New Year's Resolutions Redux

[Editor's Note - This is modified repost of an earlier blog that somehow seems relevant]

I’ll go ahead and spit it out right now… I HATE New Year’s Resolutions! I always have. Even as a kid, I thought they were silly. I’ve always believed (and also known) that the likelihood of success is about 0%. So year after year after year I sit at the NYE dinner table and listen with venomous contempt as my friends and family make their profound intentional declarations for the upcoming year. Maybe it does work for them, but it’s never worked for me. Like most everyone else, by February 1st, I’ve forgotten what my resolutions were.

Enough venting; I’m now climbing off of my soapbox…

Here’s what I do know, however -- Having a vision of where you’re going increases the chances of you achieving your goals. I’ve said it over and over again: Knowing the “What” helps us figure out the “How!” So maybe there is something to the New Year’s Resolution shenanigans?

I have a young, very successful friend who keeps his New Year’s intentions (both personal and professional) taped to his bedroom mirror. This strategy works for him and allows him to continually and casually revisit his annual goals. He does not share these with anyone (other than those lucky few who get to visit the inner sanctum of his bedroom), and he has a better sense of where he’s going than anyone else I know.

Another idea that works well comes from a federal coaching client I've been working with. She keeps dry erase markers in her shower to keep her vision visible, as well as to modify and keep her resolutions current.

So maybe resolutions do work? Let's throw out those prior misconceptions and try something new this year.

Here’s the challenge I’ll give you, Gentle Reader:

What’s ONE thing you want to accomplish in 2008?

New job? New car? New life partner? New hairdo?

What’s yours going to be? Write it down (in the shower!), tell a friend, shoot me an email. Just do something to get it out there!

Easy enough?

Happy Holidays and have a terrific New Year!

How to Find Your ideal Career in 2008

Here's nice link to an article I saw earlier this year about how to find Your Ideal Career. Take a look, as it's good reading and provides a great list on how to get clarity, as well as how to organize your thoughts.

Spice Up Your Life

“Tell me what you want, what you really, really want…”

I have a big old confession to make. I love the Spice Girls. I first saw them in concert in Montreal in 1999 and fell in love. Last night, I saw them again in Las Vegas and my unwavering adoration was further reinforced. The fact that I’m a huge fan of the girl-power-defining quintet is no secret to those close to me, and, on a personal note, this passion is one of those first-date, things-in-common that the spousal unit and I bonded over during our early courtship.

The Spice Girls’ first big, signature hit is called “Wannabe” and contains the lyrics posted above. As I was singing along and dancing in my seat, something profound occurred to me -- There’s a career-management lesson in this song!

Telling me what you want is one of the most important lessons in effectively planning and managing our careers. Having a clearly defined career vision is step one to getting ahead, and by letting others know about our aspirations allows them to help us achieve our goals.

Remember my earlier entry about the young government leader who aspires to be a federal-government CIO? He has a crystal-clear career vision of where he’s going, and he’s therefore able to enlist others to help him achieve his goal. As he was recently looking for a new position within the government, I found myself asking him, “But is this potential opportunity support your quest for the federal CIO career?” When he answered "yes," then he knew it was the right thing to pursue.

So, what’s the formula? First, by me being very clear about what I want makes it easier for me to develop a roadmap. Second, by  knowing what I want, I am thus able to enlist the help of others in achieving my goals. By being clear about my own goals, and then sharing them with others, this will guarantee success. This shared knowing also prevents any possible career mis-steps or other potential messiness resulting from taking the wrong position.

Think about using this strategy at home with your spouse or significant other. How many silly domestic disputes could be avoided by 1) me being clear about what I want, and 2) sharing this out loud with our beloved?

In closing, remember the Spice Girls... Don’t be a Wannabe goal setter and communicator. Instead, be an open, communicative “Share with Me” leader.