Not to brag or anything (I know those words can be offputting) BU
T… I love my job! As a former saleswoman at a big, bad corporation, I revel in the fact that I love the people I work with, the purpose we serve, and the amount of creative and executional freedom entrusted in me. I have complete control in setting my goals and how I plan on getting them done. I’ve bit off a lot, but it’s certainly not more than I can chew. What about you? What’s your story? What do you hope to accomplish this year? What did you say you were going to do, at the start of the year? Are you about half way there? Because, technically, that’s where you should be. We don’t have a knowledge problem, we have an execution problem. No matter what your profession or career path, if you want to progress and get to the place where YOU love YOUR job, you’ve GOT to have goals. One of my all-time favorite books, that gives you a big push and a place to start is The 12 Week Year, by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington. How frequently do you set and refocus your goals? Do you find that you set your New Year’s Resolution and then swiftly lose focus and drive? Are you caught in the vicious cycle of the “year-end push”? Or by the start of the New Year, are you beating yourself up and targeting the same thing for the next? Whether you want to lose 20 lbs, save $12k, or take your career to the next level, the typical annual goal setting practice, isn’t going to cut it! 
In the sales world, it’s actually quite common for the 4th quarter to make up 30 – 40% of annual sales. In reality, as salespeople, we have monthly and quarterly goals to hit, so why don’t we mirror that quarterly mindset in our goal setting process? The 12-week year concept, also known as “periodization” does just that, as a result, your timeframe to achieve each goal is tightened, allowing each week to count! In order to execute your 12-week year plan, you keep 3 principles, 5 disciplines, and 1 cycle at the forefront of your mind and process:
Quitters, Dabblers, Hobbyists, and Superstars via @keenan
Consciously and clearly setting Goals, Strategies, Initiatives, and Tactics, on a quarterly basis, is the foundation that you need to lay in order to become a goal crushing machine. @keenan uncovered a fascinating, but stark phenomenon about the path to greatness and surpassing your colleagues and competitors. In Quitters, Dabblers, Hobbyists, and Superstars, he breaks down the learning curve to improvement, whether you’re trying to master a favorite hobby or your profession. This 10-minute whiteboard session cuts to the heart of the why. Why aren’t there a bunch of goal superstars running around? Once you understand and are aware of why your improvement curve is plateauing, you might be able to make the change it takes to achieve greatness.
So What Can I Do TODAY? Get ‘er done.
Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington have not incentivized me to promote The 12-Week Year Reading and working your way through the book, creating a 12-week game plan, and then sticking to that plan is hard work but nobody said that excellence was easy! Get ‘er done. The sooner the better. One fun and mobile way to stay accountable is a twitter hashtag trend @keenan started, #MySummerProject and, therefore, by nature a support system for your change. There really is no more candid and constructive feedback than from @keenan! On one hand, praise is always well deserved and very satisfying and on the other, he’s always good for a swift kick in the ass! Our projects this Summer are of more of a recreational nature but if your Summer project is work-centered – bring it on!
Till next time –
//kiki b