Living Your Dreams, Visions, Mission Statements and Goals
This session was taught by another member of Dave’s teaching team, Chris Hogan. Chris did a great job. You can read more about Chris by clicking here. You can also visit his site here: http://www.chrishogan360.com/
People often check out. Goals have to be one of things we are doing. You have to set them and aim for them.
Illustration: As a freshman football player, I had to set goals for the year. By verbalizing and putting my goals out there, I had put myself on the line.
In business, I have done the same thing. We have to focus on setting real goals and find someone we can verbalize them to. Put it down on paper and tell somebody so that you have accountability.
Goals are a lot like skeet shooting. Its about airing ahead of where you want to go and fire in that direction.
Start with a Dream, End With a Goal
Dreams
”Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or idea.” — Earl Nightingale
The success we have is moving toward the goal that we set. We have a level we want to attain. We have to focus on that. Too often we want to get the goal, but forget there are steps to get there. It doesn’t happen overnight. Give yourself a break.
Have a realistic goal and ease off of yourself. You may be the only person that believes in yourself.
Dreams are wishes that seldom happen. They are just in your head.
Life does not hand you your dreams; you have to make them happen. At the end of day, you have to make it happen! If you don’t really want it to happen, do say it!
Dreams are essential to winning, but they must come out of the clouds and be more tangible and touchable. You have to have the mindset that your product is necessary.
Vision
A more tangible, touchable dream is a vision.
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” — Proverbs 29:18
People have to be able to know what direction we are going. They have to be lead. They need us to share our heart and soul with the people on our team. We have to be vulnerable. We need people with the head, heart and habits of winning on our team.
Mission Statements
A mission statement is like an out-of-bounds marker. It defines what you are not. We have to have focus.
A great mission statement keeps you track. Send out your mission statement and ask them, “Does this describe me?”
Career Coach Dan Miller says a mission statement should include:
- You or your company’s skills and abilities.
- You or your company’s personality traits.
- You or your company’s values, dreams and passions.
Passion is a key ingredient that can overcome other weaknesses. Don’t forget why you started. Fish for the positive reasons.
Goals
Mission statements that are ready to go to work is call a goal.
For your goals to have a long-term positive impact, they must include: Career, Financial, Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Family, Social, Career. You have to be making progress in each of these areas. If not, you will be unbalanced.
Goals are bite-sized vision. If you are going to accomplish the vision, you need to break it down into bite-sized goals to achieve it.
Goals convert vision into energy. At the end of the day, we have to pull the trigger on something. Get it done.
Goals that work must:
- Be specific.
- Be measurable. Am I making progress? Am I on target? If not, you have to change something. Put a date and a month on it. Calendar books read, money saved, etc.
- Have a time limit. No escape clauses. We need a year of change.
- Be yours. You have to have person buy in.
- Be in writing.
Break everything down into small parts and time frames.
Don’t ask your team to set goals when you have none.
Leading with Goals
For your team to have goals, you must have goals. Don’t go back to doing the same old thing without goals.
Shared goals on a team create communication and unity. You have to spend time together. Unity doesn’t mean sameness. It means we are driving in a direction. You don’t have to like everybody. You have to get along.
Goals on a team are shared when the team develops the goals together. What can we do together this quarter? This year? Get individual buy in.
Individual team members can’t have goals dictated to them; instead, help the team develop their goals.
Management by objective is when team members set individual and team goals within general guidelines.
General guidelines should include several micro-goals that create the result that everyone agrees is needed.
We can spend time doing ridiculous things to avoid facing the things outside of our comfort zone.
Let’s not seek comfort, let’s seek being effective.
They are your goals, but to be walking closely with God, you should be in on His plan. he knows your future and what is best for you.
Establishing Priorities
We can spend time doing ridiculous thing to avoid facing the things outside of our comfort zone.
1. Quadrant of Necessity. (Important/Urgent)
2. Quadrant of Leadership. (Important/Not Urgent)
3. Quadrant of Deception. (Not Important/Urgent)
4. Quadrant of Default/Waste. (Not Important/Not Urgent)
This area can be deceptive, but its important.