October 3, 2023

Setting goals is a tricky business. For most people, how we traditionally think about goal setting doesn't work.?

Typically, we do our goal-setting at the beginning of the year.? In January, we wipe the slate clean, evaluate where we are and where we'd like to be in 12 months, and off we go.?

By February, we are off-track. We lose sight of the emotion that was behind the goal.? And the goals we set no longer have meaning or purpose.

We fall off the wagon and affirm our inner belief that we "just aren't good at achieving goals," or worse, we put another groove in the record that says, "I lack discipline."

One-year goals are a recipe for failure.

A better way to work with goals is to set twelve-week goals. I first read about this concept in the book The 12-Week Year by Brian Moran.

Moran writes, "A year is too long to wait for feedback and to see the results of your actions; a week is too short to get meaningful measures. Twelve weeks is long enough to make significant progress and short enough to keep you focused and engaged."

As you read this, we have closed the books on another quarter. One practice I've engaged in over the past couple of years is to spend some time reflecting on the quarter.?

Here are some questions you can reflect on. Even better, gather your team and do it in a group setting.?

1. What went well?

2. What could be better?

3. Where am I consistently falling short or making mistakes?

4. Where do I need processes to simplify my life?

5. What is nagging at me right now?

6. What should I stop doing??

7. What's next?

These questions allow you to take inventory and then begin to build your plan for the last quarter.?

Give it a try.

The Huddle is a weekly newsletter that is designed for leaders. Leaders must be learners. There is never a moment when leaders arrive. It's a never-ending growth process. I hope this can be a resource that you can use to stay sharp and share with your team.

With that, here are some things I ran across this week.?

Disarmingly Honest - When I say "salesperson" what do you think of? If you are like most, words like pushy, sleazy, and fake come to mind.

The stereotypical salesperson is overly friendly, overly polite, has a perfect product or service, is number one in every ranking, and has no flaws. That's why, when you talk to a salesperson, you are skeptical, guarded, and don't believe much of what they promise.?

One thing I talk about with our clients is the idea of being disarmingly honest. If you want to be different—and you should—that alone will differentiate you from your competition.?

If your product is expensive, don't hide it. If your service team isn't perfect and will occasionally get it wrong, say it. If you are worried that you are being shopped around and your proposal will be used against you, say it.?

There is a way to say it, of course. I don't want to misrepresent my business by simply airing dirty laundry. Not at all. That's where training comes in. But in the end, an honest conversation that focuses on the truth is the goal—and that's a great differentiator and will help me sell more and keep my customers longer.

Here's a company commercial that may have taken this concept a little too far. ??

I'm not perfect? - My business is currently going through the process of exploring a new assessment tool. If you are a client, you or someone on your team has likely taken one, and we've talked about what it all means.?

I'm a big fan of assessments. They can be tricky, however. It's easy to look at the output and then use it as an excuse to keep doing what I'm always doing. "See, I'm not good at details. That's why I don't turn in my reports on time." That's not the effect we are looking for.?

We take assessments to see our natural hardwiring, to learn what may be easier for us, and where we may struggle. The goal is that by creating self-awareness, we can understand ourselves better and get help or create systems and structures to ensure our challenges don't stand in the way of success. In some ways, it shows us where we may self-sabotage our success, often unknowingly.?

The new assessment that I am reviewing is one that I think I'm going to love. It's been around for years, millions of data points, and nearly 200 organizational psychologists work with the company. Good validity. Good reliability. Something we can hang our hat on.?

I took the assessment, and to my great surprise, I'm not perfect. Wait. What? Nope. Not even close. In my debrief with the coach I was assigned, it was at first amazing how well it captured me—but at the same time, alarming.?

I'm terrible with details, I have very low adaptability almost no empathy, I hate authority, and I'm highly skeptical. I could go on, but it's starting to hurt again.?

Even though I didn't like much of the output, I'm better for it. People who know and work with me won't be surprised by it. But in some of the areas, I was.

That's the point.

We can be "big heads," seeing the world only through our eyes with little-to-no humility. Here's an amusing - but thoughtful - blog post on how to shrink a big head.?

If you want to know more about the assessment that ruined my day, let me know.?

Remote Workers - Here's a short article from HubSpot about some challenges and solutions in working remotely. More and more people are working remotely these days, and there are some red flags for leaders and their staff.

Managers need more contact and touch-points to help them feel like they are a part of the bigger team. They have to fight the out-of-sight-out-of-mind tendency. People don't do their best work when they are disconnected from the mission of the team.?

Staff members need to take extra care to build relationships throughout the company, not just with their own work group. Be intentional about setting up meetings with a wide array of people, ask a lot of questions, and build time in your schedule to go to the office and meet people face-to-face.?

Not there yet - Do you view your struggles as "I'm not there...yet." or say, "I'm not good at X." How you frame it in your mind matters.

I've written here before about Carol Dweck and her concept of a growth mindset. A growth mindset says that you have a lot to learn, you aren't where you can be,? and you continue to learn, develop new skills, and keep improving.?

A fixed mindset says, "It's baked" and "It is what it is."?

Listen to your language and the language of those around you. You'll hear a lot of fixed mindset language. I catch myself using fixed mindset words frequently, and I probably miss more than I catch.?

Yet. That's the way I need to think. Yet.?

If you are a business owner or a sales professional, I encourage you to exercise your growth mindset and join us for an amazingly free (most free things are marketing pitches—this one isn't) 5-hour session on October 11, 11:00 am - 3:00 pm ET,? filled with great sales and leadership content. Learn how to inject AI into your sales, learn modern-day prospecting concepts, and more.?

Sign up here, and even if you can't attend the entire program, you can pop in and out as your schedule permits.? The recording will be sent to all registrants after the event. You are guaranteed to fill up your brain— and notebook—with ideas and tactics to help you be more successful.??

A Quote to Leave You With

Have a great week!