Dear readers. I have a confession to make. I have set goals in previous years which were not met, sadly. It was an exciting feeling when I planned, however, a sad feeling when time went away, just like that!

Have you ever observed a toddler, starts to walk and trembles down. But never loses the focus, starts with small steps to walk confidently one day!

Yes, there are ways to set SMART goals, when I reflected back on my situation. I realized that my goals were quite big and it is good to be ambitious, however, the lesson learned was small steps and consistency (struggle and hope), the key to unlocking doors to achieve a goal and becoming glad. Sometimes the steps were quite spread out.

 

I have been involved with Agile for some time now and one thing that I really took to my heart was the focus, small steps, and continuous learning with consistency. Experiment and see how it turns out. Every time I was involved in transformation or adoption, I created a small agile roadmap for that specific goal to meet. It could be introducing Scrum or experimenting with new practice or team growth.

Now, I am introducing to you the GoalStepper model that has been very useful for me during the Agile journey. One can use it for personal or team development. Why I created this model was to ask certain questions to keep focused, inspect and adapt accordingly.

Here are the four steps!

Step 1: What you have already tried?

Warming up for your next goal, think about what you have already tried. Did you do anything or read related to your next goal? Did you attend an event or course or even met a person who inspired you to go for this goal?

Write down each thought, experience, learning or activity on a sticky note or digital tool that can help you visualize altogether.

Step 2: Why do you want to achieve that goal?

The next step is to build the understanding, ask your self a bunch of questions to really assess if this is the right direction.

Are your passion and profession aligned?

• Why do you want to go in that direction?
• Why you are motivated by this goal?
• Why is it important for you?
• Why now?

Let’s not try to look for perfection but motivation and energy.

 

Write down each thought, experience, learning or activity on a sticky note or digital tool that can help you visualize altogether.

Step 3: How does the success look like?

Let’s assume that you have achieved that goal, what are your expectations? how will you feel emotionally? Is it a stepping stone for something big that you want to do? Will it open more doors to your personal and professional development?

Write down each thought, experience, learning or activity on a sticky note or digital tool that can help you visualize altogether.

Step 4: Refine What, Why and How

Achieving any goal is not a single step, however, it is like a journey. You might get more inspirations on the way to help you better align and refocus your time and energies. I think this is an important step to adapt to the situation and reprioritize whenever necessary. After completing a step check;

• What you have completed so where?
• Is your Why to achieve that goal still valid?
• How will you proceed and the success look like?

Inspect and adapt where necessary!

Please share your comments

Inspirations

• How great leaders inspire action 
• Powerful questions

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