“No, objectives don’t work, I’ve tried them many times”.
So what’s your alternative?
- Pursuing someone else’s dream. If you don’t choose your goal, you (unconsciously) create someone else’s.
- “I feel frustrated”. When I dig into this point with customers. We often get to “I don’t feel I’m living up to my potential.”
- “It’ll come when it comes.” Let yourself be carried along… Until you get close to the end and realize it. Author Ware Bronnie’s observation in his book “The top five regrets of the dying” struck a chord with me. (you can find the 5 regrets here).
6 reasons why objectives don’t work :
Photo de Joshua Hoehne sur Unsplash
1/ New Year’s resolutions. And pschitt…nothing more afterward
2/ When we create them, we’re super motivated and inspired. When we have to carry them out, we’re often tired, caught up in the hustle and bustle of our day.
Be realistic when you plan and optimistic when you execute.
3/ No spine. We don’t take the time to think about the big picture. So, like disjointed puppets, we throw ourselves at the first option.
4/ We don’t have a system that lasts.
“You’ve heard of this tool, it’s excellent, you can organize…”
In no time, we start learning a new tool to the detriment of our project.
The tool cannot be more important than the foundation. (Your goal)
5/ We set them and then forget.
“What were my goals for my annual plan at work again.”
I’ll take a look because soon it’s the end-of-year interview. The rest of the time, “Urgent and Not Important” (the worst) distracted us.
6/ Let’s assume we have a sound system, and we’ve followed our objectives well… If, for some reason, we’ve failed, we fall into the:
-“I didn’t succeed.”
– “I’ll never make it…
What if goals (used properly) could become our system to make our dreams come true quarter after quarter
That’s it!
We’ve entered the third quarter. (July to Sept).
It’s an excellent time to sit back and choose what will bring us closer to our ideal.
3 principles to make your dreams come true quarter after quarter
Change the tactics, but keep the principles.
Choose a base and keep it long enough to observe what works and what doesn’t.
Here is mine…
1/The principle of time
Ideal
Whether through a life plan or a phrase. Describe your ideal.
My big picture is to “Become the best version of myself and help others achieve what they want.”
Ambitions/objectives
Choose 2-3 time horizons that inspire you and select goals that bring you closer to your ideal.
I like to use 3-time horizons.
- Long: 25 years/100 quarters or 10 years/40 quarters
- Middle: 1 year/4 quarters
- Short: 90 days/ 1 quarter
If you are interested in 100 quarters. I recommend this little book.
What will you achieve in your third quarter?
I suggest a maximum of 5 goals. The less you have, the better.
It works with your teams, your business, or your personal objectives…
Books for further reading :
- The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months
- Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs
2/The principle of frequency
To avoid staring and forgetting. Frequency must be at the heart of your system.
Reviewing every day (less than 5 minutes) is essential.
How you do it is less important.
I’ve used all these different methods, which worked for me.
Daily questions: the Marshall Goldsmith principle. I particularly recommend it for behaviors you want to change. The method and the file to download here.
Quiet time/meditation: ending or starting your day with a reminder of your objectives is an excellent way to stay focused on your priorities.
Running/walking and thinking: if you like to be on the move. Don’t launch the latest podcast just yet. Refocus and think about what you’ve already achieved and what you still want to do.
- What are you grateful for?
- What were your gains?
- Mentally review your goals.
Create a film of your successes
A mental film. You experience the success of your goal dozens of times over.
With practice, your films will become more and more interesting.
Add emotion, color, difficulty…
Sometimes I run longer to live and get to the end of my film. 🙂
Point 3 of this blog gives you an example of visualization.
Reread the objectives and write…
I like to keep this one fixed and combine it with one of the above methods.
Reading my objectives takes me a few seconds in the morning. And I like to write a little sentence in my diary about my progress and difficulties.
3/The principle of gain
Now you’ve done it.
You’ve managed to stay close to your goals for 90 days. Bravo!
You have two options:
- You’re draining your energy.
- You recharge to attack your next trimester.
The difference is not in your results but in how you evaluate yourself.
Regardless of your outcomes, evaluating the gap tends to drain you.
Whereas :
What I’ve gained tends to energize you.
It’s not about where you end up, it’s about who you become as you pursue your dreams.
The origin of the concept can be found here.
Conclusion
Our goals help us to dream.
Our system makes execution easy.
The way we measure ourselves encourages us to keep going.
When we do this, regardless of our results, we get a little closer every day to the person we want to become.
And that’s a form of happiness.
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PS: Whenever you’re ready, here are 2 more ways I can help you accelerate your growth through coaching:
- You’re ambitious: you’ve already achieved a lot. And you intend to continue. But this time, you want to do it while enjoying the important things in your life. Curious? Click here.
- You lead a team: you know that a slight improvement in your leadership can significantly impact the team’s results and, therefore, your career. I was trained and certified by the world’s first executive coach, Marshall Goldsmith. I accompany you in your project and guarantee the result. You only pay me if you succeed. Curious? Let’s connect for a free call and see if we can work together
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