Rob Lara.
Zach
Haley KnoebelMy SMART Goal this month is to work on my time management/time allotment skills. One bad habit of mine is that I get distracted and put all but the most important tasks off until the last second. I use a planner several times a day, and several times a week I will be re-writing the less important tasks for a different day. My goal this month is to slow/stop rewriting my tasks (allowing for the obvious cases in which something inescapable requires a reorganization), and better allot time for the things that distract me so I am less likely to procrastinate on my schoolwork/POC time/housework.
matthThanks for posting, Haley! Excellent goal! What will be your first step?
Haley KnoebelHi Matt! As for steps, I have a SMART chart planned out, but I personally believe the most important aspect of getting this goal completed is less of a step and more of a Mindset. I know that if I am able to keep my mind focused on what needs to be done, I will do it, even if I would rather not. The best part about this Goal is that if I can make it a habit in my schoolwork, it will come naturally in my future career.
Dino FazioMy February Goal is to improve my active listening skills to ensure my team knows how much I value them and their thoughts/feelings. This will help others to feel more comfortable sharing information with me, build better relationships, and avoid misunderstandings.
Specific: I will limit distractions, make eye contact, ask open-ended questions, display positive body language and facial expressions, and avoid interrupting during all communication.
Measurable: I will practice specific objectives and note any change in other’s openness and willingness to communicate. Active listening should improve my ability to understand the needs of the speaker as well as better respond to and act on what they are looking to convey.
Achievable: Yes. I will need to practice at every opportunity.
Realistic: Yes.
Timed: Ongoing, but will focus on making the skills a habit during the month of February.
Action steps: Silence phone, prepare discussion points before meetings, be mindful of body and facial expressions, focus on what is being said and not how I’ll respond when they are finished speaking, restate thoughts and feelings in my own words to ensure I have accurately received what is being said, take notes as appropriate. I will also seek out additional information on the topic of active listening to ensure I am taking all reasonable steps to improve my skills.
Possible Roadblocks: Personal bias, emotional state at the time of communication
matthGreat goal, Dino! Have you thought about getting your employees to help with the “measurement”? They may have additional insight that you may not see (or hear!).
Dino FazioI had not thought of that. Great idea! I will add that in.
Connie CrowlDino, this is a very interesting goal of yours! Every interaction I have had or seen from you is great active listening and communication skills. I hope you meet this goal which i have no doubt you can do!
Dino FazioThanks, Connie! I appreciate the positive feedback. I think my biggest challenge in this area is within the organization, around those that I most frequently interact.
Jodi YoungI so badly want to steal Dino’s, as my goal revolves around improving my active listening. However, I think I am going to have to chunk my listening skills into sections to improve because I have some major work to do.
For February, I want to not be the first person to speak in meetings. I have a tendency with co-workers, my team, and my department meetings to speak up first. However, I find that often giving my opinion first, stifles the rest of my team from feeling comfortable to give theirs. I read an article that referred to it as “dropping an anchor.” I tend to be passionate and outspoken, so it tends to steer the conversation towards my way of thinking and I miss out on valuable diverse opinions.
So, for February, I will attempt to not be the first to speak in meetings when asked for opinions or solutions. If the team needs the confidence to start discussion, I will allow myself to ask questions, to hopefully still prompt the conversation and break the ice, but I will listen to others as I formulate my own opinion. I will attempt to ask questions instead of delivering anchors.
This goal is specific enough for me to feel like it is realistic and maintainable. As I said, I have some work to do with listening.
I know the road blocks for me are going to be the sense of urgency that comes this time of year as we prepare to open and how I balance getting things accomplished with giving people time to process their thoughts. Also, I know myself and I am incredibly impatient, so I have to be aware of that as well.
matth“Dropping and anchor”… hadn’t heard that term, but it makes sense. Do you have a timeframe for how long you will wait (within the conversation) before speaking? Maybe having a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds) gives you something to do while waiting, so you aren’t anxiously holding back. Just a thought.
Jodi YoungGreat point! I think I want to wait until other people have a chance to offer opinions. So maybe my goal would be to let at least one other person offer their thoughts and if the conversation has completely stalled, I have to ask at least one question before offering my view/solution/guidance.
Here is a link to the article that made me realize I was a big ol’ anchor dropper. hahahahaha https://www.smartbrief.com/original/2021/01/why-great-leaders-speak-last?utm_source=brief
Connie CrowlSMART GOAL:
Specific- To create a consistent form for training that relates to the division as a whole and not separating out per department.
Measurable- I will work with the other departments within the division to figure out their specific needs and come up with a form that works for everyone in the division.
Achievable- Yes, my office is the people within the division who enters and files the paperwork as well as audits the paperwork.
Realistic- Yes
Timed- Form to be completed and everyone on board before first day of training of the 2021 season.
I will be putting together forms, setting up meetings and following up to make sure everyone is on task. This form will help make the division consistent among departments and help my office staff when completing paperwork audits.
matthThanks for sharing, Connie! What do you think your biggest roadblock will be?
Connie CrowlMy biggest road block I believe will be buy in from everyone. I think I have most people on board but some (my guys who have been doing it awhile) do not like change and this is a big change. I have to show that change is good and that this can not only benefit them but make things more efficient.
Larry GorneaultThank you for posting that article Jodi, very interesting read!
Good morning all!
For me, I am very goal/team orientated and our facility is in the midst of both a culture renaissance, and a shift to become employee focused (thus trickling down to better guest service). With some members of our team still out on furlough it places more of the workload amongst those that are still active. Thus, my SMART goals will likely change as we continue our efforts into onboarding/reactivating our most precious assets, our staff.
S- To rollout our new vision, mission, & building blocks to our full-time team. IE-start getting our fleet to converge at a central meeting point before we begin our journey to this new destination.
M-We have created the new documents, received buy-in from the senior leadership team. Now we need to create the metrics for success to our full-time team. (still working on the M).
A- Yes! However, change is never easy. Established norms will be challenged and to some degree, people might become fearful. Consistent strategic conversations with all members of the team will held to reduce stress while we embark on this journey.
R- This is a very realistic goal and I believe this needs to happen. The turnover rate was high, and the stakes this year in the eyes of the guests are even greater. Getting the right team on the right path is critical for success for us this year.
T- As this is a journey we are taking together, the timeline is longer than a normal SMART goal (I think). However, for the phase 1 rollout (now), it will be completed before this month is out!!!!!
As soon as we roll this out we are going to get EVERYONE on the team involved in creating a Culture Statement. I know those can seem ‘corny’ but I strongly believe that we all need to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. And by us making this document with everyone’s input, it will leave us all with a sense of shared accountability. If anyone has started or completed a similar path, I would love to hear your lessons learned.
I am not afraid to FAIL on this quest (First Attempt In Learning).
Exequiel LauditHi all!
Just to put context, I am one of the many people in our industry who got hit hard by this pandemic. That being, in late 2019 I left my previous role and have signed up to join a new FEC in Singapore for a regional expansion role early of 2020 after my stint at Legoland Malaysia and previous operational management roles at Kidzania and Universal Studios Singapore. But due to COVID, my employment (start date) had to be deferred given that regional site expansions had to take a back seat as they were put on hold. As an alternative, throughout this pandemic period, I took on various consultancy roles locally in Manila. To complement this time, I have enrolled and registered to various professional enrichment programs that were available online. This is in hopes in making me a better manager and leader once I get back a team of my own. This brings me to my SMART goals:
S: For this month is to finish AIMS and IAAPA certification programs Ihave enrolled in.
Exequiel Laudit(apologies, I inadvertently pressed “send” while typing…
…More than the certifications, what I am really after is the wealth of learnings and information that I could earn from the interpersonal engagement from various participants, speakers and other stakeholders. This is probably the very reason why I find myself in this wonderful group at POC YOUniversity as I am very much on board Matt H.’s tagline “Helping Leaders Lead!”
M: since programs and sessions have their start and end, earning the certification after every session is a good measure of what I have learned.
A: definitely achievable! One thing I’ve learned from attending these AIMS and IAAPA sessions is that people are always ready to help out and very generous in giving their thoughts. Just when you think you know everything, YOU DON’T. There will always be new perspective and insights to learn and all is achieved through TEAMWORK.
R: real life scenarios are discussed, thus, real life solutions are presented. Learnings that I could then apply on a daily or case to case basis at work.
T: I have calendared and registered relevant sessions for the remainder of the month and have lined up other sessions on a daily, weekly and monthly basis moving forward. Thus, taking up these sessions one day at a time regardless of time zones (APAC, EMEA and North America)…..all in preparation when I get to lead my own team again.
Vanessa ByeGood Morning!!
My SMART goal for February is to improve the way I communicate and delegate tasks amongst my team to ensure they feel trusted and valued in their positions. I have a fairly new team to the organization and I am very fresh in my current role. We’re currently “building our boat” and I need to do a better job of sharing the boat’s blueprints so the team can see how the little things we are doing now will greatly impact our season. This is the first time my team has lived through this part of the season which can feel overwhelming: recruiting, onboarding, training all while implementing a new HRIS system.
S: Inventory what needs to be completed now and if we have good standard of works for the tasks put into place. I will update or create the One Page Learning documents for each task so the team has a good understanding of the “how” and the “why” of the projects. Inventory my teams strengths and development opportunities and get their input on the areas they would like to be a part of. We’ll split the tasks across the board and I’ll set up time with them each week incase they have any immediate questions.
M: Working closely with the team, we should start seeing the focus of our projects move in a direction of “maintaining” instead of “surviving”. I will practice active listening skills to understand their concerns for their projects and help assist as they move into territory they have not yet passed through.
A: I believe this is achievable. I have a great team, I need to work on relying on them. Moving into a managerial role, the tasks I am assigned are no longer just to be completed by the “me” but the “we”.
R: Yes.
T: Ongoing but focusing on the End of February as our training season really ramps up at the beginning of March!
matthThanks for sharing that, Vanessa! Not a small goal at all!
Thinking about those ones-sheet learning docs… is there an opportunity to get your team to help you with those (as a way to start the delegation process). It might take a little longer to complete, but the team could feel more ownership over those processes and learn them on a deeper level if they help create them. Just a thought.
Anita Sepasi-AhoueiI’m very late to the party, and apologize, but things have been a little crazy for me, which ties into my SMART goal for the month. I’m usually very organized and can stay on top of everything, but I’m having a hard time doing that right now. I don’t have my team hired for the season yet because of the stay at home order in effect here in Ontario, so I don’t feel much like a leader at the moment; but I’m hoping that my SMART goal will carry into when they’re hired and will only make me a stronger leader. So, my SMART goal for this month is to ensure that I’m staying on top of my tasks by checking my planner at least twice a day, everyday. I think this is achievable and realistic, and as for timeline, I’m going to try this for a month, and then see if I need to adjust the number of times I check my tasks or change the way I write my tasks come March.
Rob LaraHi everyone! I meant to chime in with my SMART goal in the first week, but got around to writing it down and forgot to circle back to sharing it with the group! The funny part is that my goal to start off this adventure with you all is to establish a prioritization system that works for me. Here is what I wrote:
Goal: Prioritizing tasks effectively and then trusting my planning and doing it to plan.
Specific: Set time for POC You in work schedule amongst other top priorities and plan time to tackle other inevitable daily/weekly tasks.
Measurable: Accomplish priorities with deadlines first by scheduling blocks of time to do them daily until they are done. Aim for 80% of other tasks listed complete by end of week and make a waiting list of non priority tasks so they aren’t forgotten, but don’t rise to the top before its their turn.
Achievable: Yes, but be sure to break long tasks into steps so you see progress. Set STEPS of tasks as priorities.
Realistic: Definitely!
Timed: Assess week by week to have a set style by March based on what works best.
Since setting this goal, I’ve started prioritizing in the covey matrix (Urgent/Not Urgent/Important/Not Important) instead of a straight list and it has helped. I find myself still making a daily list quickly in the morning – but having the matrix to build off of is turning out to be very helpful. Additionally, in my personal life I am the captain of my Men’s Rugby Club and have recently stepped up in team leadership in order to weather the storm of our President moving away from Miami. This, plus my favorite job of being husband and dad is leaving me with less and less ‘job basis’ time available to knock out tasks outside of work. So I’m dealing with the with a positive attitude and accepting the roadblocks of unexpected tasks coming at me from all directions each day so I just started making time for those after lunch before I dive back into the planned tasks.
I’m not sure that I’ve fully explained my job as the utility guy for Zoo Miami’s Animal Department – but this role has exploded my to do list as I am the point person for guest engagement in our department and all of that has flipped on its head over the last 10 months. I look forward to sharing more next week – hopefully I’ll have a celebration to share then too!