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Mentors, Personal Development
I was reading a book this week on "collaboration" in the not-for-profit workplace, and I started taking several notes in my own journal. Recently, I co-facilitated the coordination of a mentoring program for one of our US-based clients. The idea is to pilot the program with several partners and "career-starters," and then implement similar "learning-mastery" programs in other offices around the world.
It just so happens that client is a large NGO. But, I'm still finding similarities to the kinds of leadership and learning development issues they are facing to the very same areas of focus our corporate clients are dealing with day-to-day in their offices.
In fact, this week I am here in London working one-on-one with a senior executive as we study and dissect their own workflow, productivity and leadership practices. Having facilitated these "workflow-coaching" sessions for the past 9 years, I can anticipate of few of the things that we'll address in our few hours together. Among them will be:
1) Watch your promises - to others, and yourself. It seems that we're making more and more promises, faster and faster these days. A lot of our work comes down to watching very carefully what you say YES to, and then managing those "yeses" to completion.
2) Set up your setup for success - look at your organizational and workflow systems. How are you managing your E-mail, your tasks, your calendar(s) and your ideas? Reading a book on organization, watching a video on focus and workflow attentiveness and attending a course outlining productivity best practices are all great ways to study HOW you work, so you can be more effective in WHAT you have to do.
3) Get someone on your "team." Ok, so I'm writing a full article on this topic for LifeHacker.com this Sunday (check out our past LifeHacker articles here). I hope that you'll take the time, energy and focus necessary to align yourself with a mentor or coach who can help push, pull and encourage you on your way from where you are, to where you think you're heading. The great thing about working with a mentor - especially one who gets to spend an hour or so each month with you over the course of a year - is that they will see where you are going, and make suggestions you might not necessarily come up with on your own.
Write down 3 possible candidates for a new mentor.Write down 30 possible goals you would ask a mentor to help you with.
Pick one mentor...pick ONE goal. Go for it, between now and next December. Let's see what happens!
Change is constant: The global mindset (if there is such a thing) and expanding technology alter how we work, play, travel, and even think. Information is coming at us faster and faster; the next phone call or e-mail can even take precedence over reading THIS blog post!
Now, of course I didn’t write anything here you don’t already intuitively know. However, I would like to encourage you to reflect on your productivity program and habits and ask yourself,
“How is what I’m doing in alignment with the current realities of my life, my work and my goals?”
As I write this, the economic and political news casts are full of rapidly changing information. The way things used to get done, from how some people were able to secure a home mortgage to how cities were running their credit union programs, is going to be different.
Change is constant, so I encourage people to practice change when it’s not necessary; to practice on the small things if you will. In fact, the latest TeleSeminar I facilitated (just 25 minutes) was on this very topic.
We shared very specific examples of how to practice changing on day-to-day things so that you can perform on the more important, more significant ones.
Please contact us to get your copy of this recording!
[photo
by batega]
Results come from effort expended on a particular goal or milestone. When a goal is achieved, pause long enough to celebrate the achievement. Don’t “just” finish a project and move immediately on to the next on. Instead, reflect on and acknowledge the effort it to to achieve that result.
Also, remember to publicly acknowledge upcoming goals and measures for everyone to see. Foster self-starting engagement and leadership by setting the example of working consistently, patiently and directly toward your own production goals. Demonstrate the balance between results and the effort it takes.
One of the things I like to remind people is that as they move from "where they are" to "where they want to be" it's important to let those around you know where you're going! Sometimes, in the rush of excitement, we forget that we're "all together," and leave some of the folks (friends, relatives, co-workers, mentors, direct reports) out of the information-loop.
Advertise your goals, and celebrate the milestones!
I am very, very excited! I just applied to serve as a "one-to-one" coach at an upcoming "Nonprofit Boot Camp" sponsored by the CraigsList foundation.Craigslist Foundation - Boot CampWish me luck (or, put in a good word for me!)
Tags: Craigslistfoundation
I wanted to give you a quick heads-up in case you missed the announcement in our last newsletter. (Sign up here: www.JasonWomackLibrary.com.)
If you are looking to set and achieve a goal in the next few months, or are thinking of changing or replacing some habits, you know firsthand there are plenty of things to get in the way. Sometimes people say there isn’t enough time. Other people say they don’t know where to start.
What do you do to initiate change?
Join us for a special TeleSeminar to learn practical insights on how to focus on and achieve results.
Title: Practice on the small things, perform on the important ones.
Date: Wednesday, September 17th, 2008
Time: 9:30am Pacific, 12:30pm Eastern, 5:30pm in London
Duration: 30-45 minutes (presentation + time for QA/Discussion)
Too often people advise us to “just do it.” However, there is more to understanding goal setting and achievement thank simply writing something down and expecting it to happen. You will leave this TeleSeminar with practical strategies that you can implement immediately.
Please call in about 5 minutes early, just to get entered into the call and to get ready for our TeleSeminar. How do you do it? It's so simple!
Call (712) 451-6000
Listen to the welcome message and prompts and then:
Enter Code - 951197#
Please pass this note on to someone looking for ways to succeed in this mortgage market. We just published an article with them...it's all about setting goals!
Last weekend, I participated in two local triathlon training events - yes, in Ojai, CA! In fact, we've started a small training center to assist people in both fitness and nutrition training, but in effectiveness and workplace performance as well. How cool is THAT!
Well, one thing I realized is that the goal setting processes I use for both sides of my life (fitness=triathlon and effectiveness=writing, speaking, researching) is actually the same process! Interesting how I'd kind of assumed they'd be different...you know, like thinking the way people manage their work is that much different than how they manage their life.
Ever since a mentor suggested I read the book "Psycho Cybernetics" by Maxwell Maltz, I've continued to find other examples of "how goals work. Another book I recommend is Creative Visualization, by Shakti Gawain.
Just last week, Lou Tice (of the Pacific Institute) published a newsletter outlining the "how" of the R.A.S. (the Reticular Activating System).
To further develop the conversation (and the conversation!) of ideas to goals to achievements, I thought I'd share a link to an article Jodi and I had published last month. Here's the link to the Training Magazine article, "How Goals Work."
We'd love to hear any examples you have of setting, achieving and celebrating your own goals! Feel free to leave a comment below!
