Holding your own at the next level up (Week 1-2)
Your focus area for weeks 1 and 2 is making sure that you’ve got super-clear goals for every important event where you need to hold your own.
Spend 30-40 minutes creating your plan now, then follow it for the next 2 weeks.
Simple.
Get clear on your goals
What to do
Be clear on what you want to achieve on those occasions where the pressure’s on and you need to hold your own. Know what ‘great’ looks like for you in holding your own. Check in with why it matters to you.
Why do it
It’s important to do this so you are focused on the stuff that matters and can play the game and not the occasion. Elite performers are always really clear on what they’re aiming for and they make sure that they’re absolutely focused on that going into really big moments. Being clear on your goals helps you:
- Create a plan for how you need to perform
- Build a vision of the assertive and confident you that you want to be
- Be focused on that plan before and during the key moments
- Prepare to be ready – it’s the building block to success
How to do it
There are 3 steps to take with this. Read these through, look at the example and then create your own plan.
1. Identify your ‘Hold your own’ moments
Anticipate when you’re going to need to step up, feel confident and hold your own. Look at your diary and pick out when they’re likely to be over the next 2 weeks. Forewarned is forearmed!
2. For each one, set yourself 3 goals
Set yourself 3 performance goals – what and how you need to perform – to get the result you want. They should all be about what’s a great performance for you rather than a great result or stuff you can’t control (like what people think of you). If you’ve got more than one occasion where you’ll need to hold your own over the next 2 weeks, just start by setting goals for the first one (you can repeat the process once you’re ready and got the first one out of the way)
3. Plan to use your goals
So now you’re clear on what a good performance needs to be. Now time to use that clear picture as you get ready to hold your own. Goals really start working for you when use them to prepare and get your head in the right place. They’ll help you focus on the game rather than the occasion – but only if think about them in the right way at the right time!
Example plan
You’re nearly ready to get clear on your goals so you can hold your own. But to help you along the way, we’ve completed an example, using our example of needing to lead some really important project review meetings. Read through it, get some ideas from it and then create your own plan.
1. My ‘hold my own’ moments
| Project review meeting next Thursday with 3 directors present
Phase 4 planning meeting with the whole team on Monday 23rd |
2. 3 performance goals
| For the project review meeting (I’ll set my goals for the planning meeting once this meeting is over), what I need to do/how I need to be is:
1. I’m going to be clear on the key messages I want to deliver and be ready to share them in a simple measured way 2. I’m going to speak up whenever I feel I have expertise or an opinion to share through the meeting 3. I’m going to chose to take a mindset into the meeting of “I am the expert in this area and that’s why I’m here. I know far more than others in this meeting” |
3. I’ll use these goals by:
|
Coaching tips
It’s also tempting with this stuff just to think through your goals rather than actually write them down. Resist that temptation! Write them down – you’ll set better, clearer goals and have a plan for how to use them. Don’t just think it, ink it!