Set Your 2016 Goals Now!

Happy 2016!

As is my annual tradition, I will start the new year out with a reminder of my advice from an article I wrote in The Washington Post a couple of years back: “Set Goals, Not Resolutions.”  And also see my full article on The Power of Goals at this link.

If it’s time for you to set those once-a-year resolutions that you know will fade by March, then this article is not for you.

But if you are ready to make a long-term commitment to achieving higher levels of performance and having more satisfaction in life, then consider getting serious about goal-setting:

*Set goals as outcomes – on what you really want, not the activities that may lead toward them.

*Make sure that all your goals are SMRT:  Specific, Measurable, Relevant, Time-Bound

*Use the right “A” in your SMART goal formula.  All goals need to be SMRT.  But to be SMART you need to pick the “A” that is right for your situation. Here are your options:

1.  Attainable Goals, which you have an 80+% chance of accomplishing, are good if failing will have many negative consequences.  Attainable goals are good to build some momentum with easy wins, or to learn more about new environments, or if you are concerned about getting discouraged.

2.  Aggressive Goals, which you have a 35% chance of accomplishing, will improve your performance.  Research shows that the more difficult the goal, the higher the level of performance.*  If you feel like you have a good system and you want to maximize performance of it, then this method will help you do it.

3.  Almost Impossible Stretch Goals, which you have a 1% chance of accomplishing, will require you to design innovative ways of going about accomplishing your goal.  “Working harder” on the same process won’t do it.  You have an opportunity for breakthrough performance with Almost Impossible Stretch Goals.

*Celebrate Noble Failure.  If you are inspired to pursue a goal and you go for it, but you don’t make it all the way, then appreciate the progress you have made and appreciate that you worked hard at something you really cared about.  This mind-set will bring you more long-term success than letting the fear of failure keep you from doing what truly inspires you.

I provide more extensive detail on goal setting in this article, The Power of Goals.  If you use these principles and apply them to your personal and work life then I promise you much higher levels of performance, fulfillment, and satisfaction.   But it only works if you take it on as a true, committed discipline – not a once a year fad.  Good luck with all of your goals!

*A Theory of Goal Setting & Task Performance, by Edwin Locke and Gary Latham

For more ideas on how you can lead breakthroughs in your organization, follow this blog and check out my web site at www.SheehanNonprofitConsulting.com   You will find free resources you can download, including a Breakthrough Strategy Workbook that you can download at no cost.  You can also check out my book, Mission Impact:  Breakthrough Strategies for Nonprofits, and buy it if you are interested.  And you can follow Sheehan Nonprofit Consulting on Facebook.

More Than Fundraising Needed

“We cannot fundraise our way out of government cutbacks!!! Board members whose organizations serve low income and disadvantaged populations must advocate for the clients they serve.”

-Chuck Loring, BoardSource Senior Governance Associate & Senior Partner; Loring Sternberg, Associates

Chuck Loring is an expert in Board Governance and Fundraising.  He is a former nonprofit CEO and a leading nonprofit consultant (full disclosure – he is also a friend).

I think that Chuck’s words here are a rally cry for every Board member of every nonprofit organization in America.  And, in fact, he is part of a real rally.

The rally is called Stand For Your Mission.  It is a campaign which calls on all nonprofit decision-makers to stand for the organizations they believe in by actively representing their missions and values, and creating public will for important policy changes.  It is a collaborative effort initiated by the Alliance for Justice, BoardSource, the Campion Foundation, the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, the Knight Foundation, and the National Council of Nonprofits, the campaign seeks to unleash the full potential of nonprofits to advance their missions by engaging board leaders more directly in the advocacy work of their organizations.

Some of the goals include:

*Bring about a sustainable shift in the understanding and expectations around board engagement in advocacy

*Move advocacy from an ancillary to an essential role for all board members

*Strengthen our collective ability to advance the public good

Check out their web site and see how you and your Board can be involved.  We all need to be even stronger advocates for our causes regarding public policy so we make even more of a Mission Impact.

For more ideas on how you can lead breakthroughs in your organization, follow this blog and check out my web site at www.SheehanNonprofitConsulting.com   You will find free resources you can download, including a Breakthrough Strategy Workbook that you can download at no cost.  You can also check out my book, Mission Impact:  Breakthrough Strategies for Nonprofits, and buy it if you are interested.  And you can follow Sheehan Nonprofit Consulting on Facebook.

Promoting Mission & Values

We know that mission, vision, and values are core to the identity of any organization.  And I often tell leaders that one of their most important responsibilities is to keep these in the forefront of their coworkers minds.  But how do you do that?

Recently, Dr. Alex Triantis – our Dean at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland – had our marketing/communications and facilities teams work together to post our Mission and Values on nice big signs at the front entrance of our building, right by the elevators.  They have been there for a while now, but the other day I realized how much I liked them there.  What better things to look at to help you focus as you begin another day at work!

Our values include:

*We do the right things the right way.

*We embrace challenges and opportunities.

*We have a collective passion for excellence.

How can you not get fired up looking at that first thing in the morning!?!

And our mission includes the phrase “We equip current and future leaders to assess complex problems and deliver innovative solutions.”  I tell our EMBAs that we expect them to be Innovative, Impact Leaders.

You can read more about our mission and values at this link.

What can you do to help keep your mission, vision, and values in the forefront of people's minds in your organization?  Big signs may not be the answer for everyone.  But there are ways – big and small – that you can help keep the importance of your Mission Impact alive for people.  You are only limited by your creativity.

For more ideas on how you can lead breakthroughs in your organization, follow this blog and check out my web site at www.SheehanNonprofitConsulting.com   You will find free resources you can download, including a Breakthrough Strategy Workbook that you can download at no cost.  You can also check out my book, Mission Impact:  Breakthrough Strategies for Nonprofits, and buy it if you are interested.  And you can follow Sheehan Nonprofit Consulting on Facebook.

Diversity Fuels Creativity

Greetings from Singapore, where I have been attending the annual Executive MBA Conference with other leaders from across the globe who run these programs at various universities.  This is always a mentally stimulating meeting in which thought leaders from top corporations and universities share what they believe today’s – and tomorrow’s – executives need to thrive in our ever-changing world.

One continuing theme I heard from many speakers – and that we all know is true – is the need for organization’s today to be continually innovative and creative.  But how do we do that?

A number of speakers stressed the importance of diversity and divergent thinking among leadership teams as a way to fuel innovation.  Today’s leaders need to:

“Be Flexible”

“Value Differences.  Believe that difference is good.”

“Influence others without using authority.”

“Foster a culture where people feel free to speak their mind.”

One speaker said “Don’t allow hierarchy to squash innovation.”

All of this is easier said than done.  It means that you, as a leader, need to proactively recruit people into your organization and onto your senior team who think differently than you do.  It will be uncomfortable and require you to work through conflicting viewpoints.

It would be a lot easier to hang out with people who pretty much think the same way you do.  But if you do that, you are unlikely to continually produce innovative, breakthrough ideas.

Leveraging the divergent views and talents of others is more important to making a Mission Impact than ever before.

For more ideas on how you can lead breakthroughs in your organization, follow this blog and check out my web site at www.SheehanNonprofitConsulting.com   You will find free resources you can download, including a Breakthrough Strategy Workbook that you can download at no cost.  You can also check out my book, Mission Impact:  Breakthrough Strategies for Nonprofits, and buy it if you are interested.  And you can follow Sheehan Nonprofit Consulting on Facebook.

Your Personal Mission & Vision

You have spent a lot of time figuring out your organization’s mission and vision.  How about your personal mission and vision?

There are a lot of different ways to go about writing up your personal mission statement.  Here are some questions to get started on clarifying your personal mission:

“What do you want your personal legacy to be?”

“What are you leaving behind?”

“What contributions do you want to make to others and to the world?  

Once you write up your mission then you can create a vision.  My favorite question is:

“What would you want your life to be like if you could have it any way you wanted it?”

When I went through this exercise, I first identified the most important “domains” of my life – those aspects that are most important to me.  For example, some of those included Spiritual Life, Work Life, Fun, Family & Friends, Health, etc.  And I then went on to describe what those aspects of my life would look like if I could have it any way I wanted it.

What should you do with this once you have it all done?

There are lots of valuable ways to use your mission & vision.  I briefly review my personal mission most every morning when I do my prayers & meditations.  I feel like it gives me focus for the day.

No surprise – I use my vision to create five year goals for myself.  Then I use those to set annual goals.  I review the vision and goals every week as I make my action plan for the week.  Too much?  It works for me!  You can devise your own system. 

The main value is taking some time to get clear on “Why Am I Here?” & “Where Am I Going?” and then working along at “How Am I Going to Get There?”  As you work on that last part, I recommend following the advice in my article The Power of Goals.  Good luck to you on your path to make a personal Mission Impact! 

For more ideas on how you can lead breakthroughs in your organization, follow this blog and check out my web site at www.SheehanNonprofitConsulting.com   You will find free resources you can download, including a Breakthrough Strategy Workbook that you can download at no cost.  You can also check out my book, Mission Impact:  Breakthrough Strategies for Nonprofits, and buy it if you are interested.  And you can follow Sheehan Nonprofit Consulting on Facebook.