Powerful forces – goal setting and accountability
Before you shrug and say yeah yeah yeah, I’ve heard this all before, wait because I have some real-life stories for you.
Once upon a time…
Once upon a time, back in January 2020, when the world was an entirely different place and the frost was on the ground, I ran a LIVE workshop. Yes, live, unreal now I know. It was called New Year New Career and my participants turned up literally and figuratively, to engage in a half-day session focused on the changes they wanted to make in their careers.
As part of the service I was providing (and for a bit of craic!), I offered them an accountability check-in at a later date. The deal was that they decided the time frame in which they wanted me to come back to them to check on their progress towards their stated goals/plan. Some opted for 1 month, others 6 months, others yet 12 months.
6 months later…
So it’s been 6 months and I’ve had my first check-ins and my on my I have to say that I am amazed at the power of setting those goals and the resourcefulness and determination of those ladies who signed up.
Somewhat modestly I have to call it a resounding success!!
One lady I spoke with told me that she didn’t exactly remember what she wrote down, but then added that she had just started a new job 2 weeks ago. Pretty much word-for-word this was what she said her goal was, right down to where she would be working.
Another had wanted to gain more experience and improve her skills in a certain area, and even with the lock-down happening during that 6 months, she had managed to do this.
Kudos to these ladies who bravely stepped up to express their goal and agree to me chasing them up 6 months later.
Never underestimate…
Never underestimate the power of setting a goal
Never underestimate the power of writing a goal down
Never underestimate the power of a time-limit
Never underestimate the power of making yourself accountable, especially to another human being.
Forming your goal, verbalising it, giving it a time-frame and agreeing to be answerable to someone will all help you focus on the goal, make it more real for you, help you stop procrastinating or making excuses and spur you into taking action steps towards it.
Hire a coach, slay your goal!
Coaching is a wonderful mechanism to help you do all of this, your coach is your cheerleader, they are up for you, willing you on. They know you can do it and they can support you in coming up with you goal, help you settle on a plan, test your commitment and be your accountability partner.
Now doesn’t that sound like something powerful?