Posts Tagged ‘Goals’
December 9th, 2011
What is really impacting your pursuit of the results you want to achieve? If there is something holding you back in your life and chosen career, what can you do about it?
Certainly the economy — domestic and global — has impacted most of us, and will continue to have a negative impact for at least a few more years. But it is too easy to blame outside influences and avoid taking responsibility for what we need to do in order to reach our goals.
There are external factors — including biases, prejudices, regulatory barriers, and so on — that are out of our immediate control. Yet there are things we can do that will improve our situation if we persistently stay the course.
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Tags: Goals, Improvement, Progress, Results, Success
Posted in Self-Development | No Comments »
November 22nd, 2011
There are all sorts of ways to approach planning for the upcoming year. What has always been clear to me is that you need to have a plan. Your plan should be in writing and it should be specific, including the actions expected, who’s responsible, and when each step should be completed.
There are a few important “mindsets” that will keep you focused on a creating a plan that can help you achieve your desired results.
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Tags: Achievement, Business Plan, Goals, Mindset, New Year, Planning
Posted in Strategy and Planning | 3 Comments »
April 25th, 2011
Imagine flying the Apache AH-64 helicopter, cruising at 165 miles per hour with one eye on what’s ahead and the other eye focused on your helmet’s eyepiece and its sophisticated navigation and armaments systems.
Yes, that’s right! One eye must fly the plane and the other eye, simultaneously, keeps track of sophisticated systems. These pilots are amazing.
It takes that same kind of concentration to lead a team in today’s competitive and increasingly complicated environment. Leaders must keep one eye on the immediate challenges, and the other eye on the road ahead and the strategic adjustments and changes that will be required.
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Tags: Details, Goals, Priorities, Strategic Thinking, Strategy, Systems, Vision
Posted in Leadership | 1 Comment »
April 12th, 2011
One of the great things Building Champions’ coaches do in helping people prepare their Life Plan is to ask them to compose their own obituary. You write it the way you want to be remembered by your family, friends, colleagues and others important to you. For me, this was a powerful experience.
But how I wanted to be remembered was probably not how it would really be written if my life had ended right then. There were gaps that I needed to address.
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Tags: Gaps, Goals, Improvement, Life Planning, Obituary, Relationships, Why
Posted in Life Planning | No Comments »
January 10th, 2011
Recently, at a roundtable meeting we hosted for CEOs, Coach Barry Engelman offered the group six powerful “C” words that leaders should keep in mind as they start 2011.
Barry has graciously permitted me to share these words with you, and I’ve added my own thoughts as well. I believe that all leaders can use a good dose of “Vitamin C” for the New Year.
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Tags: Achievement, CEO Roundtable, Communication, Goals, Vision
Posted in Leadership | 3 Comments »
December 13th, 2010
As we approach another year, we go through the “exercise” of preparing a new budget, reviewing our vision, and detailing the actions needed to reach our goals.
These are all reasonable and necessary activities, both for our businesses and for us personally. However, these activities are often approached as just an annual exercise … something to do and get done so we can get back to work.
When completed, the exercise goes back on the shelf or the corner of the desk to be reviewed again next year.
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Tags: Expectations, Goals, Planning, Processes, Vision
Posted in Self-Development | 1 Comment »
November 16th, 2010
At the Building Champions Experience in September there were many discussions about finding our “why.” In essence, what is our purpose, and is what we are doing each day as meaningful as it could be?
These are critical and difficult questions to answer. How we think about them can uplift us, shape our attitude, guide our direction, influence the actions we take, and help us improve.
One of my colleagues, Steve Scanlon, pointed out that, “in life there is no such thing as standing still; you are either moving forward or backward.” If we think we can tread water in pursuit of our goals, we are sadly mistaken. The world around us will continue to evolve and move forward, and if we are not advancing toward our goal then we are falling behind.
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Tags: Achievement, Goals, Purpose, Vision, Why
Posted in Vision | No Comments »
October 25th, 2010
How many times do we begin with great intentions, but fail to get the job done? Our plans were solid, we had detailed action steps, but something got in the way and we didn’t follow through.
How much time is wasted by incomplete efforts with poor results, and nothing tangible to show for it? Probably more than we would like to admit.
In the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, John Stephen Akhwari represented Tanzania in the marathon event, and he had every reason in the world to give up.
Akhwari had dislocated his knee in a fall and was hurt, bleeding and bandaged when he entered the darkened arena. Most of the crowd had already left, as Akhwari came in well over an hour behind the runners who finished before him.
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Tags: Challenges, Following Through, Goals, Integrity, Opposition
Posted in Self-Development | 1 Comment »
April 5th, 2010
How many times have we heard the expression “you can’t see the forest for the trees?”
I have worked with managers, including chief executives, who stuggle to see the big picture and keep consistent focus on their overall goals and business strategy. They become so immersed in day-to-day operations that they don’t take time to sit back and view the landscape.
Most managers like the details; it’s what they know best. But when they don’t monitor how individual actions are fitting into the accomplishment of their overall goals, they may lose sight of their strategic vision.
As with so many things in life, balance is important.
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Tags: Big Picture, Details, Goals, Opportunities, Perspective
Posted in Vision | No Comments »
March 29th, 2010
Without clear standards and regular measurement, performance suffers. Even the self-motivated achiever will produce disappointing results when they lack direction.
Every manager and employee must have a clear understanding of what’s expected of them, and they must be measured against those expectations daily. Inspect often to ensure the results you expect are achieved, and let everyone know where his or her performance ranks.
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Tags: Expectations, Goals, Improvement, Performance
Posted in Leadership | 3 Comments »
Jerry Baker began his career in the management development program at Ford Motor Company, later became a manager of budgets and analysis for Northrop Corporation, then furthered his management development as Deputy Director for the California Department of Commerce when Ronald Reagan was Governor.