2022 had many of us reaching our breaking points after years of working hard and staying the course while disruption after disruption occurred––a pandemic, a war, worsening climate change, and a looming recession. Now, the feeling that we have to change and make it stick is more urgent than ever. But after all that has happened, how can professionals set goals in 2023 and have the resilience to achieve them?

Let’s be honest, most New Year’s Resolutions end up as another marked-up page at the back of a notepad in another corner of an overflowing desk drawer (maybe your resolution is to clean out your desk drawers). Then, as the year sprints forward, we wonder why we’re stuck in the same place we were at when we started. Then comes the question, “Why did I set resolutions in the first place?”

Don’t lose hope just yet! It can be both a new year AND a new you. It just takes commitment and a little clarity.

Why is setting new year’s resolutions important for professionals?

Setting goals and intentions can feel like a heavy lift, but it helps professionals adjust their focus and decide what their main priorities for the year are. Being goal-oriented provides clarity and a sense of purpose when done right. Not to mention, it can inspire your team too. 

Having something to work toward that connects you to your values and your mission is also critical to preventing burnout; however, most resolutions fail and that has the exact opposite effect on our confidence and well-being.

Why do most new years’ resolutions fail? 4 Resolution Traps

A resolution is defined as a decision to do something or to behave in a certain manner, and it’s just that––a decision. A decision is nothing without action, without commitment. That’s why New Year’s Resolutions are so hard to complete.

In fact, 80% of people fail to achieve their new year’s resolutions (Inc study), and here are a few reasons why:

• Self-doubt: The voice in your head constantly questions your ability to get things done. 

• Unclear and/or unrealistic goals: Pursuing goals that are not clear and relevant to your life and daily reality.

• Overthink: Too much thinking, not much doing, also often expressed as procrastination.

• Lack of self-accountability: Finding excuses to avoid doing the work and fulfilling responsibilities.
  

Driving change and achieving goals is all about being able to reflect on where you’ve been, where you are now, and where you want to go. It’s about setting a realistic plan of action and making progress one day at a time.

How to achieve your New Year’s Resolutions in 3 steps: 

1- REFLECT

Reflecting helps you stay focused and motivated. It helps you identify any obstacles that may stand in your way and allows you to adjust your plans accordingly.

And it starts with a clear vision. You need to be able to describe the you that you’ll be when you achieve your goal down to the shoes you’re wearing. We know that sounds silly but it works. For example, a product manager might say…

I want to become a product leader. My colleagues will respect me as a forward-thinking subject matter expert. Our customers will feel confident that myself and the team know exactly what they want and that our product will solve their pain points. I will lead with empathy and confidence by ensuring I have breaks for myself, respecting the time of others, and advocating for the customers and my colleagues to my higher-ups. I’ll listen more than I talk. I will show up to 1:1s in more casual attire to better build relationships and I’ll go to important meetings dressed in suits with some nice dress shoes to show I’m serious. 

After, you establish your clear, self vision, use these prompts to further reflect on your goals:

• What are your values? How do your goals tie to your values? 
• What does success look like to you?
• How do you want you and your work to be described? What can you do to channel some of these qualities? 

To make reflecting realistic, decide on a time frame for a check-in. How does your present live up to your future self-vision? For example…

• Monthly check-in: Focus on reflecting on what went well and what can be improved the next month
• 3 months, 6 months, 9 months: Create smaller milestones you’d like to hit to achieve your goals, use 3/6/9 months check-ins to keep yourself accountable to your big goal. Adjust tactics if necessary.

• End of year: The final push – reflect on what you need to do more and/or less to finish the year strong and achieve your goals.

Selecting your check-in time frame is part of the next step: planning.

2 – PLAN

Taking the time to develop a comprehensive plan with achievable goals and measurable outcomes is an important step to ensure that progress is made in the right direction. 

A S.M.A.R.T. action plan incorporates 5 characteristics of a goal: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. 

• Specific – What am I trying to accomplish?  
• Measurable – How will I measure progress?
• Attainable – How realistic is my goal based on my current skills and resources?
• Relevant – Is it worthwhile? Does it match the bigger picture?
• Time-Bound – When is it due? 

General goals don’t help us. If we say “I want to be more productive” this gives no direction or clear action that we can hold ourselves accountable to. 

A more actionable goal might be “I want to be more productive by improving my time management skills. To do this I’ll create a daily schedule each morning and try to stick to it for the next month, checking in each evening about what worked and what didn’t.” 

This goal is specific (improve time management skills), measurable (by creating and following a daily schedule), achievable (by setting aside time each day to work on this goal), relevant (this goal will help me be more productive in my personal and professional life), and time-bound (I will work on this goal for the next month).

Create your SMART goal plan and regularly review it, so you can ensure that you are always on track.

3 – PROGRESS

Breaking and forming habits isn’t a one-and-done. Making progress requires focus, consistency, accountability, and persistence. You aren’t going to tackle chunks of your S.M.A.R.T.  goals every day. It’s important to scale them down to milestones and then daily pieces.

For example, using our previous SMART goal of wanting to improve productivity through time management, a monthly task might be, “I will create a to-do list for each week and complete 75% of the list.” Breaking that down even further you could say, “Each day when I set up my schedule I will cross-check my meetings and time blocks with my weekly to-do list to see how my priorities align.” 

It’s important to keep sight of the vision here (productivity), the specific action (creating a schedule each day) and then figure out what you can do to make progress on your milestones (weekly to-do list) and day (cross-reference to-do list). 

How you live out your S.M.A.R.T. goals might not always be the action you described in your original goal draft because S.M.A.R.T. goals aren’t static. They grow and evolve as you progress and figure out what works, what doesn’t, and what aligns with your changing wants and needs. It’s ok to adapt. Expect change. 

When looking for ways to make progress on a day to day basis, consider these questions:

• What is one thing can you do each day to chip away at your S.M.A.R.T. goals? 
• How can your current routine support your goals? OR, what about your current routine gets in the way of your goals? 
• What tradeoffs might you have to make in order to create space for your goals? (We can’t have it all!)

To help, we’ve developed a tracker that you can use to document your yearly progress. Click here to download.

Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick

We know we’ve been saying resolutions throughout this whole blog. Trust us, we’ve been rolling our eyes too. Resolutions are unreliable and destroy our self-esteem because they lack commitment. They lack discipline. And eventually, they become just another holiday cliché. So, in 2023 let’s swap resolutions for commitments. 

With the tools above, you’ll make your 2023 commitments tangible. Lead each day as if your success was inevitable, and so it shall be. 

Happy new year! 

SNP

The post 3 Ways to Achieve Your Professional Goals in 2023 appeared first on SNP Communications.

I credit C.S. Lewis with the concept of the arrogance of help. It’s the idea that the mere statement of saying “I’m here to help” carries with it an air of superiority. Who are you to think you can help? I faced this in my twenties working with street kids in New York City. One of my jobs was to screen celebrities who came to our door to offer their help. I quickly learned that if they came because they wanted to give back, they didn’t stick around for long. But if they came because they needed to for selfish reasons, it worked out well for them and our kids.

This comes to mind when we see corporations jumping on social bandwagons of good causes and political trends. It’s become a popular, if not essential, element of doing business. This is particularly true now with employees, especially the younger workforce, expecting their personal values to align with their employer’s values, missions or products.

But there is a hitch. As my wife and I learned very early on as parents, each succeeding generation has highly attuned bullshit meters beyond the preceding one. It might be nature’s way of compensating for our eternal hopeful and easily manipulated human frailty.

Business Decisions: Sincere or opportunistic?

This honed ability to judge intention is a challenge for business leaders. How can they contribute to a cause or help solve a social challenge without seeming to be opportunistic? The founders of Airbnb come to mind. How are they able to attach themselves to current emergencies like the influx of homeless refugees from Afghanistan running from the Taliban and not be judged as manipulating the moment? When Airbnb jumps on board, we see it as sincere and heartfelt.

I have to admit, Airbnb aside, I find myself questioning intention when I see corporate leaders speaking to injustice or contributing to causes that require nothing more than their money. Or when they jump on a socially or politically popular topic that carries no repercussions. Too easy, I think.

But Airbnb is different. Why? Could it be that they have spoken up on divisive topics in the past? Or have been willing to align with unpopular positions knowing there would be a price to be paid? Or could it be as simple as the issues they align themselves with are naturally connected to their products? Full disclosure, I had the privilege of working with the Airbnb founders in the early years, and I know their hearts. Their support for social causes is 100% sincere.

3 Step Guide to Pass BS Meters

Here are a few suggestions for corporate leaders feeling the pressure and maybe the legitimate desire to be of help without having to face the brutal repercussions of generational BS meters:

1. Spend time on clearly understanding your company values. Question how they can be applied to the wider world in addition to your parochial need to generate shareholder returns.
   
2. Find causes that authentically align with these values. Fight the urge to stretch beyond your values in order to leverage a popular social or political moment. Your PR and GR folks will struggle with this.
3. Be careful how you promote it. Let the people who care find your gift of time, money, and energy versus you feeling the urge to widely promote it. Again, your corporate leaders tasked with this will push back.

The bottom line is this, we all have a responsibility to be socially responsible. We all need to step up. And most of us do. But corporate leaders face scrutiny that, while unfair, is real. They ignore it at their own peril.

Remember, this scrutiny is based on an underlying societal bias reflected clearly in a quote by the Brazilian business leader and social innovator, Ricardo Semler.

“If you are giving back, you took too much.”

Want to read more from SNP Co-Founder Renn Vara? Check out his last blog on Valuing Informal Connections at Work!

The post Good Intentions, Maybe. appeared first on SNP Communications.

We all love independence. It’s something we strive to have, a word we hope people describe us as, and a synonym of freedom, personal choice, and power. But, being independent, comes with a lot of dependencies (our Co-Founder Renn has some thoughts on that). To be truly independent, we have to find equilibrium with our dependencies. But what does that look like in the workplace? How do we, as leaders, encourage employee independence?

Whether you’re a team lead, manager, VP, C-Level Executive, or founder – here are some ideas to create independence for your employees:  

1- Set expectations

People always say honesty is the best policy. And it is. But what is honesty without clarity?

When it comes to managing a team and encouraging employee independence, being honest AND clear about your expectations is key.

So what are expectations?

They’re strong beliefs that something will or should happen. At work they’re the assumptions we make about how someone works, how something should function, etc. For example, as a manager, you probably expect your team to hit their deadlines. If they can’t hit those deadlines, you expect them to tell you right away.

But you’ve  likely had to chase someone down to get a status update on project, right Where does that miscommunication happen? It’s in verbalizing those expectations.

So make a list of your own expectations for your team. You could list them out per group, per project, even per role. 

Here are some examples:

• Of my team –  I expect them to respond to customer emails in a 24 hour window.
  
• For ABC project – I expect each contributor to bring a progress report to each meeting
  
• From my program manager – I expect an organized project dashboard that’s updated daily and a weekly status update email to the team.

How do expectations tie into independence?

If you and your team are clear on expectations, you don’t need to worry about a task getting done or an email getting answered. Sure, there may be some growing pains where you need to course correct, remind, even give hard feedback, but the guidelines are clear. Everyone has their marching orders and knows the metric they are being measured to. 

But it’s a two-way street, they’ll also have expectations of you. Maybe it’s being accessible. Maybe it’s for mentorship. Start the conversation and gain more clarity together. 

WARNING: A side effect of mutually living up to expectations is building trust.

2- Build trust

For your team to be independent, you have to trust them, and in turn, they have to trust you.

How do we build trust in the workplace?

The book, The Trusted Advisor breaks down trust into four components: 

1. Credibility – your expertise and credentials
2. Reliability – your follow through
3. Intimacy – your ability to create a sense of safety and security
4. Self-Orientation – your focus on others versus yourself

What actions can you take to build trust?

• Credibility: Answer questions truthfully. Do your research.
• Reliability: Meet deadlines. Be proactive. 
• Intimacy: Acknowledge mistakes. Share personal and professional stories. 
• Self-Orientation: Listen more, speak less. Be curious and check your assumptions. 

These are only a few actions you can take, but you get the idea. 

Not only are these good starting points for you to build your team’s trust in you, but also to identify where your team may be losing your trust. If they’re not meeting their deadlines, maybe they’re lacking in reliability. Give them that feedback (constructively of course), so they can change and be set up for success when being independent.

Trust is a two way street though. Where are you lacking? And how can you build your team’s trust in you? They’ll feel more comfortable being independent if they know they can count on you. 

Trust also means trusting your team to do the work, so sometimes you’ll need to take a step back.

3- Stop micromanaging

People feel they’re trusted when they’re given the space to make their own decisions. Don’t be a helicopter boss, quit micromanaging. 

So what is micromanaging and how do you know if you’re doing it?

Webster defines micromanagement as, “manage[ment] or control with excessive attention to minor details.” 
If you’re not delegating work, becoming overly involved in the work of your employees, or discouraging independent decision-making you’re probably micromanaging. And thus, stifling independence. 

How do you stop micromanaging?

Well, you can start by setting expectations. Then start delegating effectively. Really be hands off. Let go of a perfectionist mindset. Accept that your way isn’t the only way. And ultimately, hire the right people. 

Your team can’t be independent if you’re always looking over their shoulder. With the right training, they should be able to work independently.

4- Create a culture

Every step builds to this one – create a culture of independence. 

Independence thrives in the expectations you set, the trust you build, and the projects you don’t micromanage. 

To take it to the next level, include independence in your values, vision, and mission. Clearly state and show how independence plays into the company’s north star. 

Use your peers for inspiration. Which companies do you feel have independent employees? What do they do? 

Once you have some ideas, it all comes down to the policies you set and how you collectively live them. Don’t waiver. 

Make it a conversation. Encourage your team to speak up and share their insights. Give recognition to those who are modeling independence. 

So encourage independence…

Because teams who are free to make their own choices and decisions perform better, are happier, more engaged, and increasingly loyal to their organizations.

There will come a point when one of your team members doesn’t just want independence but NEEDS independence – to prevent burnout, to find a creative customer solution, to raise a family, to keep a project running, or you know, to navigate a global pandemic…

Encourage independence and set yourself and your team up for success.

If you’re looking for more hands-on help with encouraging employee independence, whether as a leader or as an employee, check out SNP’s 1:1 coaching program with Me360. Being independent doesn’t mean being alone.

The post 4 Ways To Encourage Employee Independence appeared first on SNP Communications.

Husayn Kassai is the Co-Founder of Onfido, a tech company that helps people verify their identity in a matter of minutes using world-leading AI and identity experts. In 2016, Forbes named Husayn and his Onfido cofounders as part of their “30 Under 30” in European technology.

If you’re able to create an environment where everyone has psychological safety, to speak their mind and be themselves. And there’s no politics involved, no agenda involved. It’s just a case of -this is the mission and how can we all work together to solve that mission? It’s kind of like what Darwin said. It’s not the strongest that survive. It’s those who are able to adapt that will survive in the long-term. – Husayn Kassai

On this episode of the Think Like a Founder podcast, SNP’s Co-Founder & CEO, Maureen Taylor gets Husayn’s thoughts on…

1. Humility
2. Adaptability
3. The importance of building the right team

More from Husayn on his Forbes Technology Council member page.

Think Like A Founder is produced by SNP Communications in San Francisco, California. Visit the Think Like A Founder website to learn more about the podcast and curriculum or connect with Maureen Taylor on LinkedIn to continue the conversation there.

Series Producer: Róisín Hunt

Sound Design: Marc Ream 

Content and Scripting: Mike Sullivan and Jaselin Drown

Production Coordinator: Natasha Thomas

Thanks also to Selena Persiani-Shell, Jordan Bailey, Matt Johnson, Eli Shell, John Hughes, and Renn Vara.

The post Podcast with Husayn Kassai, Co-Founder of Onfido appeared first on SNP Communications.