Lackey's Latitudes Returns with Batteries Recharged..and a game plan!

Happy New Year to everyone out there in the blogosphere! I hope everyone had a chance to relax and spend some good quality family time over the holiday breaks. I know I did! But now, it’s time to dive back in with the first Latitudes posting of 2012!

Like millions of others, I have come up with several New Year’s resolutions that I have started, both in my personal life and professional life. Some of them are typical, lose weight, get in shape, root harder for all my sports teams (ok, that comment may have just scared my wife) but you get the point. But in reality, resolutions are goals. We all have goals that we create or set during the course of the year. Breaking it down further, we are looking for results from those goals. The carrot at the end of the stick! So, what do we really need to accomplish the goals and resolutions we are looking to achieve? I’ve broken it down into three main criteria:

1.       Set clear measurable goals – To get results, you need to know what you are trying to achieve. Set goals that are attainable but difficult to get to. Expect the most out of yourself and don’t half ass it. If you want to lose 20 lbs this year, lose 30 lbs by summer. Aim high and you never know, you just might exceed your own expectations.

2.       Get a game plan – It’s one thing to say you want to lose weight; it’s another to know how to do it. I’ve fallen into this trap before. I’m going to lose 20 lbs this year, but I set no plan on what my diet will look like (“I’m just going to eat less”) or how often I will exercise (“I’ll exercise when I get around to it”). That’s a recipe for failure. The game plan is everything! How often does your favorite football coach go into a game with no game plan? How often would he win if he didn’t have a game plan? The game plan lays out how you are going to get there, what your milestones are and how long it will take.

3.       Set dates – Setting milestone dates throughout your game plan is critical to achieving the results you want. It helps you stay focused on the task at hand, keeps a sense of urgency and keeps your goals in focus. Like setting your measurable goals, be aggressive with your schedule. Don’t settle for mediocrity, push yourself and see what can happen.

I used recreational examples above but those three factors are critical in setting goals for your professional career as well. It can make the difference in getting a project out on time or landing the sale from that key client you are targeting. Be aggressive in 2012, set your goals, develop a game plan and determine when you will achieve it. You never know, this could be your best year yet!

Jeff Lackey