Friday Night Lights - chillin out on Friday

Friday night is the right time to kick back, enjoy good company and unwind from the week.  Add to the mix some great music and you set yourself up nicely for a great weekend.
This week I have been grooving along to the chill and funky sounds of Mr Scruff.

Why Mr Scruff?  There isn't too much bollocks or pretension in the music.  And if the internet had a sound - this would be pretty close to my imagining what it would nbe like.  Lots of sounds collected from all corners of the world, thrown into a big blender of imagination and then moulded together into a smooth concoction of sweet sound.

My 2011 work and business goals

My 2011 work goals aren't as well defined or laid out as my 2010 goals.  That may change as the year proceeds but in the meantime here are the areas I am focussing on -

• Knowledge.  I need to increase my knowledge and robustness of understanding for my workplace and the various areas of knowledge therein.
• Relaxation.  This year I will worry less about trying to get somewhere and be someone.  instead I will focus on enjoying what I and my team are challenged with.
• Expansion.  2011 is a year for growing both personally and socially.  In 2010 the social area was one that I did miserably in as far as my workplace.  This year I aim to correct that.
• Value add.  This is my key work goal for 2011.  I want to be able to add value to my job, my team and those around me through who I am, what I know and who I know.  This is the area that I really want to nail and do well. 

With some hard work and sweat mixed in with a dash good luck hopefully I will succeed.  If I can straing all these areas together then I am sure I will continue to 'go places'.

Where to from here?

Career planning is important.  Having an idea of where you are heading, having goals to get there and a plan to match are vital to enabling you to achieve success.  Lets look at the three areas -

• Goal.  This is the end point or the dream finish.  I recommend that you view the following pages which provide some great ideas around goal setting and SMART goals.
• Plan.  This is the way/method you will use to head towards your goal destination.  The plan could be to sign up for some classes or University study.  It could be you would like a coach or a mentor.  Planning will help you make steps forwards.
• Timetable.  The timetable adds to your goal some urgency and framework.  By having a clearly labelled time you are more likely to get motivated to get up and get going.

Once you have a plan and get started moving towards your goal remember to - stay flexible!  There is more than path up the mountain and things may not always turn out as you want them to.  But keep moving forward and adjust the three factors - goals, plans and timetables - to suit your current environment and ability to achieve.

“Never measure the height of a mountain until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was.”  Dag Hammarskjold .

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lamerentertainment/1581770980/)

Strategy = Vision and Mission

Strategy is what people use when they apply common sense, valuable insight or proven methods to any given situation.  Strategy is a series of principles or guiding methods that enable an organisation to move from point A to point B.

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joriel/2845792224/)

At business school (MBA class) the strategy course was made up of three basic methodologies and actions:

1. 
   
   The mission statement.  Why do you exist?  And what do you exist for?
2. 
   
   The vision statement.  The values and guiding principles of the organisation. 
3. 
   
   Putting it into action.  This is where the rubber meets the road.

Strategy is a combination of knowing who you are and why you exist coupled with the ability to assess and understand the current environment. 

Strategy is about using your knowledge of who you are and why you exist and exploiting opportunities in the current environment to your advantage.

Strategy is about understanding what you see in front of you and having skills, knowledge and actions ready to implement at the drop of a hat.

Management Brands

Whats your brand?  And how do you define one?  HBR has a great post on this exact subject matter.

Goals, Dreams and Getting There

Lets face facts - life can get us down at times.  And when we feel like we are in a rut and can;t out of it - what do we do?  What should we do?  Seek.  Seek out help. 

Self help books are okay but the best method for moving forward or getting out of a rut is to talk to others.

I like the fact that Waikato University are taking the initiative and are willing to help people get their lives on track.  For a very small investment of $65 people can write themselves a new mission statement, figure out some goals and plan on how they will get to where they want to be.

That's a very handy investment if it means people can feel better about themselves and their lives.

I highly recommend attending this course or finding on like it closer to where you physically are.

For some further thoughts you can also check out Seth Godin's post on self-help here.

Quaterly Performance Review

The first three months of 2010 have passed already. So now is a good time time to go back and review the goals and objectives that I set for for the year and assess - where am I up to in my progress?

My original resolutions and focus areas can be summarised as follows -

1. Compliance.
2. Excellence.
3. Teamwork.

So how do I rate my progression so far this year?

Compliance -A; Excellence - B+; Teamwork - B+.

(Note - I usually rate myself a bit harder than I should so I am happy with the results to date.)

• Compliance is the single biggest area that needed working on. And I feel that I am succeeding in that. Compliance is defined as - following instructions, adhering to regulations and making sure others are aware and also comply with the guidelines set out for the organisation.
• Excellence is coming along nicely and it's always easier to a task properly or the best of our ability when it is something we care about and get some fulfillment out of.
• Teamwork is going well. This year has been odd because the 'team' I manage has changed. I now have seperate two areas to focus on. In order to look after both I have had to let go of who I thought was most important (staff) for others who are just as important but take up far more of my time (students).

As far as my personal goals go - I am well on my way to getting to where I want to be. By July I will have completed half my goals for the year which will line me up nicely for finishing the year that I thought I would at the beginning of the year.

"We have no control of the locations of our dreams, we do however control the steps and paths we take on our way to get there." (Me).

How are your goals going so far this year? Are you achieving? What area's do you think you need to spend a bit more time on before you make your next appraisal?

Life Lessons - To Do List

The choice is yours.

"How we spend our days is of course - how we spend our lives" Annie Dillard.

(Thanks to Daphnee Maree for posting the graphic.)

Breakthrough in 2010

Here are four keys to breakthrough that Zig Ziglar has posted on his weekly newsletter -

Insight #1: Integrity makes your mission possible.

Insight #2: Wisdom chooses the right doors at the right time and helps you come up with the right plan.

Insight #3: Strength and discipline give you the fuel to reach your goal.

Insight #4: Hope keeps your boat afloat.

Lets add some application to those keys. Here are my thoughts -

1. Integrity. Choosing to do what is right even when it seems certain doing what isn't right would be so much easier. Trust is everything.

2. Wisdom. Listen to the small voice that speaks to you in your mind. It is called your conscience and it is valuable. Ignore it at your own risk.

3.Discipline. You need to set a goal, focus on it, remind yourself what it is and then work out the small steps you need to take to fulfill it. Then ACT!

4. Hope. Don't let setbacks or disappointments keep you from being happy or acheiving your goals, Rather use setbacks, criticism and negative feedback as markers and signs of areas in your life that still require work.

Make 2010 work for you!

2010 Management Goals

Here are the top three resolutions I have for 2010 as far as my management goes -

1. Compliance: (a) the act or process of complying to a desire, demand, proposal, or regimen to coercion, (b) conformity in fulfilling official requirements.


2. Excellence: (a) the quality of being excellent, (b) an excellent or valuable quality.


3. Teamwork: cooperative work done by a team (especially when it is effective).

These are the three key section headings for 2010. My aim now is to break down these headings into specific sections and goals that are SMART.

• Specific;
• Manageable;
• Ambitious;
• Realistic;
• Time measurable.

Watch this space for ongoing updates!

Goals

Do you know where you are going? How do you know if you are going to get there?

Psychologist. Dr Alice Boyes has written some excellent posts on goals and what they mean to us.

I will share a few of my thoughts and will let you seek out Dr Boyes blog for more info.

My thoughts on goals -

1. Write down your dreams - where do you want to finish?
2. Work backwards - if you can see the finished product - what got you there?
3. Separate the end point - into the different paths.
4. Work out which path will get you where you want to be the soonest and easiest.
5. Complete the simple path - get some wins and then start on the harder bits.

Start with the end in mind, figure out what got you there - and go at it!