Innovate Learning

Sticking to it in the new year

It is the time of the year when the Jazzercize classes are packed and there's a line for the treadmills. Many of us yearn for new beginnings and a new year gives us an opportunity to consider what changes we want to make in our lives.

As is the case most years, I suspect there will be more elbow room in Jazzercise and the ellipticals will be ready for our feet when we're ready to hop on. It is so easy to have our aspirations translate into a lack of follow through.

Here are a few ideas to help keep your resolutions and achieve your 2010 goals.

Make it measurable

Just saying that you're going to spend more time with your kids or learn a new computer program for work isn't going to cut it. Answer the question of how will you know when you "got there" at the end of the year and you'll be on your way to measuring your goal.

POLL

State it as an affirmative

Part of the way we set goals can be self-defeating. Instead of saying that you're going to stop doing something (e.g. stop eating poorly), it can be very helpful to state the goal in a positive way (e.g. start eating healthy). Affirm yourself and the goal in the way you phrase it and be reminded of why it is so important each time you look at it.

Track it

Speaking of "looking at your goals," you need a way of tracking how you're progressing toward your goal.

In the interest of eating healthy and exercising regularly, I have found a combination of a calendar posted on my wall where I see it every day and an iPhone application as a good means for raising my consciousness surrounding my goal attainment.

I enjoy using technology to help track goals, but you can definitely get a lot of mileage out of a paper-based approach. Check out these great printable paper productivity tools, highlighted by Lifehacker.

Each time I've dedicated myself to tracking what I eat and how I exercise using the free LoseIt! app, I am successful at losing weight. I easily get distracted by the rest of life, however, so this year I'll be using their new feature of having accountability partners in my goal setting. Without sharing the details of my specific weight, I can instead just specify a weight loss goal and share my progress with individuals of my choosing. Those of you with iPhones can't go wrong with LoseIt! as a tracking tool.

For the big picture tracking, I enjoy the Vision Board iPhone app, which allows me to create various categories of goals and include quotes and photos to paint the picture better of my goals.

As it gets down into the details of executing the plans, I still am a huge fan of Remember the Milk. If you're a pro user ($25/year), you can use their iPhone (or Blackberry) app for free, giving you access to your tasks on your mobile device, as well as over the internet. I also love that you can email individual tasks via email, or entire lists over email, which makes it easy to forward emails that come in for future follow up, leaving an empty in box.

Keep it attainable

One of the other reasons we fail to achieve our goals is that we get carried away in terms of setting them. Pick three to five of the most important things you could achieve this year that would make the biggest difference in your life. Build your systems around making sure that these big dreams are fulfilled and if you're able to do even more than that - you'll be that much further ahead.

Give yourself lots of reinforcement around your top goals. Tell people about your goals. Write them down. Post them (and track them) somewhere where you'll regularly be reminded of how you're proceeding toward them. Build relevant reward systems into your goal setting, so help keep yourself motivated toward achievement. For example, don't tell yourself you'll take yourself out to dinner for a week if you achieve your exercise and healthy eating goals, as you'll negate the importance of the goal as well as possibly sabotage your early successes. Instead, consider telling yourself that you'll buy yourself a new workout outfit, or schedule a beach walk with a friend once you hit your first milestone.

RESOURCES:

ARTICLE: Introduction to the middle way of planning

ARTICLE: Making your resolutions stick (Lifehacker)

ARTICLE: Two lists you should focus on every day (Harvard Business Review)

BOOK: Getting things done (David Allen)

ARTICLE: Remember the milk and getting things done (GTD)

BLOG: 43 Folders (productivity)

Let us know in the comments section what else you'll be doing to maximize your potential in 2010 and beyond.

Making Authentic Connections

A friend of mine recently moved to another state and has been courageous in already signing up for some HR-specific networking events. She asked for my advice and the first thing I reminded her was that most people are uncomfortable networking and that she is not alone. I do not perceive myself as an expert, though it helps when I remember that many of the people I will be meeting are just as wary as I am of this seemingly forced opportunity to connect as I am.

BEFORE

Before you go, it is critical to have thought hard about your personal brand and what you most intend to communicate to others. McNally & Speak (2003) write:

"Your [personal] brand takes shape as a result of your ability to make what you do distinctive, relevant, and consistent."

They have a great way of helping you think about what you want to project by developing a personal brand model.

Roles

You begin by identifying the different roles that you play for others in your life. You can keep your roles specific to a professional capacity, though I have found that if I think of my personal and professional lives together, it helps me maintain better balance in life, particularly in keeping my most important relationships protected and prioritized.

Standards

This part of the exercise is where you consider how you deliver your roles. These are like your standards of service. What level of performance can others expect from you? Keep in mind that one of the best ways to build a brand is to be distinct - so think about how you are unique in what you deliver to others.

Style

Last, consider how you interact with others. Since a brand ultimately comes down to a relationship a company (or a person) has with a customer (or a person with whom they interact), the way we will relate to others becomes an important aspect of our personal brand.

I suggest that before you attend that networking event, job interview, or annual planning meeting that you reflect on these three elements of your personal brand. You can consider buying Be Your Own Brand: A Breakthrough Formula for Standing Out from the Crowd to go through their exercises and to solidify your approach, or just get out  a piece of paper and begin by writing down your roles, standards and style.

While working on my doctorate, one of our professors, Vance Caesar, had us go through this exercise. Below is what I came up with as I considered my on roles, standards and style.

Final preparations

The only other thing you need to do to prepare is to be sure you have a professional way for people to remember you and to keep in touch. If you are working, of course all you need to do is to be sure to tuck a bunch of business cards in your wallet/purse. If you are not working, have some business cards printed that list your contact information. One of the least inexpensive ways to do this is to use a business card template and to print them yourself, using pre-perforated paper products from an office supply store. I also recommend Vista Print, as they frequently have great deals on professionally printed business cards and you can use their templates, if you prefer them over the ones that come with your Word Processing program. The two most important things to remember in this process are:

1. Keep your business card design simple and professional (less is more)
2. Make sure your email address is professional and contains your first and last name (e.g. john.towers@gmail.com)

DURING

While you're at the event, capitalize on the opportunity to connect. Arrive well before the 'main event,' if you are there to see a speaker or to attend a meeting.

1. State your name clearly and slowly - it can be tough for people to remember names. You can help by saying your name clearly and slowly and by pausing between your first and last names, so the listener knows where your first name ends and your last name begins. Practice this a few times out loud right now. It may feel silly (especially if you've decided to read this blog while in public), but the listener will never notice you are doing this and will have a greater likelihood of remembering your name.
2. Give a firm handshake and maintain eye contact - you know what it is like to have a wimpy handshake. Don't give that same feeling to others. Ask three separate people you trust to shake your hand and give you feedback on what you're communicating in that simple gesture.
3. Ask at least three questions to your new contact - the appropriate question to ask can vary considerably, depending on where you are. If you're at a party, a natural conversation starter would be 'how did you come to know [our host]?" If you are at a professional association, you could ask the person about how they have been involved in the organization and if they have any recommendations for new members. Between the questions, you will of course want to be able to have something to contribute to the conversation, so your lifelong quest for learning will payoff in this sense, too. Ferrazzi (2005) writes in Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time:

"Just remember not to monopolize the conversation or go into long-winded stories. Share your passion, but don't preach it."

Consider signing up for Ferrazi's tip of the week to keep you current on building relationships for professional success and personal happiness. Students (undergrad or grad) will find these student-specific tips from Ferrazi useful as you navigate school.

AFTER

Ferrazi (2005) reminds us that:

"If 80% of success is, as Woody Allen once said, showing up, then 80% of building and maintaining relationships is just staying in touch."

With all the juggling of priorities that we're expected to do these days, we can tend to prioritize higher those pieces of data that hit us most recently. If you want to form a relationship with someone, you will need to follow up after a first meeting in more than one of the following ways:

1. Send an email with a resource they might benefit from, based on your conversation
2. Call to say it was nice meeting them and to thank them for the advice they gave
3. Follow up with a hand-written thank you note, particularly if you met one-on-one
4. Find out when their birthday is (not at your first encounter, but as the relationship progresses) and call them to wish them a happy birthday on their special day
5. Forward a timely news story, related to their career or industry

Ultimately, I think the word networking should be banished, due to its bad reputation. We should replace it with the phrase, 'building relationships' (which someday soon might also need to be eraticated, due to overuse).

It comes down to being authentic. Helping others achieve their dreams as you pursue yours... If your personal mission involves more than just meeting your own needs, you will no doubt be naturally gifted networker as you seek to change the world.