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Leadership development is a life-long pursuit in progress, because life is an on-going journey. Leaders are required every day to demonstrate dedication, discipline, good judgment, positive energy, and the belief that you can improve in the pursuit of your goals. Why set goals at all? You set goals in order to give yourself direction and keep yourself focused on what you want to achieve! Success demands focus. Focus is the hallmark of successful people. Your ability to get focused and stayed focused is paramount to your success as a leader. To accomplish anything in life, it helps to know what you want to achieve as the result of your actions rather than running aimlessly in circles with no plans and no goals. Do you feel like you are on a wheel going in circles? . . . Can’t seem to stop the wheel? . . . Want to get off the wheel and take charge of what you want to achieve as the result of your actions. Set your goals and The Webster Dictionary definition of a goal is “the end toward which effort is directed.” Setting your goals and managing your goals give you the edge in:
Did you ever read the classic book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll? Remember when Alice was talking with the Cheshire cat regarding which way she should go? Alice was confused because she didn’t know what she wanted; she had no goals. Alice lacked both direction and focus. Here is the excerpt from the book:
Managing your goals helps you realize when you are off course. Your goals steer you back in the right direction. Goals help you make difficult decisions when faced with the myriad of choices that life presents to you. Without goals you are on a road without direction. The more specific your goals, the easier it is to map your way and achieve what you want and reach your potential. Experienced leaders have learned that it takes personal responsibility to remain on track; it’s not up to anyone else - - just you. You decide what you want to accomplish and when. Life has a way of distracting us from what we want to accomplish. Goals minimize (and sometimes diminish) the distractions to remaining on track. Goals Management involves more than just setting your goals. Goals Management includes setting your goals, evaluating your goals, achieving your goals, and updating your goals. As a DPA supervisor and/or team leader, it also includes coaching Goals Management. Success requires Goals Management - - end of story! Life is a journey. A journey with meaning needs goals and specific plans to achieve the goals. For most of us success does not happen by accident. Performance is accelerated by time invested in strategy. There is no better time than the present to take control of your journey and to reach your destination of success. Goals Management is not about timing - - it’s about decision. Success is active, not passive. All plans, goals, require action. Preparation is not a substitute for action. Action without planning is the root cause of most failure. Success is a choice. With a plan to lead you, you can figure out how to get where you are going. Hard work is important, but working smart is more important. Stop trying harder. Implement new solutions to accomplish more in less time with a fraction of the effort. Things change. Goals Management shapes, shifts and flexes your goals in order for them to fit the changing times, thereby maintaining direction and focus that is relevant to the achievement of your goals. Benefits of Goals Management are:
Success is the destination. You decide what you want, why you want it, and how and when you plan to achieve it. No one else can or should do that for you. Success is a personal responsibility. Success requires Goals Management! ‘Goals Management’ is part of the Leadership Development Series of training courses.
After you discuss the Goals Management training course and training schedule with your supervisor, please register for a Goals Management training class using the on-line registration tool on the SD&T web page at: http://dpaweb.hss.state.ak.us/training/
A Learner’s Guide (workbook) will be furnished. The only thing you need to bring to class is your sharp pencil and your sharp mind! For additional information, please contact Joy Dunkin by email Joy.Dunkin@Alaska.gov or by phone number 269-7930. Joy Dunkin, Training Manager
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