Monthly Archives: March 2021

It is easy to set personal and professional goals in the New Year and then quickly forget about them in the day-to-day challenges of life. One of the best ways to help stay on track in achieving your personal and professional goals is to commit to a quarterly check-in on the progress you have made.

For people using the SMART goal format (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-based), the check-in can be literally checking off what has been accomplished on the worksheet or document. GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Way) goals may be less specific, but they are still reviewable to see if you are meeting your key achievements.

Other forms of goal setting can also be used. These typically provide a general framework for the yearly goals, with a timeline or specific dates to achieve “mini-goals” or milestones along the way.

No one goal-setting formula is right; it is really a matter of what works for you and what the organization may require. Regardless of the way you set goals, the first quarter check-in is a perfect opportunity to see if you need to make changes in your route to achieving your goal or if a modification to the goal may be in order.

Assessing Progress

Assessing progress is always a positive when people are moving along their journey. However, when the first quarter has been difficult, which is the case for many people this year, assessing progress may also include reflecting on the positive way challenges were managed, the ability to cope with rapid changes, and the need to modify practices to meet ongoing restrictions due to COVID-19.

Anticipating Roadblocks, Challenges, or Obstacles

During the check-in, stop and think about issues you see as potentially playing a role in meeting your goals or falling short of your goals. Is there a way to offset the challenge by planning ahead?

In some cases, knowing what resources are needed is an important part of overcoming obstacles. In having a discussion early in the year, these resources or solutions can be implemented without having a negative impact on personal or professional goals.

Modifying Goals or Setting Stretch Goals

This is also a time to consider challenging yourself or setting stretch goals if you see success in Q1 results. Creating stretch goals is ideal for those who love a challenge or those who are comfortable in thinking outside of the box.

Goals have to be based on reality to be achievable. The first quarter is the ideal time to make goal adjustments to help you to maximize your potential and still see positive results at the end of the year.

Self-mastery is not a term you hear often. However, it is easy to make the argument that self-mastery is at the heart of success. Like many parts of our lives, learning to develop habits and a mindset of self-mastery is something that is ongoing and creates a path to follow to help you to achieve goals and to become the person you want to become.

The opposite of self-mastery is living a life of constantly going from one thing to another. There is a lack of commitment, a lack of a strategy, and a lack of an internal compass to keep us going in the right direction. It is listening to that negative voice in our head that tells us we can’t achieve something, that we aren’t good enough, or that we lack some necessary components to become the personal and the professional we want to become.

There are several different strategies to build your self-mastery. These include:

• Visualize your goals – take the time to see yourself achieving your goals. Some people do this with vision boards, some with SMART goals, or others with longer-term professional goals. Make the picture as complete as possible as this creates motivation and inspiration to continue to strive for your goals.
  

• Develop a routine – look for ways to routinize your goals and the changes you are making in your life. Perhaps this is practicing mindfulness or meditation for 10 minutes every morning or reading one book a week related to your professional or personal development goals.

• Recognize negative self-talk – a negative mindset about our ability to achieve our goals is an obstacle to developing self-mastery. Your mind is continuously providing you with messages of doubt and the potential for failure. Recognizing these negative voices and replacing them with a positive message is a process you can learn to do. Replace the negative message (I can’t do this) with the positive thought (I have the skills and the abilities to succeed at this task).

• Write empowering thoughts and beliefs – one essential component of self-mastery is a growth mindset. In other words, the thinking that personal improvement and growth is possible throughout life. The opposite of this is a fixed mindset, where people do not see the ability to make meaningful changes and grow. Noticing and accepting positive change helps to foster a growth mindset. By learning to change, we learn to control how we move forward.

Developing self-mastery and a growth mindset are two key attributes of becoming our best selves. It makes sense that we first have to believe in our ability to be successful and grow before fully engaging in the process.

There are a number of different principles or social laws that are used in business and in our personal lives. One that is often overlooked but that is a key part of building successful personal and business relationships is the law of reciprocity, also known as the reciprocity principle.

In essence, this reciprocity principle is based on doing something nice for someone who does something nice for you. In other words, giving first is a way of reaping the rewards, even if that was not the intention behind the original first good deed or action.

In many ways, volunteering is a type of altruistic behavior, very similar to the law of reciprocity. Most volunteers do so out of a feeling of satisfaction or fulfillment in helping others. They have a genuine wish to be of service in their community or for a cause that is near and dear to their hearts. Volunteers typically do not start volunteering to earn recognition or to receive some personal reward. However, recognizing volunteers is a wonderful way to encourage engagement and interest in volunteering throughout a community.

The Value of Volunteering

It is very difficult to measure the value of volunteering. For most people giving first, or the law of reciprocity, is a significant factor in choosing the activity. It is a chance to help others in some, often using your talents, gifts, and skills in a way that is truly based on the desire to help, not the desire to receive.

At a deeper level, people may choose to volunteer as a way to feel socially connected to their community. In volunteering, you are connected to a group of like-minded people with a similar goal of making life easier or better in some way.

The organizations and community groups that use volunteers do reciprocate, even if it is not in a specific award or recognition. Volunteers can use this opportunity to learn new skills, expand their networks, and gather increased understanding to help them in their career.

Choosing an organization, group, event, or agency to volunteer with is a very personal choice. Some people volunteer to help with activities and events in their community, while others may choose to work with specific individuals. Volunteers can donate their time and professional services, or they offer other types of support, including office work, technology support, or even making phone calls and managing food drives or supporting the organization in another way.

The key factor to keep in mind is that volunteering has value in your life. What you contribute to your community is reciprocated in a multitude of ways that benefit all involved.

The longer COVID-19 is an issue across the country and worldwide, the more stress and pressure exist on everyone in every community. This means retail businesses, restaurants, service industries, professionals, and any other type of customer-facing enterprise encounters people who are increasingly angry, stressed, and frustrated.

Unfortunately, the staff is also frustrated. They too are experiencing challenges in their personal and professionals life. At work, they are experiencing higher levels of customer frustration, anger, and lack of patience. While it is natural for employees to feel stress, stepping up and providing exceptional customer service at this time is more important than ever.

There are some simple steps that any employees working with the customers can use to help to provide customer service that helps to reduce frustration and stress. Changing a few basic approaches to dealing with customer complaints, even with B2B customers, can help to set your business apart from the competition. It can also solidify your brand as a customer-friendly company even in the most difficult of times.

Listen First

Allowing the customer to share their story and just listening to their concerns, issues, and frustration is an important part of making the customer feel heard and valued.

Before responding or asking a specific question, or attempting to jump in and solve the issue, take a minute and paraphrase the key points the customer indicated as the issue. Let them know what you are doing by starting with, “I want to make sure I understand your concerns. What I heard you say was ….. Did I miss anything?”

This gives the customer time to understand you were listening and to add any more details that may be relevant.

Acknowledge the Issue

Making a statement that you empathize with or understand the frustration is also a way to demonstrate understanding. If appropriate, an apology and asking the customer how she or he would like to see the problem solved is a great way to build rapport and to connect with the customer on a deeper level.

You may also want to suggest a solution if it addresses the needs of the customer. Giving staff the ability to negotiate and resolve issues creatively, within a reasonable range of options always makes the customer feel valued and supported, even if they are initially frustrated and angry.

Training staff and managers in working with angry customers is a great option at this time. Going the extra mile for a customer is an impactful way to build a lasting relationship and a loyal customer for life.

This time, more than ever in recent history, has created exceptional changes for people all across the world. COVID-19 has brought about social, business, economic, travel, and even relationship changes on a level that is unprecedented in both scope and complexity.

Some individuals have done relatively well, some have thrived, and some have struggled. One factor that sets those that weather the storms from those that experience more difficulties is their resilience.

Understanding Resilience

Resilience is the ability to adapt and change to life situations in a positive way. It is sometimes described as the ability to “bounce back” after a difficult situation. Resilience is not pretending that something is not serious or difficult. Instead, it is the ability to recognize the problem or trauma and manage it in a way that prevents it from overshadowing or encapsulating your life.

Resilience is not an inherited genetic predisposition. Resilience is a way of managing situations that are often learned by moving through challenges and difficulties. People who have never experienced emotional distress, trauma, problems, or challenging circumstances tend to have limited resilience due to their lack of perspective on how to respond.

Developing Your Resilience

The ability to be resilient can be learned. In this way, resilience is like Emotional Intelligence. There is always the opportunity to make positive changes. Research into resilience identifies four key areas of personal growth to develop your ability to handle challenges. These four aspects include:

• Connection – developing a support network of people you know and trust and who have gone through challenges in their lives and grown through the process.

• Wellness – focusing on growth and learning about emotional and physical wellness as a part of personal development. People who follow self-care routines have higher levels of resilience and more effective coping strategies when stress, trauma, or difficulties occur.

• Purpose – finding a meaning in life helps to provide a grounding point and to keep things in focus and perspective. Helping others, practicing mindfulness and gratitude, as well as setting goals for yourself on a personal as well as professional level all creates growth and sets the foundation for resilience.

• Positive thinking – focusing on releasing negative self-talk and learning to identify irrational or unfounded thoughts about situations opens the way to a positive outlook even in a currently difficult situation. Coaching, counseling, and self-learning are all ways to overcome negative thoughts.

Building resilience is an active and not passive practice. Building resilience and personal growth into your goals is an effective way to keep growing, adapting to change, and bouncing back after life’s challenges.