It wasn’t until I started managing others, that it struck me as odd how we make grand plans in annual reviews, invest the time in getting the goal setting document “right” and then essentially put them away (both physically and mentally), out of sight and out of mind, for the next 365 days. The same can ring true for new year’s resolutions too.
What then results, is a judgement day moment a year later, when we wait to see how much progress has been made and whether we in fact measure up to the expectations set in the document. I can still recall my own feeling of nervous suspense as I waited to see how the dreaded performance review would pan out for me, genuinely unsure of the outcome. As a manager, I never wanted anyone in my team to feel ambushed or surprised when it came to their development journey.
If you’re reading this, feeling like you’re entitled to a better performance review or appraisal process, I agree. Or that you owe yourself a better system for personal goal setting, I agree.
A few years ago I created the HUSTLE + hush RECAP + ROADMAP program as an antidote to these disappointing personal and professional experiences. It’s a process I’d been iterating on for myself and with the high-performing teams I've led and the driven coaching clients I’ve worked with.
I wanted to develop something that was a chance to mark the end of one time period and set yourself up for success in the next. Firstly, you RECAP and reflect on the past 12 months, assess where you currently stand, recognise your learnings and celebrate your successes.
Then you surface your vision for the future, set clear intentions, get clarity for the areas you'll focus on and create a ROADMAP for what you want to bring to life and how you will go about it.
Now you can feel empowered to take matters into your own hands and be responsible for your leadership progression, regardless of the systems in place in your company.
We’re now at the end of Q1 and the beginning of Q2, or if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, the end of Winter and start of Spring.
It’s a timely opportunity to check-in on any goals that were made or intentions that were set in the new year, or if you’re taking nature’s cues it’s also an opportunity to start afresh.
In my recent blog post ‘Three Seasonal Experts On How Spring Can Energise Your Career’, professional organiser and life coach Craig Hoareau encouraged us all to harness the current seasonal energy to “evaluate what you have learned and re-plan, refocus and work toward accomplishing your goals”, while seasonal creative coach, Lucy Hill reminded us that “there is still plenty of time to start any for the time ahead or reshape what you thought you wanted at the beginning of the year.”
This opportunity to pause and reflect, getting clarity on what we can stop, start and continue is as relevant as ever in the current state of flux.
Which brings me to one of the biggest mistakes we make when setting goals for ourselves and our team members.
We set and forget.
Perfect and polish the headlines, leave it at that and hope for the best.
Even without a global pandemic, our circumstances, priorities and motivations change on a regular basis.
Your goals should be fluid and flexible, allowing you to regularly check-in with them to ensure they’re still relevant for where you are right now and where you want be next.
For my clients that are due to check-in on the work they started in January, we’ll be working through the below steps…
Step 1:
Firstly, we’ll ask ‘How Badly Do I (Still) Want This’ – on a scale of 1-10, is it still a 8+? How does it compare with where I was in January? Is this goal still relevant and resonant with me and my life as it stands?
Step 2:
Then we’ll take a read on where we are now, compared to where we thought we could be. What am I currently THINKING about the goal, what am I FEELING about it and what am I DOING with regards to it and compare this to what I predicted I would be in January. What’s changed? Am I on track? Ahead of predicted schedule? Not where I want to be? Have circumstances changed outside my control and this goal is no longer relevant?
Step 3:
Then we’ll run through the following flow to decide the best course of action.
Step 4:
If it’s still relevant and resonant and the check-in shows you’re where you’d like to be, it’s time to CONTINUE and to set up your action plan for Q2.
If it still feels like where you want to be focusing your time and energy, but progress isn’t as predicted then it’s time to REVISE and REVIEW the ROADMAP for the remainder of 2020. Maybe it’s coming together more easily than anticipated and you need to add more stretch, or there’s capacity for an additional focus? Or if you’re not making the progress you anticipated, what might need tweaking?
Or perhaps your goal, despite all the best laid plans in January, is no longer relevant or where you want to spend your time or energy, so it’s time to REPLACE or RESET with a new vision and ROADMAP.
Rather than waiting a whole year and feeling a passive participant in what unfolds, I recommend that you check in with yourself now and at regular intervals, to feel out what you need to stay motivated and on track.
If the above exercise resonated with you and you’re keen to try it out, I’ve got 10 free copies of the Q1 Workbook to give away to the first 10 newsletter subscribers. Sign up here.
If you’d like to book a one-off session with me to build out your RECAP + ROADMAP program I’d love to work with you. You can book in for your session by clicking here.
Look out for the other four goal setting mistakes to avoid, coming soon in future blog posts.