Focus on Achievement
Winter is not without its challenges, colder days can make motivation elusive, our immune systems are compromised, and the hum drum of our daily routines looms large.
But the midpoint of our year is also a great time for reflection and review. It’s an opportunity to refocus on the goals we set at the start of the year, to evaluate our performance and assess our achievements. To tweak, adjust and make meaningful plans for the balance of the year.
Goal setting is a key part of the coaching process, and coaching conversations in the workplace have a strong focus on outcomes. Measurable achievements make a richer working life, for both individuals and teams.
As practitioner accredited in the Human Synergistics method, one of the tools I use to quantify and discuss individual and team behavioural styles is the Circumplex model.
Developed more than 40 years ago this system breaks down many factors that underlie performance effectiveness, according to ‘behaviour styles’.
One of the key styles in the ‘Constructive Cluster’ of behaviours is Achievement.
Whilst some of us are naturally wired to aim for attainment and measurable success, for others it’s a work in progress, a muscle that needs to be strengthened and reinforced through conscious disciplined thought and action.
Individuals and teams often need support to maintain a balanced focus on productivity and outcomes, and a focus on achievement behaviours enables this dynamic to emerge.
So what does achievement look like in the workplace?
As you may expect, achievement is represented by high levels of motivation, a desire for excellence, an understanding that the personal effort that you put in really does make a difference, but it also rests on behaviours that are not always commonly understood. That open, respectful and honest relationships are a key element of success, and that meeting established goals is both the goal and the reward.
In my coaching conversations with clients working with the Human Synergistics framework, there is huge interest in how to become more effective at work. So what can we do to support this quality in ourselves and therefore in our teams?
Give up self-doubt
Our negative self-talk can undermine our best intentions. It’s much better to take the risk of seeking open and honest feedback from others about our performance, than listen to your inner critic. Coaching, mentoring, and kind, robust team conversations are all beneficial strategies that support meeting our goals.
Set realistic goals
There is a strong link between Perfectionism and Achievement styles, but only the latter is sustainable. Where Perfectionism is a hard and unforgiving task master, the Achievement style encourages realistic and attainable goal setting, with a focus on gaining satisfaction from our inner sense of direction, rather than in response to the expectations of others. Getting some early runs on the board, by focusing on those goals that can reasonably be achieved, will always light the fire of your sense of purpose and capacity!
Love your setbacks
None of us are immune from mistakes, and learning to gracefully accept setbacks is a key characteristic of this constructive style of behaviour. Commit to learning from, sharing and benefitting from, your setbacks and disappointments. Then put these learnings to good use in your next endeavour, and watch your sense of achievement rise.
Take risks
We learn more when we push the boundaries of who we are and what we currently know. Moderate risk taking really wakes us up, offers new ways of perceiving opportunities, tasks and people, and forces us out of our comfort zones. The benefits of measured risk at work are innovation, collaboration, personal growth and better goal achievement.
Drive your own performance
Improved achievement at work is in part about skills development. To achieve better outcomes in our professional lives we need to be actively stretching ourselves, applying a consistent and focused effort to becoming better at what we do. Your superiors will notice and your colleagues will benefit.
Adopting the strategies I’ve listed above has many reported benefits. Greater satisfaction at work; supportive and engaged collegiate relationships; an increased sense of health and well-being; enhanced goal setting and planning skills; and a solid basis upon which to measure and grow in advancement and promotion.
There is literally no down side. When work satisfaction is higher, health is better, and a strong sense of personal wellbeing and purpose emerge.
In this volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA ) world, organisations are dynamic, economic and technological changes mean that restructures are common, and professionals need emotional intelligence, resilience and ability to weather change.
In my work, I very often meet clients at the point of change – seeking promotion, taking on a leadership roles, returning from maternity leave, undergoing a restructure or digesting news of redundancy. Times of great changes are times of great opportunity and it’s vital to engage with one’s spectrum of inner qualities to ensure that these changes represent the best possible growth.
Developing the qualities of the ‘Achievement’ model also has a protective quality – skills you hold inside and take with you. Its teachings become your own inner coach, one that will walk with you through life as you close personal and professional doors, opening new ones to greet new horizons.
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*Reference https://www.human-synergistics.com.au/