I find New Year’s resolutions very challenging. I like to think that I am always trying to improve, always striving for excellence, always trying to recover if I’ve fallen. And yet, as the calendar pages turn closer to 2009, many of us will diligently identify opportunities to put some new practice in place. Even the U.S. government has joined in, providing a list for us back in November of the most popular resolution subjects.
Elizabeth Scott, M.S. wrote an article a couple years ago that really hit home with me, and has been a resource ever since. In How to Make Lasting Changes For New Year’s and Any Time Of Year, she provided another way to view resolutions.
Instead of overwhelming oneself with promises, view them as goals and then treat them as such.
For example – we all know it takes time to meet a goal. At work, we brainstorm about what is the best goal, we may detail a project plan, and we regularly review the plan to see if modifications are needed. We are pleased with incremental steps towards success and may offer related rewards for progress. We may need to enroll others to help us meet our goal, and so we form an alliance or even a team. Doesn’t that sound easier to manage than a resolution?
Patrick Lencioni’s newest book, The 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family, is a great read. He takes his usual fable style writing and leadership techniques and applies it to our lives outside of the office. If we are so good at setting goals, managing projects, and resolving conflict at work, couldn’t some of the same principles apply at home? He presents a model for doing just that.
As you think about your skills at work, which ones are transferable to your home life? How would that be helpful as we move into a new year and set new goals?
