Set goals like a child - not a fearful adult
Annika Rosendahl
I help leaders find time and courage to lead their unique way | Storyteller, Timefinder, Leadership coach and -consultant
“So, what are the goals we are going after this year?”
Manda looked at Victor with anticipation. He knew why. Tomorrow she was going to have a kick-off with the project team. She wanted to have juicy, inspirational goals to share. And she expected him to give them to her.
He cleared his throat, but she interrupted him before he even got started.
“No, don’t tell me. We will go all in on that idea that came up in the last Hackathon and finally show the world that we are as innovative as we say in our marketing. Right?”
She looked at him as a child the day before Christmas. With the same eagerness he had had when the leadership team had gone off-site to set the goals for the year.
“Well... you know, it’s hard to set that as a goal. We have no idea if we can achieve that or not. We haven’t done these things before and...” his voice trailed off when he saw her look.
She crossed her arms.
“So, tell me. What is the goal for the year?”
He looked down and mumbled so she could barely hear him.
“We will increase the sales by 10%.”
Manda shook her head and sighed.
“You didn’t set a goal Victor. You made a bloody forecast.”
***
When children see something they want, they go after it. They believe without a doubt they can become astronauts, dancers, prime ministers or teachers. Or anything else they want.
As we grow up, we learn that not achieving the goals we set is the same as failing.
Over time we even see ourselves as failures if we don’t meet the goals.
Instead of aiming high and risking to fail, we set our goals lower and lower.
We stop aiming for what is possible and settle for what is obtainable.
Don’t fall into that trap.
Set goals as inspiration and use each outcome as a stepping stone – not a measure of your worth.
Happy goal setting!
About the author:
Annika Rosendahl is a Storyteller, a Speaker, a Timefinder and a senior leader with more than 20 years' experience from international Research and Development.
Her business Annikaslol uses her books, seminars and trainings to help leaders lead with empathy; including caring for their employees and how they use their time.
She is also the author of Visst har du tid, a book nominated for"?rets projektledarbok 2019" by Projektforum.