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Career Resolutions -- Make Them Stick in 2006
By: Dr. Robert Karlsberg and Dr. Jane Adler
A December 2005 study by executive search firm Korn-Ferry
revealed that 70% of executives plan to make a career related
New Year's resolution. Yet, experience shows that more than 80%
of them will be significantly off-track before the end of the
first quarter.
Why? Distraction -- the number one enemy of success.
Here are some tips to beat the odds and make your resolutions
stick:
1. Set Inspiring Long-term Goals. Short-term objectives
are fine, but don't often provide the necessary inspiration to
stay the course. Keep in mind this classic quote from Napoleon
Hill's, Think and Grow Rich, "The starting point of all
achievement is desire... Weak desires bring weak results, just
as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat."
2. Create a Path. Even the best goal-setting system isn't
enough. You need specific action steps to follow. When you
create a blueprint for your objectives, you give yourself a path
to run on. If you get sidetracked, as you undoubtedly will, it's
simple to pick up and restart where you left off.
3. Link Your Activities to Your Goals. Identify your top
priorities in every area of your life: career, family, health,
friends etc. Then link all of your activities to your goals.
Goal-directed behavior is what enables successful people to
achieve their objectives in record time.
4. Stop Multi-Tasking. As management guru Peter Drucker
said, "If there is one 'secret' of effectiveness, it is
concentration." Focus single-mindedly on one thing at a time. By
simply doing this, you can reduce the amount of time you need to
complete any task by 50-80 percent.
5. Use Technology Efficiently. Technology is great when
it enhances productivity, but it can also become a major
distraction. Remember, cell phones, e-mail and the Internet,
were designed to be used as tools. Don't let them become your
master.
6. Beware of the "Open Door.". Of course, you need to be
accessible at work; but you also need to maintain control of
your accessibility. An open door policy only works well if you
set time limits and stick to them. Your time is your most
valuable resource. If you allow others free use of it, you'll
pay a steep price in stress and lost productivity.
7. Manage Information and Idea Overload. Every day you're
bombarded with more information than you can possibly handle in
a week. One key to managing it is to be very selective about
what gets your attention now, and what you save for later. Link
your reading, viewing and listening activities to your goals as
much as possible. And always keep a notebook or voice recorder
handy, so you can manage ideas and potentially profit from them
later.
Dr. Robert Karlsberg and Dr. Jane Adler are founders of
PsychologyofPerformance.com, and authors of The Road to CEO:
Psychological Strategies for Getting Getting to the Top. This
new resource reveals psychological strategies that can help you
get promoted faster, gain respect and recognition and become
virtually indispensable to your organization. Visit www.TheRoadtoCEO.com.
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