Step 1: Set clear goals.

Step 2: Choose metrics.

 Do you have professional and other goals in mind for the year?  For the future? So what’s your plan?

 It can be motivating to have a broad, enticing vision, but it can also be daunting.  Sometimes people put off their biggest objectives and most exciting projects because they don’t even know where to begin.

 To get started and keep moving toward your goals, think about ways to establish specific benchmarks and measure your progress.  For example, if you propose to write a book, you might commit to writing a certain number of words each week or month.

Maybe you are one of those folks who have heard about the power of measurable goals more times than you can count. But you’re still not convinced.  Maybe metrics strike you as time-consuming or boring, or you think some values can’t be quantified?  Before you give up on the idea of making your goals measurable, consider these points:

• Measuring creates awareness.  If you regularly measure something, you tend to keep it in mind.  So if you’re trying to develop a habit, coming up with and applying a metric will help you to keep on the path.   For example, research says that if you decide to eat less in order to lose pounds, you are more likely to stick to your diet if you regularly weigh yourself and chart your weight.   And it’s the same for organizations.  Studies suggest that, in businesses, government units and non-profits, attention tends to focus on the things that get evaluated.

• Quantity can lead to quality.  When you count positive steps, you are likely to take more of them.  And the more you practice an activity, the better you get at it.  One of the first in a series of books focused on the power of practice is Geoff Colvin’s ““>Talent Is Overrated.”  Colvin examined research about “what really separates world-class performers from everybody else.”  He concluded that great performers — whether in music, sports or business — are the ones who practice intensely.  Quantity doesn’t always lead to quality, but often the more times you do something, the more you learn.  And when learning is involved, quantity leads to quality.

• Measurement can foster self-control.  “If you can measure it, you can manage it.”  That quote is often attributed to management guru Peter Drucker, but his take on measurement in the workplace was actually more nuanced.  He saw a danger that measurement “could be used to control people from the outside and above — that is, to dominate them.”  He suggested that the better use of measurement is to “make self-control possible.”  He thought metrics should be used by every manager “to appraise his own skill and performance and to work systematically on improving himself.”

• Measurement can replace micro-management.  As a coach, I’ve encountered many situations where managers want to delegate but can’t seem to do it.  Sometimes they hover annoyingly over a project because they want a better sense of how it’s going.  But when the manager and the project leader are able to come up with the right metrics, suddenly the problem disappears.  A good measurement and reporting system can create transparency.  Then it becomes easier both to solve problems and to recognize progress. And, when you begin to demonstrate your achievements, it’s easier for your manager to let go.

At times we are slow to create a measurement system because we don’t know what to measure.  It is not always easy to quantify the impact or value of your work, but the process of selecting metrics can contribute to your ultimate success.  Choosing your approach to keeping track requires you to ask important questions.  The first step may be to break a large goal into pieces.  Then you’ll want to consider which factors actually matter.

Suppose your New Year’s Resolution is to get to the office earlier.  You start to build a picture by recording your daily arrival times.   And then you begin to wonder: why is it harder to be prompt on some days than on others?  So you expand your log to record your bedtime, your hours of sleep and whether you lay out your next day’s clothes before going to bed.  You notice the patterns and eventually you change your evening routine.  You start getting out of the house sooner, and your commitment to arrive at work earlier is reinforced by that ping of pride each morning when you record the time you hit your desk.

It can be useful to experiment a bit as you choose data to show how you’re doing.  As you explore options, consider these three approaches to measuring progress toward your goals.

• Measure progress toward actually completing the mission.  Some goals can be framed in numerical terms, which makes progress easy to chart directly.  Suppose, for example, that you want to raise your profile by energizing your blog.  It’s a simple matter to set numerical targets, like the number of posts you intend to publish this year. 

• Count important activities.  Often major factors impacting completion of your mission are beyond your control.  So observe the things you can control.  Determine which activities are most likely to contribute to your success, and start measuring them.  For example, perhaps you are trying to attract new donors for your foundation, but economic trends may limit your success.  Get moving by identifying the most important fundraising steps toward your goal, like calling supporters and hosting events.  A direct measurement approach would count outputs from your work process, like the number of dollars raised per month.   But the measures that kick you into gear might be those that track your inputs to the process — your actions — like the number of people you call and the time you spend talking with prospects.

• Create capacity.  Complex goals may require a staged approach to measurement.  Often you can’t start racking up actual results until you put the tools, systems and resources in place.  If your goal requires something big, like creating a task force, map out key milestones, like recruiting the team.  Your first stage of evaluation will be to monitor completion of the capacity build-out.

Want to be more strategic as you set your goals?  From the archives, here’s an ezine on thinking strategically as you set your goals.

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Bev’s Tips have been arriving as a zine on Tuesday mornings about 20 times a year since 2004. For more Tips, sign up for the zine, go to the zine archive or visit Bev’s blog. We’d love to hear your comments here on threejoy.com, or email Bev at: coach@clearwaysconsulting.com.

Follow Bev on Twitter. Connect with Bev on LinkedIn.

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Want powerful mentoring?

Make it reciprocal.

The classic concept of a “mentor” is someone who’s older and more experienced.  That idea of a wise, generous senior advisor leading us along a career path is wonderful and soothing, and makes us all want mentoring. But the image is so limited, and so dated.  Here’s what can make mentoring really hum: fostering relationships that are reciprocal. 

I was thinking about the nature of mentoring during a recent long weekend, as I dropped in and out of a three-day conversation between my husband and one of his much younger professional pals.  

Andy Alexander has run an international news operation, won prizes and served a term as Washington Post ombudsman.  Once a classic newspaper guy, these days his work includes consulting, speaking, teaching and fostering media innovation at Ohio University’s Scripps College of Communication.  

Andy’s mid-20s friend, Ryan Lytle, has racked up an impressive resume as a multi-media expert in just a few years.  An outstanding 2010 Scripps College graduate, today he’s a rising star at Mashable.com, a leading source for news about social media.

Aside from the issues they touched upon, what fascinated me about the interaction between the two men was the way each listened intently and seemed to be learning from the other.  When I asked about it, Ryan said one thing he learns from veterans who grew up in a very different news business is how to build organizations and grow leadership.  Andy said, “Everything I do professionally is about the future of journalism.  And part of being engaged is staying in touch with the people who are creating that future.”

Neither Andy nor Ryan would use the term “mentor” in describing their relationship, and they didn’t think of this as a mentoring discussion.  But they both enjoy and benefit from their talks, despite their age differences and career situations. And their dialogue illustrates the benefits of an emerging concept: reciprocal mentoring, where each partner is both teacher and student. 

Actually, I think even traditional mentoring works both ways when it’s truly successful. At first glance it may seem the mentee benefits the most, getting advice and sometimes even the support of an informed advocate at critical moments.  But when the relationship clicks, the mentor gains just as much. 

Initially the joy of mentoring includes ego strokes.  It’s nice to have someone listen to you, and it can feel good when they follow your advice.  Then, as the relationship grows, the mentee’s questions and feedback can give the mentor a chance to pause and gain a new perspective.  Eventually, the conversation becomes truly two-way, with both partners seeking advice, sharing insights and exploring delicate career questions in an environment of trust.

But, as Andy and Ryan illustrate, there’s no need to wait for mentoring relationships to mature over the years into bilateral dialogues.  Why not seek relationships, or create programs, which from the very beginning are dedicated to reciprocal mentoring?

Initiating a reciprocal mentoring partnership is easiest when both people have strengths and expertise, but in different areas.  These days, when generations have such diverse skills sets, reciprocal mentoring across age groups has immense appeal. Perhaps a Boomer with leadership experience but meager social media skills might be partnered with a Millennial who understands IT and staying connected but doesn’t know how to manage people.

 Whether you want to recruit reciprocal mentors to support your own growth, or are interested in introducing the concept to your organization, here are points to consider:

• The match is key.  Not every partnership is successful, and it can take a few tries.  Both parties should feel like there’s something to gain, and mentoring works best when both people enjoy the other’s company.  If you’re on the hunt for possible mentors for yourself, whether reciprocal or otherwise, you’re more likely to spot possibilities if you have broad social and professional circles.  So pump up your networking and find groups and activities that allow you to meet new people.  If you want to structure some kind of program, consider using social tools like LinkedIn.com as part of the matching process.

• Require commitments.  Sometimes protégés chill their mentoring relationships by taking offense at the very advice they sought.  Partners who ask for guidance or feedback should agree to listen carefully and put aside defensive reactions.  It’s a good idea to set some ground rules at the start of a partnership. Touch upon issues like confidentiality, agree to maintain a positive tone and promise to avoid time wastes, like whining.

• Identify specific requests. It’s not enough for partners to begin with a vague sense they’d like some career help.  Each partner should enter the process with clear ideas about issues to explore and forms of assistance that would be welcome.  Later, when the relationship is successfully launched, it might grow in surprising directions.

• Consider logistics.  It’s great if you find a mentor in your neighborhood and can meet over coffee or lunch.  But what if you go through your professional or alumni group and find an ideal partner who lives across the country?  Explore options like phone calls, Skype or social media chats, and set a schedule that’s comfortable and convenient for both of you.

If you are looking for way to get started, think about your college alumni groups.  One way Andy and Ryan are reaching across professional generations is through their active participation in the Scripps alumni network.  

New media guru Ryan Lytle, Scripps College of Communication, Class of 2010.

Journalist Andy Alexander, 2013 Ohio University Commencement Speaker, and Scripps College Class of 1972.

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Bev’s Tips have been arriving as a zine on Tuesday mornings about 20 times a year since 2004. For more Tips, sign up for the zine, go to the zine archive or visit Bev’s blog. We’d love to hear your comments here on threejoy.com, or email Bev at: coach@clearwaysconsulting.com.

Follow Bev on Twitter. Connect with Bev on LinkedIn.

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 To keep the compliments coming

learn to accept them gracefully.

I grew up believing the proper way to respond to a compliment was with modesty.  If somebody said, “What a pretty dress,” my response was something like, “Oh, this cheap old thing?”

When I was a young lawyer, if I worked long hours on a tough memo and a partner said, “You did a nice job,” I was inclined to answer in the same way.  I’d belittle my efforts by saying something like, “No big deal” or, “It was really a team effort.”

My typical response was wrong in so many ways.  For one thing, it reframed the partner’s assessment of the quality of my work.  Instead of reading my mind and understanding that I’d struggled hard to produce a first class draft, the partner would tend to take me at my word and recall the project as not a big deal.

Beyond that, when I deflected a compliment I drained the energy from what should have been a positive moment.  When the partner offered kind words, I made him feel a little bit bad, instead of a little better.   And I denied myself the benefits which a compliment can bring.

It wasn’t until I became a manager myself that I understood how the compliment exchange should go.  To your brain, receiving a compliment is a reward, like a little cash, and research suggests that you perform even better after accepting a reward.  So your first step after hearing a compliment is to pause for an instant, and get the full value of the moment.

When you do open your mouth to respond, you have two goals: to reinforce the positive evaluation that led to the compliment, and at the same time to make the giver feel good. Here are suggestions for accepting compliments on your work:

• Say “thanks.”    Begin your response by saying “thank you.”  And sound like you mean it.  Even if a little voice in your head says, “I don’t deserve it,” or, “He doesn’t mean it,” ignore your doubt.  Smile and express appreciation for the compliment.

• Show your pleasure at a job well done.  It’s not immodest to acknowledge satisfaction with good work.  After saying “thanks,” you might add a brief phrase like, “I’m proud of this one,” or “I’m so pleased that I could help.”

• Share the credit.  Although you don’t want to deny your contribution, you don’t want to hog the limelight, either.  If it truly was a team effort, share the praise. Add a simple comment like, “I couldn’t have done it without Tom – he was terrific.”

• Return the compliment.  You can prolong the nice moment by offering a compliment in return.  Say something like, “Your good advice made such a difference.”  But this only works if your words are sincere.  Fake praise can be just another way of deflecting a compliment.

• Keep it short. When the compliment exchange goes on too long it can become uncomfortable.  If the flow of praise feels unending, it’s OK to turn it off with a light comment like, “Aw shucks.  That’s enough now.  You’re making me blush.”

• Manage your “impostor syndrome.”  Sometimes high achievers find it extremely difficult to hear praise, believing they don’t really deserve it.  If you feel like an imposter, and not really good enough to deserve such kind words, ignore your discomfort and accept the compliment gracefully.  Then try these easy techniques for learning to be comfortable when your work gets rave reviews.

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Bev’s Tips have been arriving as a zine on Tuesday mornings about 20 times a year since 2004. For more Tips, sign up for the zine, go to the zine archive or visit Bev’s blog. We’d love to hear your comments here on threejoy.com, or email Bev at: coach@clearwaysconsulting.com.

Follow Bev on Twitter. Connect with Bev on LinkedIn.

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