Goal Setting

By: Dr. Helen Eckmann

Creating Authentic and Valuable Goals for Life

March 27, 2014

Associate Professor, Brandman University, School of Business and

Professional Studies

Goal Setting Begins with

personal strategy

Answering these questions (to begin):

1. What is working in my life right now?

2. What is the cause of the most pain (worry, anger, sadness)?

3. Is there anything I can do about anything in #2 above?

(if so, it goes on my list, if not apply the 3C’s below)

4. What do I want to improve or change that I can control or cure?

5. What do I enjoy most about my life?

6. Why is this so important to me?

7. Who else will benefit from me reaching my goals?

3 C’s: If I didn’t cause it, can’t control it or can’t cure it, it does not go on my goal list.

Personal Strategic Plan

Where are we now?

Where do we want to

be?

How will we do it?

How will we evaluate

what we are doing?

Personal Mastery

What is personal mastery?Personal mastery, as defined by Peter Senge, is “the discipline of personal growth and learning.” (The Fifth Discipline, p. 141.)

1. Personal Mastery is more than being smart or competent. It is about creating a desired future state and moving toward it.

2. It is about having a Personal Strategic Intent and being careful and kind to those around us as we create this new world.

3. It is also about understanding “creative tension.” The gap between current reality and our personal vision. It is being comfortable with the gap and being gracious to self and others as we move from now to vision.

1. We never, ever have a right to be rude (or ever be perceived as a Bully) when we are exercising Personal Mastery.

SMART Goals

What do I want to improve?

Analyze Interior world?

- What do I want to add? Take away? How will I do this? What will it look like when it is accomplished? How will I measure success?

Middle world?

- What do I want to add? Take away? How will I do this? What will it look like when it is accomplished? How will I measure success?

Exterior world?

- What do I want to add? Take away? How will I do this? What will it look like when it is accomplished? How will I measure success?

Looking at ourselves and our lives as

connected to larger systems

Exterior world

Middle world

Interior world

• Job

• Boards

• Home/City I live in

• Church activities

• Citizen of the world

• Wife

• Mother

• Grandmother

• Spirit life, time with God

• Self talk,

• Learning new things

• Reading

Gaining Internal PowerStart a gratitude journal and make ten entries every

night before sleep.

Spend every hour mindfully, wisely:

Do read instead of watch TV

- Wall Street Journal

- Harvard Business Review

- Best seller

Do eat nutritious foods

- A healthy body will be perceived as being more

energetic and more intelligent

- It isn’t just how others view us, as much as how we view ourselves

- It isn’t about being thin – it is about being strong

Don’t complain

Don’t gossip

Don’t talk too little or too much

Remember: WAIT: Why am I talking?

Establish SMART goals.

Gaining Middle World Power

Review Roles and Responsibilities

1. Determine if any major role or responsibility is missing/needs to adjust

(e.g., grown child still living at home; aging parent)

2. Determine if you want to add a role or responsibility

(e.g., adopt a child, become a Big Brother, get a pet)

3. Assess the current amount of hours spent on the Middle World

5. Review if that is desired state, work out a plan to adjust.

6. Establish SMART Goals.

Gaining Exterior World Power

1. Review roles and responsibilities

2. Assess if the amount of time each week/month/year fits in with your picture of yourself, develop a plan to adjust those hours to your life plan

3. If there is something you strongly desire (“to become a University President”) consider if you are doing the right things to make that happen (add mentor, visit a university four times a year, etc.)

4. Establish SMART Goals.

Systems Thinking vs. FAE

“Fundamental Attribution Error” = FAE

(blaming people for a systems failure).

1. Getting angry with the doctor’s receptionist for the doctor running late.

2. Becoming frustrated with supplier for a late shipment when a doc strike is occurring.

3. Getting annoyed with our kids when we put on ten pounds.

4. Blaming anyone else when we can’t pay off our master card.

What are the steps?

1. Make a 21 day written plan where you “connect” with your progress every night before sleep.

2. Begin each day with an affirmation that you can change.

3. Find yourself someone (who is kind) to be your accountability partner. Give them a copy of your plan.

4. Determine to get back on track every time you step away from your goal (be mindful of how you talk to yourself when you fail. Angry self-talk perpetrates unwanted behavior).

5. Set up 7 day benchmarks and rewards for progress.

6. Progress not perfection is the goal.

Strategic Thinking

Using the work of Peter Senge we look at ourselves as a “whole” person, not just the sum of our “parts” (in other words all of our roles and responsibilities come into play when we create, establish and follow through with goal setting).

References

Chermack, T. (2011). Scenario Planning in Organizations. Berrett-Koehler Publishing. San Francisco.

Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset. The new psychology of success. Random House. New York.

Drucker, P. (1999). Management challenges for the 21st century. New York, Harper Collins.

Heifitz, R. (1994). Leadership without easy answers. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Senge, P., Smith, B., Kruschwitz, N. Laura, J. & Schley, S. (2010). The necessary revolution: How Individuals and organizations are working together to create a sustainable world. New York. Broadway BusinessPublishing.

Verzuh, E. (2012). The Fast forward MBA in Project Management. Hoboken, NJ. Wiley & Sons.

11/25/2015

Thank you

Dr. Helen Eckmann

Heckmann@Brandman.edu

Brandman University

School of Business and Professional Studies