To Resolve or Not to Resolve?
December 28th, 2011 by Linda Dausend in Management and Leadership Development
When I conduct goal-setting clinics for organizations, I often ask, “How many of you make new-year resolutions?” The majority of the group typically answers in the negative.
Why do they answer that way? They may have cast resolutions aside because in the past their goals were too big. Often people begin with a significant goal (lose 50 pounds or quit smoking), run into some barriers, get discouraged (didn’t lose 50 pounds), see that the goal is too much, and give up. Big goals are great, but if you want to achieve your objectives you need to break them down into smaller “chunks of achievement.”
In addition to establishing goals tied to focused organizational objectives, I encourage you to set personal professional goals. A recent article from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) outlines how more organizations need HR professionals who have expertise in compensation and benefits, project management, and technology. Reading this article helped me identify my personal professional goals; my focused plan revolves around how I will improve in all of these competencies, what the metrics for success will look like, who/what will help me, and how I will break it down into chunks of achievement.
Analyze where you are, where you want to be, and what actions you will take, with chunks of achievement built in throughout a specified timeline. Identify barriers that may crop up as you’re progressing to your goal and how you will fight them. Recruit resources to assist you in being accountable to your goals. And celebrate all along the way.
I would LOVE to hear about your resolutions for 2012. Please share in a comment. We’ll hold each other accountable!
“To resolve” is a great way to start the year!
Linda Dausend is a consultant at FlashPoint. She consults with clients on talent management, helping to align their human resources programs with organizational strategies.
