High achievement isn’t based on talent, at least not talent alone. (This is good news for us mortals who may possess some skills, but by no means in copious amounts.) No, the highest achievers are great at execution and improving their skills through practice; they excel at stretching themselves and reaching ever-loftier goals.
Below, I’ve captured the basic construct of a goal-setting framework that I’ve found works for me. This is a proven recipe for achieving success through intentional goal-setting and rigorous follow-up. Most people understand intuitively how it works, but only a very few have the discipline to do the work and follow through. Yet it turns out the very highest achievers in the world in any field (business, sports, academics, etc.) have some version of this at work in their lives.
I struggle with this every single day. It’s a puzzling fact – the actions I need to take are within my power to define and then do – yet there is huge internal resistance to breaking down goals into individual steps and actually doing them. Why is it so hard to be disciplined, especially when I’m the primary beneficiary? I don’t know the psychology behind that dilemma, but it’s a problem that deserves attention. To that end, I found the process became a vastly different experience when I identified and invited an accountability partner into the mix – someone who will check in with me (and I with them). We periodically meet and give each other permission to ask probing and sometimes uncomfortable questions about our progress toward our goals. Since I know that conversation is coming, it helps me stay on track.
Here is the framework I find works for me (borrowed from Rick Houcek):
Set 3 impossible goals for 2019. A goal should include, at minimum, 6 critical components. It must…
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