Over the past few months, I’ve shared my approach to goal setting at work. A variation on a tactic I’ve used for almost 10 years to help people approach their holiday break productively; one that positions them to reflect a bit while also thinking deeply about what they want to pursue in the coming year.
It’s why, without fail, my teams, the people I work with, tend to have higher than normal turnover in January and February. People are encouraged to think deeply about what they want but hopefully, they also feel supported in pursuing it.
I’ll share more on Happy, Proud, but Not Yet Satisfied here soon; but in the short term, the biggest ask I continue to get is a list of the questions and/or slides people can use for reference.
Here’s a link to the slides I used to present these concepts this past holiday season.
And here are the questions.
Happy: Spend 5-6 minutes on the following questions. Write down thoughts, bullet points, ideas. The key is “up to three”.
- What are (up to) three things you remember from 2020 that still make you smile?
- What are (up to) three things you would do if you had infinite time and money wasn’t an issue?
- What are (up to) three things you can do seemingly forever without losing energy or passion?
Proud: Spend 5-6 minutes on the following questions. Write down thoughts, bullet points, ideas. The key is “up to three”.
- What are (up to) three new things you did in 2020 that you can add to your resume and LinkedIn Profile?
- What are (up to) three moments you recall from 2020 where you felt your confidence in your abilities grow?
- What are (up to) three things that happened in 2020 that would not have happened without your presence and participation?
Not Yet Satisfied: Spend 5-6 minutes on the following questions. Write down thoughts, bullet points, ideas. The key is “up to three”.
- What are (up to) three things you know you can do better in 2021?
- What are (up to) three new things you want to experiment with in 2021?
- What are (up to) the three most important things you want to arrive at this point, next year, having completed? These things will likely become your “Happy” and “Proud” items for next year.
Suneet Bhatt 