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Ask the Experts: Holiday Goal Setting

Question: How can holiday goal-setting techniques improve performance?

Most of us work hard all year and spend much of our time looking forward to a summer holiday. When it finally comes we often find ourselves spending the first week of that precious fortnight winding down from the pressures of work and life and then the second week anticipating (often negatively) the return to work. Within a week of returning the holiday seems like a lifetime ago and we still haven’t caught up with the backlog that accumulated in our absence!

If that sounds familiar to you and you would like to break that annual cycle this is the perfect time to set some fresh goals for yourself. By goals, I don’t mean those fuzzy, half-hearted, New Year’s resolution type goals, I mean proper well-formed goals that will enable you to return to work refreshed, motivated and with a clear sense of direction and purpose.

Goal setting is one of the most powerful tools in the coaching “Toolbox”

Holidays are the perfect time to set yourself goals. You are out of your normal routine, and very likely in a completely new environment so you are able to look at your day-to-day life and work with a new, more objective perspective. Having A PROCESS for setting your goals will enable you to coach yourself and make the goals “stick”.

Here is A PROCESS that is simple yet effective. Ask yourself these questions and be honest about the answers. If you find this difficult, ask someone else to ask the questions.

Aim	What do you want? What do you REALLY want?
Positive………..	How is this a good thing for me? What is the positive “pay-off” (make sure this is what you want, not what you don’t want)
Resources….....	What do I need to achieve this goal? This could be people, money, skills
Ownership….....	Is this goal really yours? How will you maintain ownership and motivation?
Consequences..	What will happen if you do not achieve this goal? Be clear about the negative consequences
Evidence………	How will you know you are making progress? What will you SEE, HEAR and FEEL? Really go to town on this!
Specific………...	Is the goal specific enough? Can you focus on it without too many distractions? Do you need to break it down into smaller steps? If yes, start again with smaller “chunks”
Start……………	When are you going to take the first step? When do you expect to be halfway? What date will you have accomplished the goal by?

Getting into the habit of setting “well formed” outcomes so that you are sure about the “What”, “How” and “Why” is the surest way to turn dreams into reality. In order to hit a bullseye, an archer needs to know where the target is. Being clear about where you are aiming is the first step to positive change and development.

"Having an exciting destination is like setting a needle in your compass. From then on, the compass knows only one point-its ideal. And it will faithfully guide you there through the darkest nights and fiercest storms." Daniel Boone

And finally… if you think this sounds difficult, remember that the fact that you are on holiday means that you are already good at setting goals. You chose a destination, imagined how great it would be, marshalled your resources, set a date and planned your route. It’s as easy as that!

Melanie Richens is a partner at MBS Coaching : http://www.mbscoaching.co.uk/