Timeout for Leadership-your one-minute leadership idea

Op-ed #19

How much effort do you put into setting your yearly goals /objectives?

Fact:

You have to do them.  You don’t want to do them. But you must!

For educators, it is that time of year again. For those in the business world, this time of year could be at the end of your calendar or fiscal year.  This is the time when you must focus on your professional goals for the upcoming year.

For me, this was a dreaded task.  For me, it was another task to just do to get it done.  It was time for my yearly bullshit.  Shame on my superiors for not holding me accountable. Shame on me for not putting the correct personal and professional value on this task.

I used to dust off the previous year’s product, change a few words, update a few dates, and submit the document and never look at them again until the next year when it was time to comment on my completed yearly goals and to commence work on my goals for the next year.

I used to build my goals in an action plan format.  And yes, as the years wore on, I would write my goals with the SMART format (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time based).  I knew all of the buzzwords and could put my goals in the required format.   I would then submit them for approval and they would be routinely approved.  I speculate that my bosses did not even read them.   He or she would sign them and check my name off of some completion list somewhere.

I can sit here today and clearly remember enumerating different tasks, just to name a task.  I had an arbitrary number for tasks in my mind and when I hit the number, my goal writing would be over.

How should the process work?  I know there is a boatload of material out there on goal writing. But for me, I have broken it down into these four tasks.

1.  In concert with the boss, you should see if you attained your previous year’s goals and then use that conversation as a springboard to set your new goals. This must be an open and candid dialog about what went right and what went wrong.  It is critical that you check your thin skin at the door.  You must be ready for some honest feedback. This should be a collaborative type of conference where both parties should learn from this process.  The goals must align with the district’s or organization’s strategic plan and mission.  (MEANINGFUL EVALUATION)

2. It is now time to develop your new set of objectives with meaningful tasks. You do not need some arbitrary list of nonsensical activities to fill the paper. For example, it should not matter if you have only two or three activities as long as these activities are meaningful. (MEANINGFUL ACTIVITIES)

3. Establish frequent and regular check-ins to see if you are on track for the attainment of your goals. And if you are not, you would need to make some adjustments and modifications.  You could also use this time to try to understand why you were off track if that was the case. (MEANINGFUL CHECK-IN)

4. You must personally understand how your daily actions contribute to the attainment of your goals.  I would guess that most regular activities have absolutely no connection to the agreed upon goals.  This mentality has to change. Somehow, your daily activities must connect to your goals.  This disconnection can be the root of many of your problems.  (MEANINGFUL DAILY ACTIONS)

Sounds so simple.  Doesn’t it?  Believe me, it isn’t.  So, I challenge you to streamline and personally invest in your goals.  This investment might actually help you attain your goals.  It might actually help you get better.  Can you imagine that?

I remain optimistic that individual goal attainment will translate to the improvement of the entire school or organization in addition to your personal professional development. These incremental steps are essential to get you on a good trajectory for real growth both personally and professionally for the entire school community.