Yes, it’s usually easier to “do it later” or to “do it tomorrow.” Remember “later” and “tomorrow” are always later; so do it now!! Make a strong effort and commitment to make every moment count. Ask yourself questions like:

• What does success mean to me?
• What are the five most important things in my life?
• What do I want to accomplish in my work?
• What do I want to accomplish in my home?
• What do I want to accomplish for myself?

There are three different types of goals; short-range goals, intermediate goals, and long-range/lifetime goals. Make a list of everything you’ve ever considered doing or accomplishing. Your list can include topics ranging from business, financial, family, spiritual, physical, or mental goals. Use a “brainstorming” form to write down everything you’ve ever considered being, doing, or having. Include as many things on your list as you wish. Even “off the wall” goals belong here, because they have value too and can be used as a starting point for establishing others. To really get your goal-setting process started, try to list 50 goals you want to accomplish in your life. This process will help you get out of the box and help you identify what you really want to achieve and what success looks like for you.

The next step is to identify which goals you want to accomplish first because you can’t reach all of them at the same time. Examine each goal to decide whether it’s short-range (can be accomplished in one year or less), intermediate (can be accomplished in one to five years), or a long-range or lifetime goal. Set a realistic date of achievement for each of them and write them down. Once the list is made, don’t put it in a drawer and forget about it. Place it in your bedroom, perhaps on a mirror, so you’ll look at it every day. To achieve goals, you must be willing to make the commitment to follow through. Review your goal sheets at least once a month. Work hard! Do it now!

Next, realistically evaluate the present status for each of the goals you’ve selected and create a list of steps and strategies that will help you reach them on paper or on your computer. Writing them out will help you think through your goals and give you a great place to reference as you work towards them.

For instance, if one of your goals is to develop a strong understanding of the National Electrical Code^®, seek the advice of your employer or supervisor about effective learning tools and tips. Develop a list of the steps you’re going to take to achieve this goal. Your list might look like this:
1. Purchase a Code book and tabs.
2. Tab my Code book.
3. Keep my Code book in my car so that I can reference it while out in the field and highlight important articles.
4. Join a Code forum so that I can post questions about parts of the Code book I don’t understand.
5. Purchase a Code training program so that I can learn all of the parts of my Code book with formalized training.
6. Set aside time each week to work on my knowledge of the Code.
7. Find a mentor in the field who’s a Code expert and bounce ideas off them when I get to a gray area.
8. Take a Code update class.

If your goal is to learn a new sport, enlist the help of a coach or personal trainer who can lay the groundwork properly. If you’ve set a goal to become more tolerant with family and friends, ask them how they perceive you and what they believe you think of, and feel about them. This is no time to “flinch” from criticism. Understand that you’re asking a question and you must be willing to receive the answers without responding negatively to the feedback—whatever it might be. This step in creating your game plan is the most important action you can take to see where you are and where you need to go. From these exchanges and strategy brainstorming sessions, you can better determine where you are and be better able to determine approximately how long it will take you to achieve your goal. Decide if you’ll need additional formal training, professional counseling, or coaching-type help. Research the methods needed to achieve your goals, and plan your completion date accordingly.

Select at Least Two Goals That You’ll Work on Every Day. It will be easier to select them if you remember that you must answer “yes” to these five questions about each.
1. Is it really my personal goal?
2. Is it morally right and fair to everyone?
3. If the goal is a short-range step, is it consistent with my long-range or lifetime goals?
4. Can I emotionally commit myself to start and finish the project?
5. Can I see myself achieving this objective?

As a confidence builder, especially if you’ve never set goals before, start by selecting short-range goals you know you can reach in one month or so.

To share or not to share! Another decision you’ll have to make when setting your goals is whether or not you should share them with others. If they’re “give up” goals; that is, give up smoking, cursing, drinking too much, and so on, almost everyone will provide you with encouragement to help you stay on track. Share your goals carefully if they’re “go up” goals; such as, earning a promotion, successfully negotiating an increase in compensation, starting your own business, making the team number one, and so forth. For lifetime goals, make certain you’re committed to them before you share your ideas with anyone. Talk with those who are important to you and are generally positive and supportive people, and ask for their support in achieving these types of goals. Once you’ve achieved some success, you can share them with family members, friends, or co-workers.

As a Leader, You Might Set Goals For Others. This requires a fine balance between creating a goal that will give incentives for them to extend themselves beyond their current abilities, but not so remote that reaching it will be beyond their ability to achieve and create a feeling of frustration and apathy. Ambitious people typically react favorably to a challenge. As a leader, your job is to set attainable goals, provide direction, support, and encouragement. You must make people believe you have confidence in their abilities and have faith that they’ll achieve the desired end result. When you include them in the goal setting process, you obtain a buy-in, a greater commitment to the goal, and a consensus of the responsibility for achievement.

To achieve even a minor level of success, decide what must be done and then do it. Ideas are important and they’re necessary, but they’re only the beginning. Ideas must be carried out to have meaning. Something that remains in your mind doesn’t do anyone any good. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. This is one of the reasons it’s so important for leaders to manage their own time. You must attend to your day-to-day functions, and you must also set aside time to think and make plans. That’s your job as a leader, and if you don’t do it—no one else will!

Setting goals for personal improvement means that you’re willing to do whatever’s necessary to move forward. Don’t let your life be filled with regrets and “if onlys.” Make up your mind to do the things that you truly feel will better your life. If you really want to improve your quality of life, whatever the goal, make the commitment and—GO for it! “No pain, no gain!” so the saying goes, but so too does it follow that no potential loss, no potential benefit.

We'd love to hear from you about this series, and the ways you're using it. Send us your comments and feedback by clicking on Post a Comment below. Look out for the next part in this series a month from now, and please share with your colleagues.

To review or catch up on previous newsletters on business and personal development click here.
The above content is extracted from Mike Holt's Leadership Skills textbook.

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