Goal Setting | CoachDQ

Posts Tagged ‘goal setting’

Potholes — Tolerations Part 2

Thursday, April 7th, 2011

What Are You Tolerating?

Continuing our discussion of tolerations…

Below are some common tolerations cited by my clients and colleagues. Maybe some of these potholes are also in your road.

What people are tolerating at home:

“I need to create a financial plan for my family.”
“I need to take care of the house projects.”
“I need to exercise more — get to the gym.”
“I need to exercise more control over personal finances.”
“I need to clean out the attic/basement/garage.”
“I need to help the kids with school more.”
“I need to take a vacation.”

What people are tolerating at work:

“No raises.”
“No positive reinforcement; even after clients have told me they have gone out of their way to tell my boss they are happy with the work I have done, he never acknowledges it in any way.”
“Unfulfilling work culture and lack of mental challange.”
“Throughout my tenure at my company, I have felt that I can do 100 things acceptably, but when one thing is identified as not good enough in so many words, it becomes a big deal.”
“I wait until I get mad to leave a place.”
Other people’s ‘poor me’ syndrome.”
“Unprofitable professional relationships.”
“Personality dynamics.” –Need I say more about that one!

What people are tolerating personally:

“Waiting to receive permission before acting.”
“Not thinking things thoroughly.”
“Not waiting to learn from my mistakes before taking actions.”
“Waiting for events to happen – being reactive.”
“Letting other people lead the way.”
“My laziness.”
“My internalizing and over-thinking.”
“My inability to keep and meet goals.”
“My weakness for sweets.”
“My lack of willpower .”
“My closed-off attitude – not being willing to open up.”
“My reluctance to try new things more often.”
“My lack of empathy.”
“Not verbalizing my thoughts and acting on them.”
“Not making the most of every moment.”
“Destructive or draining personal relationships.”

All of the above issues could be resolved by making an actionable plan and sticking to it. To quote Nike’s tagline: “Just do it.” No amount of thinking will resolve nagging issues or create the change you crave: you have to act on your thoughts.

If you recognize any of the above tolerations in your own life, make a list of three things you can do to move toward a resolution. Once you fill the potholes, you can start looking ahead to where your road leads!

You can take an inventory of your tolerations by downloading this exercise What Am I Tolerating and call me for your complimentary coaching consult.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEBSITE? Please do, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Dawn Quesnel, CPCC, PCC, known as Coach DQ, is a professional coach, radio show host and workshop leader. Through the use of her B.R.I.D.G.E. programs she helps marketing, advertising, and creative entrepreneurs navigate career or business transition while maintaining a healthy career-life balance. Her core belief that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to, consistently leads clients to uncover hidden resources and strengths. B.R.I.D.G.E. the gap and accelerate your career so you can love your life now! Visit www.CareerLifeBalance.net or http://www.coachdq.com today or for more information email me.

The Robins Are Doing the Deal

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011

Spring in New England is a wonderful, busy time. When I look at my yard, all of nature seems to be networking, planting seeds and making new contacts. Everything is focused on renewal and reconnection.

“Spring Fever” isn’t just for lovers: there’s a real surge of energy in the air at this time of year, and that makes April the perfect month to jump-start your business. Everyone’s coming out of their winter hibernation, anxious to be part of the world again, and that makes this a prime time for networking.

Here are some steps to take to help you take advantage of Spring’s buoyant energy:

Confirm your goals for this year. Write them down, and post them somewhere where you’ll look at them often.
Choose a goal, and write down all the skills that you have to support it. These are the things that you do on a daily basis which will make your goal possible — things like providing great customer service, creating strategic visions, delivering projects on time, or organizing people or information.
Get some backup. Ask friends, colleagues, and existing clients for testimonials and other concrete support. Sometimes, just knowing that other people think you’re great at what you do is enough to pull you out of a muddy winter rut!
Network! Start talking about your goals, and reach out to people who can help you achieve them. Make a list of twenty-five people who you know have information, resources, or advice that will help you. Try to connect with at least five of them each week.
Play “Six Degrees of Separation.” You’re closer than you might think to the people who can help you achieve your goals. Start by making five columns on a sheet of paper.

o Column 1: The person you’d ultimately like to contact (i.e., VP of Marketing at Company X).
o Column 2: How you can be a great resource for the person in Column 1.
o Column 3: People you know who may be able to help you reach the person in Column 1. Get creative here. Utilize your whole social pool.
o Column 4: the date by which you will contact the person in Column 1.
o Column 5: The actual date of contact (and subsequent celebration!).

If you automatically get anxious at the thought of networking, remember that it takes practice — and that even Einstein consulted his colleagues when he was formulating the theory of relativity! And if you need a more earthy comparison, think about those robins bustling around outside your window, or the squirrels chattering in your trees. They work together to make like better. A “networking buddy” can be a great partner in accountability; share your goals and plans to keep one another on track.

For fun, here is the link to the Wikipedia Six Degrees of Separation game. It certainly helps us understand how close we are to anyone we would like to contact. Just promise yourself not to waste too much time playing with Kevin Bacon when you could be playing for your own success. Here is the link, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Degrees_of_Kevin_Bacon.

Using Your Business Intuition

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

On February 2, Tara and I did an interview on BrainTalk Radio with Carrie Hart, author of A Call to Greatness. It was a great exploration into how intuitive thinking can serve the businessperson in very practical and tangible ways.

Carrie says that the expansion of her business began with getting in touch with her intuition. This didn’t mean denying her practical nature; rather, it meant incorporating her “right-brained” self into her left-brained business.

One of Carrie’s primary gifts is intuitive hearing: she quiets her mind, asks a question, and listens for the answer. She started with a “word of the day,” which she would write down without allowing her mind to ask any questions. While the word might not make sense immediately, she would understand it clearly by the end of the day. Every morning, she put herself “in the pocket,” until she was able to slip into that receptive state comfortably and easily. Then, she moved on to asking bigger, more complicated questions. Always, the answers she received guided her in the right direction.

Before a big interview for a consulting job, Carrie went into the ladies room with a scrap of paper, and asked, “How should I approach this?” The startling answer she got was, “Don’t let her get away with it!”

The woman Carrie was meeting with had recently left the job that Carrie was going to be taking over. She seemed so nice — but suddenly, Carrie realized that the plan the woman had been outlining was completely unsubstantiated. “She had written this project plan with these milestone dates with absolutely no possibility of hitting those dates, and no backup behind them. It was all because I had that message in my head…it opened up the whole project for me.” Carrie ended up working with the company for seven years. Her success was founded on the fact that she was able to approach the project from a realistic, grounded viewpoint, instead of basing her targets on the unrealistic plan her predecessor had thrown at her.

Later in the interview, Carrie gave another example of how her intuition served her in her relationship with her boss. “I had this one woman I was working with. She and I had an interesting connection. Before I met with her I would always tune in, and I would get this great advice…She was the senior Vice President where I was working and I had a weekly status meeting with her. One time, I had this long agenda of all these things I needed to go over with her. 10 minutes before the meeting, I went into my space, and asked, how should I approach this? The message I got was, ‘She’s very busy. You’ll have one minute. Just bring up one thing — that’s all.’ So I went through and changed my whole agenda. When I walked in, she said, ‘Oh, Carrie, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you. I have to cancel today’s meeting. I’m so busy.’ And I said, ‘That’s okay, I’ll only take one minute. I just have this one important point to talk to you about.’”

You can also use your intuition to prioritize tasks based on the demands of the day. If you have a list of people you need to call or e-mail, write it out on a piece of paper. Sometimes, names will just jump out at you, or appear to be ringed with light. These are the people you should prioritize. Also make sure the questions you ask of your intuition are open-ended, because sometimes the answer you receive won’t be the one you were expecting — as was the case for Carrie in her interview. “You’ll get answers at the level at which you ask questions,” Carrie says. “If I allow my intuition to truly be my guide, I can be led to things much grander than what my limited question might be asking for.”

Engaging your intuition takes practice, just like anything else. A short daily Q&A session is a great way to get in touch with those “gut feelings” that can guide you through challenging moments. To learn more about Carrie, check out www.carriehart.com. Her other web site, www.poweranimalsunleashed.com, is a great example of an interactive web site that melds technology with intuition.

Listen to the full interview http://www.blogtalkradio.com/coach-dq

Working On Vs. Working In Your Business

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

What’s the difference between working ON your business and working IN your business?

When you’re working IN your business, you’re involved in generating the product or service your business provides. If you’re a salesperson, you’re selling. If you’re a consultant, you’re consulting. If you’re a manufacturer, you’re manufacturing. When we say, “I’m running my business,” this is what we generally think of.

When you’re working ON your business, you’re maintaining your pipeline: networking, researching new markets, preparing sales strategies, updating your marketing materials and web site. Basically, you’re ensuring that, in the future, you’ll be able to keep working IN your business, because you’ll have enough business to keep your business running.

When you look at it objectively, it’s easy to see the value of working ON your business. Unfortunately, knowing it’s important doesn’t always translate to getting it done. It’s very easy to get caught up in the minutia of the daily grind, and lose sight of the big picture.

Ideally, you should be spending about 20% of your time working ON your business. That means one to two hours a day, every day. Without fail.

If you just thought, “That’s impossible! I’ll never get everything done!” then you may need to step back and take another look at your workload. What if you started to delegate, just a little bit? Would that free up more time for you to work ON (a.k.a. grow) your business?

I’ve seen it over and over. People fail to prioritize the aspects of running a business which feel less immediate. But when the project ends, and the work dries up, they’ve got nothing in the pipeline. Then, they have to scramble to generate a pile of new business, which leaves them overwhelmed, and working from a place of lack. Some people have called this “the Money Rollercoaster.”

Here are some ways you can work ON your business every day, so you don’t end up on a wild ride.

Attend networking and/or industry events
Update your social networking sites and web site to reflect your current needs/goals/products
Send e-mails to potential contacts and clients
Ask your network contacts for introductions
Make at least one phone call to a new contact or client per day
Develop low-cost marketing strategies you can implement yourself
Set short– and long-term goals for your business, and create strategies which help you move toward those goals

If you have trouble prioritizing this kind of work over your “real” work, or if you feel ineffective when it comes to strategizing and marketing, don’t worry: you’re not the only one. But once you learn to work ON your business as well as IN your business, you’ll find that you gain a much finer sense of control, purpose, and direction. And isn’t that worth an hour a day?

Your First 90 Days (Part 2)

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

Phase 2: Clearing a Path
During days 45 – 60, it’s helpful to step back a bit and observe the interpersonal dynamics of your new company and workplace. No matter how autonomous you are in your job position, no one works in a vacuum. And if you’re part of an office or corporate team, your success is even more dependent on how you relate to the people around you.

When you enter a new work environment, it’s worth it to take the time to get to know the people who work around you: your boss, your colleagues, your team, and the people under your direction. Learn how they work, and make note of their communication styles. Make it clear that you want to be part of the team, and ask questions about work flow and communication within your direct group of influence. Identify potential trouble spots— like, “Well, Judy likes to hide those project files on her personal desktop, so no one else can mess them up,” or, “John never copies anyone on those e-mails. He just replies directly to the clients.” Consult with other staff members to learn more about personal and company priorities, ongoing projects, and any workplace dynamics which might impact how you get your own job done.

Here are some questions to ask yourself in this phase:

What is your personal communication style?
What people or situations in your workplace do you feel are supportive of you?
What people or situations challenge you?
How can you adjust or improve your communication techniques to better serve your position and the goals of your team/department/company as a whole?

Phase 3: Milestones and Landmarks
By the time you’ve been in your new position for eight weeks or so, you should have a good grasp of your workplace dynamic. You’ve taken steps to streamline your own communication strategies and adapt them to the needs of your position and your team as a whole. Then, armed with this information, you can begin to establish concrete goals and standards based on the capabilities of your team and your own capabilities within that team environment.

With the help of your supervisor or team members, develop specific performance indicators that will help you create and sustain a standard of work you’re comfortable with. Look at which trends are ongoing, and which are project-related. Establish systems for delegating tasks, and checks and balances to prevent important information from slipping through the cracks (i.e., ask Judy to save those files on the server, where they belong). Where possible, make tactful suggestions as to how communication and planning might be improved within your team and the company at large.

Another key action in this phase is to set personal goals for yourself. Work with your boss to set up a six-month review. Establish milestones, and make note of your “landmarks” — the long-term goals you want to set your sights on. Develop strategies for reaching these smaller and larger goals, which may or may not be tied to monetary compensation. If your boss isn’t supportive, try to implement these strategies on your own. Even if no one else knows you have a personal plan in play, setting short-and long-term goals can keep you motivated, active, and engaged in your work long after your first ninety days are over.

Here are some questions to ask yourself in Phase 3:

What are your short-term goals (milestones) in your current position?
What are your long-term goals (landmarks) in your current position?
What specific actions do you have to take in order to move toward those goals?
How can you engage both your peers and your superiors in order to meet these objectives more effectively?

With a strategy firmly in place, you can make your first ninety days on the job productive and effective, and ensure that the next phase of your work experience moves forward in a smooth and positive manner.

A Crisis!

Monday, January 10th, 2011

Let’s take a little trip back in time.

Before I started my coaching business, I was one of the top recruiters in my company, and the number one biller out of six offices in a down economy. The pressure was enormous and the hours brutal, but the money was great and I enjoyed the work, so I put up with it.

One day, my new manager wandered into my office. (our company was acquired by a large franchise staffing firm) “Hi Dawn,” she said in that chirpy voice. “I see you’re married.” She literally picked up my hand, said, “nice ring”. I nodded, confused. “Well,” she went on, “I hope you’re not planning on getting pregnant. I’ll be putting pills in your OJ, Hah, hah” and she walked away. This is no joke.

The truth was, I hadn’t been planning to try for a baby anytime soon at the time. But I knew I wanted a family, and this lady was NOT going to tell me I couldn’t have one.

That day, I reached what I call a “crisis point,” and I knew it was time to get out. It was the push I needed. I had been talking about with my associates and husband for the last 6 months. I couldn’t work for a company that that didn’t value me except as a golden goose.

I’d known for a while this was no longer my ideal work environment. The boss that had promised me a BMW if I hit my target two years in a row. Never followed through and I learned the hard way, that I should have gotten it in writing. I’d seen the people around me burn out under the pressure, and I’d had more than a few tough days myself. But it took that comment from my new to be boss that truly make me realize how unhealthy the situation was.

Many of us know that it’s time for a change, but instead of initiating that change ourselves, we wait around for something to push us into it. We don’t change the problems in our marriages until divorce is looming, and we don’t change the problems in our careers until the only options are burn out or get out or it’s too late and you are laid off. Sometimes, not even burnout will stop us from holding on — we’ll keep showing up anyway, hoping that they’ll kick us out. In other words, we give our choice away, because owning it is too big a responsibility.

I know a woman who hates her job in the marketing department of a construction company. I mean, truly loathes it. A graphic designer of her caliber should have no trouble at all starting up as a freelancer, but she won’t do it. When you ask her why, she’ll mutter something about benefits, and a weekly paycheck. Sometimes, she says that she hopes her boss will fire her, because that would force her to do something—but right now, she’s too drained by the end of the day to even think about putting a resume together. She’s waiting for a crisis, hoping that someone (or something) will make her choice for her.

For others, a major life event is what sparks change: a birth, a death, a divorce, a wedding, a layoff. But do you really need such a major shock to wake up? The tighter the crunch, the fewer options you’ll have — so why not act now, before things build to a head?

One of my most important jobs as a coach is to help people in transition. If you’re feeling a career crisis coming on, don’t wait — take the reins now, and take control of your career.

This quote sums up my story — “If you can’t be a good example — then you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.” Catherine

“Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission.” Eleanor Roosevelt
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Over-Performing

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

The other day, I was at a networking group meeting, and one of the officers asked me if I’d like to take on an ambassadorship. “You’ve got a great background in recruiting, and we could really use your help to generate new membership,” she said. “You’re exactly what we need.”
And she was right. I was a perfect fit for the job. But I didn’t want it, and I told her so.

The next day, the President of the group called me personally, to ask again if I’d take the ambassadorship. I told him no, too. “Thanks for the opportunity,” I said, “But it’s my time, and I need to spend it on other things right now.” Don’t get me wrong — my networking group is important to me. I value the relationships I’ve built there, and we really could use a boost in membership. But is it more important than my time with my daughter and husband? Or my time with my clients? Or the time I spend exercising and taking care of myself? Because hours in one of these areas would have to be sacrificed in order to make time for the ambassadorship — or, I could allot a very small number of hours to the networking group, do a half-assed job, and leave everyone dissatisfied. So as much as I would have liked to say yes, I had to say no.
I can’t tell you how many years it’s taken me to learn this lesson.

If you’re the type of person who likes to say yes, you are probably also the type of person who wakes up in the middle of the night, thinking, “How the heck am I going to get all of this done?” “Why did I commit to doing this?” Time is one thing that we can’t make more of, and if yours is already scheduled to the hilt, you may be suffering from a serious case of over-performing.

Here’s a perfect example: One of my clients recently took a new job, in part because there was so much pressure at her old job. She took a pay cut in her new position, and was determined to find more balance. She’s a self-admitted perfectionist, and now, after only 90 days in the job, she’s coming close to the point of burnout. Turns out, she can’t do her best every day in the number of hours she’d scheduled for work, because she over committed to too many initiatives, so she’s pulling hours from home, family, and herself. The fact that she wants to do her best is commendable, but she’s back in the same position she was in at her last job, and working for a lot less money.

Why do we do this to ourselves? Call it self-competition. Once we’ve established ourselves as performers at a certain level, we believe we always need to perform at that level. Worse, we feel that we need to continually get better, and do more. We never want to be at a level with the bar — even if we set the bar ourselves. What’s more, we don’t take time to revel in our achievements. Once we finish a project, rather than sitting back and basking in the warm glow of pride, we immediately move on to the next thing, and the bar is raised yet again. I know this because I did it for years and now it’s easy for me to recognize in my clients.

If you’re in search of balance, ask yourself a few questions. Listen carefully to the answers that arise. You might even make this a journaling exercise. (If you automatically replied, “I don’t have time for that!” ask yourself what could possibly be a more important use of your time than YOU.)

Why do you feel you need to say yes to every project that comes your way?
What do you feel that you’ll lose or jeopardize by saying no?
Who are you competing with?
What goal is being served by your over-achievement? Is there a light at the end of this tunnel?
Does having free time make you uncomfortable? Why?

Answer these five questions honestly, and the answers might change your life.
After offering my apologies to the president of my networking group, I hung up the phone with a smile. Any guilt I felt was immediately erased when I looked at the picture of my daughter I keep on my desk. She’s the biggest reason for balance in my life, and my best insurance against over-performing.
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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEBSITE? Please do, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Dawn Quesnel, CPCC, PCC, known as Coach DQ, is a professional coach, radio show host and workshop leader. Through the use of her B.R.I.D.G.E. programs she helps marketing, advertising, and creative entrepreneurs navigate career or business transition while maintaining a healthy career-life balance. Her core belief that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to, consistently leads clients to uncover hidden resources and strengths. B.R.I.D.G.E. the gap and accelerate your career so you can love your life now! Visit www.CareerLifeBalance.net or http://www.coachdq.com today or for more information email me.

Evaluating 2010

Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

I have a tradition that I’d like to share with you. No, it doesn’t involve cooking, shopping, or any other usual holiday stuff — although I have those traditions too.

Every year, as I mentioned earlier this month in the article titled “Bad Hair Day”, I look back in gratitude for what I’ve accomplished in my business, and assess how far I’ve come since the previous year. I take an inventory of whom I’ve worked with, and determine some markers for the success rates of both myself and my clients.

After reviewing the average time each of my new career clients spent working with me, and comparing their results with that timeline, I was able to determine that, on average, my clients with a prospective salary range of $60-$130k are able to transition into a new job within four months using my BRIDGE Method. Clients in the $150k+ salary range found a job within six months.

I have faith that the people I work with, whether on a short-term or long-term basis, are the right match for the services I offer. And so we’re able to work collaboratively to create amazing results. When I plan my next business year from this place of gratitude, the forecast always looks rosy — and as we all know, what we think about is what comes to us when we take action on it!

This week, take some time to reflect on your own business’s performance. Don’t waste time judging or saying things like, “If only…” or “I should have…” Instead, take note of your milestones and your positive accomplishments. Look at the results you’ve generated. Which feel really good to you? Which can you improve next year, using your new experience and knowledge? What were your goals for 2010, and how many of them did you meet?

It’s important for all of us to recognize our positive accomplishments as well as acknowledge our shortcomings. Maybe you could have done more prospecting this year — but you did build that database, which will support you in your dealings with new clients in 2011. Remember that while some years are banner years, some years are more about balance, transition, and learning. According to some, this year (2010) has brought not only personal transition for many people, but a global shift toward a higher consciousness and a different way of thinking about life and business. Now that’s encouraging!

“People should think things out fresh and not just accept conventional terms and the conventional way of doing things.” R. Buckminster Fuller

Dawn Quesnel, CPCC, PCC, known as Coach DQ, is a professional coach, radio show host and workshop leader. Through the use of her B.R.I.D.G.E. programs she helps marketing, advertising, and creative entrepreneurs navigate career or business transition while maintaining a healthy career-life balance. Her core belief that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to, consistently leads clients to uncover hidden resources and strengths. B.R.I.D.G.E. the gap and accelerate your career so you can love your life now! http://www.coachdq.com