Goal Setting for “Sloths”
In recent weeks, many have been reflecting on their lives over the last twelve months since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the WHO in March of 2020. Regardless of your personal experiences, I think we can all agree that it’s been a long year to say the least. The Gallup Organization recently released a fascinating workplace report called, “The Wellbeing-Engagement Paradox of 2020.” It’s not shocking that employee engagement levels in the United States fluctuated throughout 2020. However, the average in 2020 was actually one percent higher than in 2019. While employee engagement surprisingly saw a slight improvement in 2020, employee wellbeing, not surprisingly, declined. Gallup refers to this as the “Wellbeing-Engagement Paradox” and explained, “Common sources of pandemic-induced distress run the gamut from health and job concerns to social disconnectedness, social injustice, childcare strains, and uncertainty about the future.”
Many are struggling with stress and worry. Many have lost track of time. What began a year ago with people thinking these work and home life changes might last a few weeks has evolved into a much longer prognosis. If your motivation levels are low, yet you are still looking for ways to grow and accomplish your goals, I’d like to share an approach that was helpful to me a few years ago. I called it my “More or Less” list. The turn of the calendar from 2017 to 2018 was a big deal for me. As I wrote about here, I was diagnosed with breast cancer around Mother’s Day of 2017 and proceeded through 16 rounds of chemotherapy followed by surgery toward the end of the year. While I didn’t know that things would never “go back to normal,” the flip of the calendar in 2018 gave me hope of putting those last eight months behind me and starting fresh. Like many people at the beginning of 2021, I couldn’t wrap my brain around creating traditional goals for the New Year of 2018. Instead, I grabbed my phone and typed a simple More or Less list into my Notes app. Here is what it said:
More
Golf, yoga, movie nights, sunshine, walks, music, breathing, vegetables, energy, gratitude, reading, clients, coffees, lunches, and challenges
Less
Stress, negativity, frustration, hesitation, rushing, and playing it safe
This list served as more of a general direction, a reminder, and a guide of what I wanted to deliberately focus my energy on growing or slowing. By typing “more vegetables,” it was a reminder to increase the number of vegetables I bought, cooked, and substituted at restaurants. I liked seeing that phrase so much more than a forced goal of, “I will eat 4 vegetables per day at least 5 days a week.” Too rigid. Too boring. Not inspiring. Not happening.
Trust me, I realize that most goal setting experts like coaches, trainers, and nutritionists are not teaching a more or less approach. They likely teach some form of a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound) goal setting process. I get it, and I am not attempting to make the argument that this concept is better. I am simply suggesting that in a time of stress, uncertainty, and overwhelm, it may not be a bad place to start.
At Follow Your Strengths, we leverage the CliftonStrengths Assessment by Gallup, which is rooted in the study of excellence and consists of 34 Talent Themes. People who are driven, intense, and organized may naturally be drawn toward a SMART goal setting process and system. They may have strengths such as Achiever®, Competition®, Discipline®, Focus®, or Strategic® and would likely enjoy the framework, structure, accountability, and tracking process. If this sounds familiar, you may be all about charts, journals, and tracking visuals to hold yourself accountable in meeting your SMART goals. If that’s working for you, keep riding that train! You can always incorporate the More or Less concept into your current system of choice.
If those rubrics, lists, and check boxes make your head hurt, then consider trying something new. “Different strokes for different folks,” I like to say. People who are flexible, adaptable, and spontaneous may prefer a more casual, laidback approach to setting and achieving goals. They may have strengths such as Arranger®, Adaptability®, or Connectedness®. As Dean Jones, Global Talent Development Architect at Gallup explains in this video on How to Set Goals that are Right for You in 2021, “For some people, goal setting is less organic. You may feel constrained or locked in by goals. It’s helpful to think of goals and commitments as more of a direction or a vision – something to pull you forward rather than something you’re constrained by or locked into.”
Typical goal-setting processes have always felt daunting and rigid to me. They stress me out, and the process feels more burdensome than inspiring. In Daniel Pink’s best-selling book, “When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing,” he shares how timing is more of a science than an art. It is an interesting read, and one of my favorite quotes was, “Breaks are not a sign of sloth but a sign of strength.” Honestly, I had every intention of writing this goal setting blog to kick off 2021 in case it was helpful for my fellow sloths, procrastinators, and slow movers. I mean that with so much love, by the way, as I have a happy ceramic sloth hanging in my office. In a cut and dry world, I failed to meet my goal. Given that I’m a “More or Less” kind of gal, I figured a random Monday in April signifies a new “start” in some form and is better late than never. As I recently joked with my good friend and hair stylist, Mel, “I’m just a Type B person trying to make it in a Type A world.” (Sloth laughing…wait for it, wait for it.)
If you dig the strengths side of this, I highly recommend that you follow @strengthstalk on Instagram. Maika Leibbrandt, Gallup Senior Workplace Consultant, shares inspiring content around strengths and being a working mom. I loved seeing her Less/More list to kick off 2021 in this awesome post. If you’re looking for more learnings around goal setting, check out the work of my coach, Dr. Christi Hegstad. Coach Christi provides loads of free content on her social media platforms. She also leads an incredible year-long program called The ASPIRE Success Club. This is my third year participating and despite my aversion to “typical” goal setting processes, it has been well worth the investment. We dive deep into a new book each quarter, have monthly group Zoom discussions, and she leads training sessions throughout the year.
What approach has worked best for you in setting and achieving goals? What would you like to invite more of into your life? Less of? How will you use your unique strengths to help you head in the direction of your goals? I’d love to hear what feels best for you if you’re willing to share!