Photo by Monicore @ Pxabay.com
Ensuring Sustainable Success by How You Wrap Up the Year
by Marilybn O'Hearne MCC (guest MMC Master Coach & blogger)
Like your holiday gifts, have you wrapped up this year’s challenges and are ready to open the gift of next year’s success? You are invited to complete your own Sustainable Success Review, either on your own or partnering with me as your coach (I have limited openings) (Coaching provides an ROI of 700%)
Looking for the third installment of the Hacking Motivation series? Promised before year end! And those who have read the first two are already a step ahead toward ensuring sustainable success, as you know the power of purpose and vision and how to step into your desired future.
The following Sustainable Success Review implements the “T” in IMPACT: “Take Stock of Success and Repeat.”(from my Breaking Free from Bias book)
I. List your achievements for the past year, take time to savor them, celebrate, and identify what is working!You can do this and still be humble. I challenge you to address professional and personal gains as they all work together to ensure your sustainable success. These may include:
- New friends, clients, associates, business (reviewing your business and marketing plans
- Increasing your cultural intelligence (CQ) which can include identifying and managing bias
- Increasing your awareness of and ability to identify and manage your emotions (EQ)
- Skills and/or knowledge gained and implemented
- Releasing a negative thinking pattern
- How you have been orienting your organization and life around its mission, vision and values
- Ways of serving others
- What you did to purposefully add to your own and others’ joy, peace
- Separating yourself from your work (and devices!)
- Taking centering breaks throughout the day
- Relaxing and renewing each hour, day, month and year
- Taking great care of your body (healthy diet, exercise)
- Honoring your spiritual well being, etc.
Better yet, do not limit this review to once a year. Take the time annually, AND monthly. Plan a monthly or quarterly retreat or check in. I recently had a VIP day with my coach for additional support and accountability.
II. List others’ contributions you are thankful for, and your greatest supporters, and let them know how they have added value to your life. You may choose to write a note, tell them in person, or plan a celebration event.
III. Finish anything that is left undone. This will free up your focus and energy for the new year. Examples:
- Apologizing to a co-worker, friend, or family member
- Organizing your office, home
- Finishing a project
- Paying off a debt
- Saying something that needs to be said
- Forgiving yourself or someone else
- Going for your annual medical and dental check ups
- Setting clearer boundaries, etc.
High potential leaders I coach frequently need to put clearer boundaries in place, improve their delegation and team leadership skills in order to focus their time and attention on implementing their vision.
III. Develop, map out your plan. Building on what you have identified as working well, next you come up with a plan for each area, including action steps and completion dates, to achieve your desired results. I am using Asana, a free project management software, for this.
Partnering with a coach who will provide encouragement, support, objective feedback, creative brainstorming and accountability will boost your likelihood of following through. You may choose to ask your coach to partner with you in identifying and removing any barriers to your sustainable success plan, and also to recognize and affirm how you are already making progress.
Another option is to create a collage of your sustainable success, a vivid visual reminder. Mine includes meaningful words and images that represent my purpose, vision and values.
Complete the process by taking your calendar and planning in time for what keeps you focused and refreshed. I do all of the above! Burned out leaders do not benefit your organization’s image, culture, or bottom-line.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
@copyright2017 Marilyn O'Hearne all rights reserved
Marilyn a Thomas Leonard Achievement Award recipient, is a globally experienced and recognized (since ’98) Culturally Intelligent Leadership, Team, and Mentor Coach, including for United Nations leaders. Marilyn provides a trustworthy, secure launching pad for rocketing from overwhelm to transformation. Her training and experience include US, UK and Bali based coaching programs, two years Systems training, living in Spain and Brazil and teaching, training, speaking and coaching extensively in Asia Pacific. This included serving as University Adjunct Professor in Hong Kong and Malaysia in International Business and Organizational Behavior.
Her passion for intercultural competency in coaching led her to: Developing Culturally Intelligent Coaching Programs: both a Direct Communications Course (recognizing cultural differences) and a Culturally Confident Credentialing Mentor Coaching Program; 6 years, ICF Global Board of Directors, Association of Coach Training Organization's Board, ICF Advance Cultural Competency Advisory Team and co-authoring “The Intersection of Culture and Ethics” for Law and Ethics in Coaching. “It is impossible to not work interculturally!" Marilyn says, even locally. "Marilyn is a gentle, spiritual soul, and yet powerful and provocative at the same time.” (Coach trainee) Her Breaking Free from Bias book was published in 2017. Her blog continues to inspire and inform.
https://marilynoh.com/mentor-coaching