We arrive at the beginning of the calendar year once again. For the majority of us it’s a time of reflection of the past year, and looking forward to the upcoming year.
In that spirit, let’s look at the past year for a moment. Take a moment and reflect on these questions:
In the past year,
- What were your greatest successes as a supervisor?
- Can you identify 3 personal successes that occurred over the past year?
- Did you meet your personal goals from the previous year? If not, why not?
Now let’s look forward to upcoming year. What excites you about the upcoming year? What would you like to accomplish?
In thinking about your goal setting for the next year, consider the following questions:
- How do I envision my life in 10 years, 5 years? Dream big
- Am currently happy with my current situation?
- What small steps can I take to reach my 10 year vision?
- What are my professional goals?
I am currently reading “Mindset: Changing the Way You Think to Fulfill Your Potential”, by Dr. Carol S. Dweck. She suggests that it’s not just our abilities and talent that bring us success, but whether we approach our goals with a fixed or growth mindset. With the right mindset- the growth/learner mindset – we can reach our own goals – both personal and professional. See the image below for a quick summary.
Need help in goal setting for the upcoming year – consider the following resources:
Books:
- Change Your Questions, Change Your Life by Marilee Adams
- Becoming a Life Change Artist by Fred Mandell, Ph.D
- Choosing the Life You Want by Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D
- Quiet Leadership by David Rock
- Positive Leadership by Kim Cameron
- Working with Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
- How to Zing Your Life and Leadership: 21 Insights to Maximizing Your Influence by Nancy Hunter Denney
- The Art of Possibility by Benjamin Zander, Rosamund Stone Zander
Videos
- Ted Talks: https://www.ted.com/topics/goal-setting
- Tony Robbins: https://www.tonyrobbins.com/ask-tony/can-create-compelling-future/
Coaches
Hire a coach to help you reach your highest potential: https://icfne.org/
Have fun as you set your goals. Think big, create that bucket list and work towards ticking of those items.
As always, Workplace Learning and Development can assist you and your team as your plan for the upcoming year.
Written by Paul Papierski, Employee and Organizational Development Specialist
Workplace Learning and Development/Human Resources
University of Massachusetts, Amherst