S.M.A.R.T. vs. S.M.A.R.T.E.R Goal Setting

For many of us, September is the new January when it comes to career and business planning. The seasons change and we head in to winter; kids go back to school and people begin to think about what is next? Of course, I make my living supporting people with career or business goals (and love doing it!) but also deeply believe that people should understand how to set and track their own goals. You may have worked with the concept of setting S.M.A.R.T goals in the past. But in case you haven’t, the acronym refers to:

Specific: The more specific you are in defining your goal, the easier it will be to chart an action plan. An easy way to ensure a goal is specific is to use the “6 Ws” as a means to qualify your goal: Who is involved? What do I want to accomplish? Where will this take place? When will this take place? Which constraints or obstacles may be involved? Why would this goal enhance my life?

Measurable: The easiest way to ensure that a goal is measurable is to ask yourself, “How will I know my goal is accomplished?” Give quantities, schedules, dates etc.

Attainable: Make sure that it’s possible to achieve the goals you set. However, also resist the urge to set goals that are too easy. Try to strike the right balance between attainable/challenging and out of reach/unrealistic when you are charting out your goals.

Relevant: A simple way to ensure that the goal you set is relevant to you, it’s essential to ask, “Does this goal reflect my core values?”

Time Frame: The difference between a goal and an activity is that goals have deadlines. Set specific dates by which certain things must be accomplished in order to achieve your goal.

To make the goal setting process “smarter”, I have added the next two criteria:

Extended: The goal should stretch your capabilities and allow/empower you to grow as a person.

Rewarding: Know, and therefore be able to anticipate, what rewards await you as a result of completing your goal(s).

So, in honor of the season of planning set some S.M.A.R.T.E.R goals and see what happens. Happy new year!

Yes! Moments.

Part of a job search or deciding to change careers involves taking a look our past accomplishments. Typically, I ask coaching clients to outline work and accomplishment stories that we can later feature on resumes or in interviews. These stories often times hold the clues to what the person excels at, why they like the work they do, or, in other words, what lights them up.

What do I mean by accomplishment stories? Not just the times where you got accolades in a performance review but your “Yes” moments. Yes, I am good! Yes, I love my work! Yes, this is what was meant to be.

When you are looking at what you want to do next with your day job what matters more than what you’ve accomplished is what really lights you up. When in your life have you been strong? On fire? In the zone? What were you doing when you felt this? When have you felt a sense of pride and known you have done something well?

Examples from my life:

LIVING ALONE FOR THE FIRST TIME – I graduated from university and chose to live by myself in Vancouver with no roommates and no cable. This was a big deal for me as I am a highly social person who had (sometimes still has) difficulties being alone. What I learned during that living alone year in Vancouver is that I did not mind spending time on my own and I really did enjoy my own company. I developed hobbies and tried to spend quality time with myself. I worked through “the Artist Way.” I read more, wrote, and did lots of other creative projects. This lit me up as I really enjoyed the amount of time I spent being creative.

ACTING IN LIVE THEATRE – Up until I was 17, I took singing, dancing and acting lessons. The best part I got was playing Peter Pan. I loved acting and being on stage. For a long time, this was something I wanted to do as a career. Singing now still lights me up. Even if it’s just the Indigo Girls as a bedtime song or 80’s music as I drive to work.

MANAGING A TEAM AT AN EMPLOYMENT CENTRE – I am proud of the team I managed and the relationships I had with my staff. What lit me up? The relationships I built with people and the goals we achieved as a team. I tried to always work with integrity and respect even in difficult downsizing situations.

What do these stories say about me: I need a job where I can be creative, relationships are important to me and sometimes I still like to take the stage.

Now it’s your turn. Reflect on the proud moments you have had in your life and describe what you were doing – get specific about the situation that made you feel proud. It doesn’t matter whether these are professional or personal. In fact, don’t limit them to only professional endeavors. What matters is that you recognize and reflect on times you felt strong and bright from the inside out. Then, you go and do more of that.

Now what? How does this relate to what you want to do in your work and, more importantly, in your life? Make a list of career and life ‘must haves’: freedom to be creative, working alone or on a team, relationships are paramount, family, time with friends, a pet, hobbies, etc.

Take this list and start sketching out what your life and work looks like with these must haves in it. Structure your day, even if for now it is just in your imagination, around these values, and see what you come up with. Take this list/sketch to a coach to help you dream this into being.

Baby steps can change your career.

Happy New Year! There is always a lot of information in January about setting goals. With a career change it does not have to be a huge leap or a BIG GOAL. I promise. What if it just was a micro-movement that could change everything? Here is an example, I had a young client who was miserable at Starbucks. After some values work with me she moved to a small independent restaurant and she was more fulfilled. It wasn’t a different job description she needed but an environmental change.

Isn’t this great news? There may not be something wrong with your overall career choice.You might be able to make a small change to fix what is not working for you in your job.
For example, you may hate a part of your job that is only 10% of your time. Instead of looking for another opportunity in a new company the first step is to have a conversation with a supervisor or a co-worker about how to shift some duties/responsibilities around.

Through one to one coaching I can support you to look at what is really not working at work. What do you love doing that you are not doing? What do you want to do more of at work this year? Feel stuck – Let’s talk.

You Don’t Have to Swing at Every Pitch

My dad took me to lots of Blue Jay baseball games when I was growing up. I am not a baseball expert, but I do understand an important element of the game: deciding if/when to swing. The pitcher throws and the batter has to decide whether it is a good pitch. It’s coming across the plate and if it’s in the sweet spot and the batter knows he/she can hit it: swing! If it isn’t right or the pitch is poor the batter won’t chance it.

How many times in our lives are we presented with the opportunity to swing at, or step back from, what life sends our way? The pitches are always coming – career opportunities, relationships, professional development, family, education, etc. and your job as batter for your life is to know what to swing at and when. To understand what your sweet spot is, what an ideal pitch is for you. A lot of opportunities come up and of course you want to swing at the right ones, the ones that get you the furthest into the outfield. Sometimes, like in the real game of baseball, you don’t get all the time in the world to decide and timing is everything. If you hesitate, you strike out; if you are too aggressive, same result.

So, how do you know when to swing? Professional ball players spend years honing their instincts to the game and they are pros because of all that practice, commitment, and skill has made what they do so well appear natural. As professionals in our own right, we need to spend time doing the same thing. Instead of swinging bats and throwing balls, we are always re-evaluating our values, visions, and goals. We ask ourselves: What do I value the most? Then we add and delete these values from our “Non-Negotiable” career planning list as our life evolves. Such a list will support you in your decisions, provide you with ready and familiar knowledge for when it is swing or step aside time. You will be ready and know what to do because you have taken the time to put in writing what it is exactly you are looking for based on what matters to you most. A non-negotiables list prepares you to recognize the “perfect pitch.”

Non-negotiables might include: hours you would like to work, work environment, and location of position. People come up with vastly different non-negotiables like: I want to be able to bike to work; I want to make ‘x’ amount of money; I want to be able to travel; I want to have creativity in my work; I want to work for a big company; I want to work for myself. Think in terms of what you want (not what you don’t want) and create your list in the positive. Our time is too important to spend on what we don’t want and neither does this focus help us clarify what we do. It keeps us thinking in the negative which is the last place it serves us to be.

Whether you are searching for a new career, job, professional opportunity, or just want to shake life up a little, start with your non-negotiables. Then get ready to swing.

10 Things You Should Know About Informational Interviews – Informational Interviews Part Two

The last post Stop Spinning Your Career Search Wheels – Informational Interviews Part One explained why an informational interview is effective. So now you know the “why” here are some top tips to help you with the “how” of the informational interview.

1. Come prepared with a 30 second elevator pitch on who you are and why you are there. See my earlier blog post Riding in an Elevator with Your Future CEO who some further information an your personal marketing statement.
2. Never directly ask for a job – the purpose of the informational interview is to find out more about the company and the position. It is used to identify if the field, position and company are a good match for you.
3. Research the company and the position.
4. Come prepared to take notes.
5. Bring your resume and ask for feedback.
6. Develop a list of questions. You are the one in control of this type of interview. Pick out four or five questions. Some examples:

What is your job like?

How would you describe a typical day?

What do you like most about your job? Least?

What jobs and experience have led to your present employment?

Are there expectations outside work hours?

What is the best way to enter this occupation?

1. Be aware of the time. Most informational interviews last 20-30 minutes.
2. Ask if you may stay in contact and follow up. It is always good to stay connected with people.
3. Always send a thank you note (email is fine)
4. Always get referrals – ask if there are other people in the industry that may be helpful to talk with.

Stop Spinning Your Career Search Wheels – Informational Interviews Part One

Let’s face it deciding what to do next with your career or pounding the pavement with your resume isn’t fun. As a career coach I often speak with people spinning their wheels with either the career or job search process.

With more than 600 plus jobs out there how can it not be difficult to decide what to do next? One way to move forward and reduce the frustration is to set up an informational interview in the field of your choice. An informational interview can help you gain momentum in two ways.

The term “informational interviewing” comes from Richard Nelson Bolles, best-selling career guide, What Color Is Your Parachute? In his book Bolles refers to the informational interview process as “trying on jobs to see if they fit you.” It is a way to get current information about an occupation by talking to people who are working in the occupation.

It is far more informative and effective then google searching a job description. The second way an informational interview can reduce job search frustration is how fast it can lead to an offer. One out of every 200 resumes submitted results in a person getting a job while one out of every 12 informational interviews results in a job offer.

Pretty amazing, right? Stay tuned Part 2 10 Things You Should Know About Informational Interviews.