Tag: Action Plan

What’s The One Word Behind A Successful #Goal ?

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Supportive Hands

To Change We Need Support Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

Happy New Year, 

I hope 2018 treated you well.  

At this point in the year anything is possible. To be fair that’s only true if we accept one word into our lives: change. Our results will stay the same if we do what we always have done. We can only set a goal and grow if we accept the need to change, the support of others and the rough times that come from moving out of our familiar situation.    

There’s a George Eliot quote which fits this theme nicely:  

It is never too late to be what you might have been  

This is a call to shake things up a bit, in order to achieve better results and fulfil our potential. I’ll be following that principle in the weeks ahead, as I want to share this kind of information more widely, helping more people. So please, Like and Share where you find this content useful. 

How about you? What’s the area in which you would like to make change happen for yourself? What goal are you pursuing to make that growth possible? Feel free to leave a comment here or tweet @RogerD_Said so others can benefit.  

For now, all the best for the year ahead.  

Roger  

What 3 Lessons Can We Learn From Comicbook Heroes ?

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A Picture of Stan Lee From The BBC

What Did You Learn From Stan Lee ?

I discovered the Marvel universe as a kid, when a mate loaned me a copy of an Avengers comic book. I loved it. I went on to enjoy the art bringing the adventures of dozens of Marvel heroes to life. Decades later I’m grateful to the inspiring vision of the late Stan Lee for all that joy. He said his goal for Marvel comics was that

“…someday an intelligent adult would not be embarrassed to walk down the street with a comic magazine”.

Mission accomplished. Marvel’s creative output would not be seen as ‘for kids’ but would successfully have something to say to the rest of us too. He achieved that goal and more. Many of us have owned trading cards, magazines and now films that are part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

What Are My 3 Take Aways From Marvel’s Storytelling? 

Teams rely on diverse talents to create exciting outcomes (what would Stan Lee’s characters be without Jack Kirby’s pencils…or the X Men without the Professor’s detachment and Logan’s passion)?

Strength isn’t about muscles ,it is about depth of character (take a look at Iron Man issues 120 to 128 in which Tony Stark deals with his alcohol dependency) Being aware of our own strengths and development needs gives us an edge

Leaders set the tone for the people around them , creating a healthy environment where  colleagues can try different approaches, fail and learn from mistakes (think about how much room to operate Phil Coulson gives the agents of SHIELD)?

What have you learned about life by discovering the Marvel universe? Feel free to have your say by leaving a comment.

Excelsior!

How To Choose The Next Step Toward Your #Goal In 5 Minutes

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Take A Few Minutes To Discover Your Next Step – Image Riccardo Bresciani at Pexels dot com

Everyone is busy these days, although some of us have already enjoyed a few vacation days this summer. Some others are looking forward to their holiday in the sun. Here’s a thought: How many of us understand the stresses and strains we carry around while we are busy leading our 9 to 5 lives as leaders, managers, entrepreneurs or creatives?

Good news, there is a way we can achieve a better understanding of ourselves at work, at home, or on a mountain top.

How To Get Clarity Over Your Goals In 5 Minutes

I’ve found five minutes of mindfulness a day can help answer the question, what should I be doing next? What does my approach involve?

  • Sitting with a straight back, eyes closed
  • Breathing deeply from the diaphragm
  • Relaxing shoulders, arms and legs
  • Tuning out the sounds around me
  • Noticing what I am feeling in my head, heart and gut
  • Finding a way to use all that information after my five minutes are up and I feel refreshed

What would five minutes a day of mindfulness do for you today? How about over the next week?  Take a moment to write down and share your answer. Feel free to message your discovery on Twitter @RogerD_Said You can Like and Share the post too, if it has been helpful.

Thank you for reading the post and have a great day.

The 7 Key Lessons About Service I’ve Taken From #NHS70

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7 Principles Behind Great Service – Picture from Pexels.com

I’ve spent a lot of time recently in the company of nurses, physiotherapists, doctors and other NHS (national health service) professionals. They are in the business of service delivery. Their customers are very demanding (if our own health or that of a loved one is in question we won’t always be reasonable in what we want). They are passionate about the quality of the work they deliver.

In my experience the professionals in the NHS mostly produce the right results at the right time. So, on the 70th birthday of the NHS here are 7 points we can take away from what health care staff do well day after day:

Assertion

Saying clearly what needs to happen next and asking for cooperation to bring it about.

Boundaries

Knowing when to say ‘no’, because a different action will produce a better result.

Care

It helps everyone to know what kind of result the person receiving the service is looking for, then it becomes easier to tailor work to achieve that outcome (and care about the progress towards that goal)   

Decisiveness

Keeping in touch with the boundaries involved and going to find help when we are out of our depth (without thinking too much about how it will make us look).

Ego

We all achieve better results when we are thinking and acting in others’ interests, without ego getting in the way.

Faith

Believing that colleagues and the other people in our network can achieve great results in unfamiliar areas.

Generosity

Remembering to say ‘thank you’ for the service you receive that helps you achieve more and feel better.

What Do You Think Good Service Looks Like?

These are my ideas about the basics behind the delivery of great services. If you have experienced impressive service who was responsible for providing it? What did they do to make things go well? How did you let them know you were pleased?

Feel free to Like and Share this post of it has been helpful to you.

 

All the best

Roger

Here Are The 3 Key Questions To Answer Before Setting Your Next #Goal

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People Planning Their Future

Where Will Your Next Goal Take You? Picture Credit Pexels.Com

The seasons are about to change and Spring is in the air. This is the time of year where plenty of us are thinking about what we want to happen next in our life and how satisfied we are with the status quo.

How Are Things With You?

Take a minute and be honest with yourself. How have you felt over the last year?

Congratulations if the last 12 months were ideal and gave you every chance to shine. You now have the choice of staying the same and still enjoying life without too much effort.

If the last 12 months were a struggle and you feel frustrated, unhappy or stuck in a rut you owe it to yourself to set a goal that will change your life. Here’s the key question to answer to get you started.

Where Will You Focus Your Attention?

It is very easy to get caught up in the business of being busy. If you have a job, lead a team, run a business, have a family and enjoy your social life your calendar is already full.

Do yourself a favour. Stop. Take a piece of paper and a pen then write down the key words that matter to you. This could look like a list, or it might be spread across the page. Either way you will have information from which you can pick the one area on which you can focus attention (the area you know in your heart / gut needs some work). That’s the one on which to build your next goal.

What Is Your Next Move?

The resources in the blog posts right here will give pointers to get going on your goal and change your situation for the better. Alternatively, if you are in London on 7 April you can book yourself a place at my next goal-setting workshop and get support to create the kind of powerful goal which will help you move forward over the coming months. Follow the link for more information and tickets (feel free to comment, like and share so others can also get the benefit of the opportunity).  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/create-great-goals-tickets-41940471078

See You on 7 April – All the best

Roger

Answer These 5 Questions To Help Choose Your Next #Goal

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Someone Writing Their Action Plan Down

Start Planning What You Want To Achieve

I hope January is treating you well. January can feel like a long month after the fun of Christmas and the New Year celebrations. Some of us even use this time for soul searching:

  • Where does my money go each month? (Personal Finance )
  • What job should I be doing? (Career)
  • How can I find my life’s purpose? (Wellbeing)
  • When will I meet someone I want to know better? (Relationships)
  • Who do I know that I can turn to for help? (Support)

It can feel overwhelming to start working out which area to focus on. It requires paper, pens and time, plus our full attention.

If we score the various areas in the brackets with marks out of 10 it is the 6s and the 5s we might want to focus on. The trick is to start listening to our inner voice and paying the proper attention to the goals that speak to us deeply.

Ready To Take Action And Change Your Life?

To start that ball rolling I’m offering a workshop on Saturday 27 January at The Mill, in the East End, to help streamline the process of identifying and working on our goals, so we are more likely to achieve success in our key areas.

If you are in London on 27 January and want to come along please follow the link below for information and tickets – it would be great to see you there!

Thanks for reading this post. Feel free to leave a Like or a comment about your goal planning strategy. Share this post too, if you think someone else would benefit from seeing it.

All the best

Roger

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/how-to-start-telling-your-story-to-achieve-your-goals-tickets-41940471078

4 Steps To Help You Reach Your New Year #Goals

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Runners In A Street Race

Get On The Road To Your Next Goal (Picture Credit Morguefile.Com)

Happy New Year!

You are not along if you feel daunted by the reality of more than 360 days in your 2018 planner.

It is possible to change the course of your life in that time. Here 4 steps to get you moving toward your next goal.

First, get specific about the area you are going to work on. Chances are, like the rest of us, you have a bunch of areas you would like to tackle. Many people think about setting goals regarding Health, Finances or Work for instance.

Why not write down all of the key themes running through your life at the moment. Score your satisfaction with each one out of 10. Whatever area scores 6 or less would be a good place for goal setting (if there are several tied in that group choose the one that feels most like it needs your attention).

Let’s suppose you want to enjoy a higher standard of health by running regularly, like a former coaching client of mine used to. He identified a positive benefit to following his goal (he could reconnect with running buddies and raise money for charity by taking part in an event later in the year).

Second, list the resources you can already access to tackle your goal. Resources include the people you know, the skills, you have, the wider knowledge you can tap into.

Set some boundaries / milestones up in your planner. Use it to show what you will do to work on your goal, with whose help and when. This visualisation will help you focus.

Third, run a reality check. Given the pressures on his average week it wasn’t  always practical for  my client to train more than once a week. This meant he had to adjust his plan so as to make the progress he wanted to achieve, without feeling his ultimate goal was unreachable.

Fourth, celebrate each improvement made along the way. We can sometimes care so much about crossing the finishing line that we downplay our improved performance at each stage.

Thank you for reading this initial 2018 post. Leave a comment, Like or Share if it has helped you so you can help others. I’m interested in what you have to say and others will be too.

Until next time, have a great day.

Roger

3 Steps Toward Successful Goal Setting

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People At An Outdoor Party

Who Will You Celebrate Your Success With? Photo by jens johnsson on Unsplash

Are you struggling to define your main 2018 goal? No worries if you are. We’ve all been there.

Knowing we can do better is the easy part. Setting a goal that leads to major life changes can feel overwhelming. Breaking the situation down into manageable chunks will help.

Here are 3 powerful steps to help achieve our goals

Defining the outcome we want to achieve 
There is power in writing down the results we will achieve, when we will achieve them and what our victory will feel like. Paying attention to our results helps us invest emotionally in the work to bring them about.
Identifying our first steps 
With the headline goal written down it is tempting to get going, without an action plan. Not a good idea. That’s like setting out on a journey without a preferred route.
Better results come from a plan which starts from point A and delivers some immediate gains. Those act as a confirmation that we are headed in the right direction. What would be your chosen point A? How will you know you are going in the right direction?
Lining up our support network 
There’s a limit to what we can achieve on our own. The way forward involves points B, C, D and so on. Having supporters’ help along the way brings 2 advantages. We can help other people do more and achieve more as they improve their lives. Plus we get to tap into a lively knowledge network when we get stuck on our path. That’s a win win situation.
Who is in your network and how can you help them?
What’s Your Next Move?
Thanks for your engagement this year. Use the reply option to comment on this post, if you found the information above helpful. Feel free to Like and Share too.
Good luck setting your next big goal and Merry Christmas if you are reading this in December.

3 Steps To Achieve Your #Goal of Greater #Job Satisfaction

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A Firework Display

A Firework Display – Picture Credit Morguefile

This is the time of year for fireworks. Ideally every day we spend at work would be the kind of day to celebrate with them.

Is your work exciting, challenging and fun? If it isn’t your next goal could be changing that situation.

The Facts

According to May 2016 employee-outlook research by the CIPD* nearly a quarter of UK employees are dissatisfied with their role and ready to go elsewhere:

Job satisfaction in the UK has dropped to its lowest level in over two years and job seeking intentions have risen to almost a quarter (24%) of employees – a two and half year high.

What Options Do We Have If Work Is Dissatisfying?

Here are 3 steps to take if you want to move past the stuck-in-a-rut feeling

Achievements – List them. Take stock of what you have accomplished in the last 12 months and write down how these wins tell your story. How does the learning you have completed make you attractive as a member of a new team? Where could the new skills you have displayed add value to a new project? When have you stood out as a leader and what can you contribute beyond your day job?

Bravery – Practice it. Successful job changers spend time in uncomfortable situations. It is uncomfortable to plan how to plug gaps in your resume /CV. Getting feedback from practice interviews can be tough. Having your job applications go nowhere can be demoralizing. Keep trying.

Choices – Make smart ones. Is there a local project you can volunteer for which allows you to use your existing skills and gain new ones? Which network can you become active in to connect to people you can help? How can you use social media to show others what you are capable of?

What Is Your Next Step?

Rather than wait for the New Year why not use the ideas above to start making changes to your story. If you are inspired to take action use the comment section to tell others what you are going to do. You can Like and Share too

All the best. Roger

You can find out more about UK employees’ outlook at http://www.cipd.co.uk )

How Do Our True Stories Help Us Achieve #Success With Our #Goals ?

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People Looking Choosing Colleagues Photo From Pexels.com

So, I went to a funeral last week.

It was an emotional ceremony of course. It was also a celebration of the life of someone whose 89 years were well spent.

As well as the tears there were tons of stories about the difference this much loved grandparent made in raising a family; holding down a career; being a fantastic cook.

These anecdotes reminded me that our true stories are very important.

Knowing our true stories and sharing them helps others see the gifts we have to offer. If you have ever had to frame your life experience for an interviewer or college admissions officer you know what I mean.

What Does It Take To Tell Your Story?

For some people it is very easy to describe what they have done, what they have learned and the value they contribute to their customers.

For some of us it can take time and effort to organise our story so it does us justice. Does preparing for an interview feel overwhelming? Are you a bit shy to talk about your achievements? Have you ever thought you are just not ready to take the next step to achieve your goal?

If so help is at hand. Next month I’ll be publishing a resource to help you tell your story. Be sure to check back in November to find out more.

Meanwhile feel free to share your secret to interview success by leaving a comment and to Like and Share this post if it has been useful.

All the best

Roger