'Tis The Season!

Suddenly, ‘Tis the season!

It seems like just a couple of weeks ago that we celebrated New Year’s Day, 2007, now as I make my way through the aisle in the stores, I discover that Christmas 2007 is just 22 days away! Christmas (or if you prefer, “Winter Holiday” or “Whatever”) season means different things to all of us. But one meaning that it should hold for all of us is that it is time to begin deciding what kind of year 2008 will be.

Companies will be finalizing their budgets; sales departments will be developing their goals and quotas; managers will be analyzing operations to determine what manpower increases (or decreases) will be needed to improve productivity. Regardless of whether we own a business, manage a department, sell products or services or work within a larger organization we should begin thinking about what we want to accomplish, envisioning where we want to be and how we plan to make it a reality by this time next year.

But before you start laying out your goals for next year, it might be helpful to take a quick inventory to make sure you’ve got what you’ll need to make 2008 a great year. The inventory I’m talking about consist of intangibles—those important ingredients that serve as the foundation for setting goals, embracing our vision and building satisfying careers. Let me give you six areas to inventory before you begin seriously thinking about the coming year.

What Is Your Attitude Toward Your Job, Your Coworkers, Yourself, etc.? I begin with attitude because if we’ve allowed ourselves to become jaded by the slings and arrows, and the up’s and down’s we’ve all experienced as we tried to reach our 2007 goals we can easily sell ourselves short for 2008. As you know, attitude is simply the way we choose to look at ourselves, our career and the world around us. Before you start planning for 2008, be sure you’ve regained enough of your “can-do” spirit, then move on to the second area, which is setting your Direction.

As I use it, Direction has a twofold meaning. First, it refers to where you ultimately want to be this time next year. And second, it refers to how you plan to get there. I mentioned this to someone last week. “I’ll just keep doing what I’ve done for the past ten years and see what happens,” was her response. I feel that I must use the old cliché, “If you keep doing the same thing you’ve been doing, you can’t expect different results.” If you didn’t accomplish as much as you had planned to this past year, you might want to look for new ways to get where you want to be this time next year. Regardless of whether you decide to keep doing the same thing (assuming you’ve been satisfied with your results) or completely revise your way of doing things, the next thing you should do is Vet your goals and plans.

No, I don’t mean your plan is a dog and needs to go to the veterinarian—VET means to scrutinize your plan for weaknesses; to evaluate your goals to be sure they are attainable while challenging you to stretch yourself. In short, make sure your plan is workable and that your objectives provide the challenge necessary to create enthusiasm and provide a sense of achievement. Once you’ve gotten this far, the next item to inventory is your Enablers.

Enablers are those skills, abilities and experiences you have that are available to you as you work your plan. The last thing a surgeon wants is to have to stop in the middle of an operation to hunt for (or develop) the instrument that is needed. For that reason, no surgeon goes into surgery without having the necessary surgical instruments to perform the operation efficiently. By having a written list of your enablers that you can refer to, your confidence in your ability to accomplish your goals will increase. It will also provide insights into areas you might need to strengthen before launching your plan. Closely linked to your enablers are the Nurturers that will help you stay motivated during the year.

Nurturers are those success-stories we’ve all got to tell ourselves. Take some time to write them down so you can go back over them. As you review them, your mind will become programmed by a powerful “Been There-Done That” force which provides positive assurance that if you did it once, you can do it again. Return to these stories often to keep enthusiasm and motivation high. In addition, be sure to add your new success stories throughout the year. Now, taken an inventory of people you know who are positive and you can trust to Tell your goals and plans.

When we Tell people our goals and plans we are doing three things. First, we are committing ourselves to a course of action. This has a powerful effect on our staying power and creates a sense of obligation to see things through. Second, if you are talking to positive, like minded people you might find that they can help you improve your plan. Third, you are asking them to hold you accountable for staying the course. Naturally, you should only talk about your goals and plans to like minded people—don’t talk to nay-sayers or unmotivated people.

Have a Great and Profitable Week!
Robert Hidde
bob@confidentliving.com