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2010 is upon us. Anyone setting any goals for themselves?

I am still mulling over some of mine. I am ready for some changes and I need to give some long and hard thought as to what those changes should be, as some of them could be quite life altering.

In the meantime, I am looking at only a few small goals for next year. It's going to be a fairly quiet year by my usual standards, I think, and that's quite fine with me. :)

1) Investigate the requirements for becoming a Professional Registered Parliamentarian.

2) Decide if I want to run for a Chapter or Division Board position in IAAP.

3) Return to college for my bachelor's degree.

4) Publish an article in OfficePro magazine, as discussed with the editor.

5) Restart the IAAP interchapter brainstorming chats.

6) Write an APW planning manual.

Well I may have to refine these as I go along ... the last few months have been full of uncertainty after I was redundant from my previous post in October.

Today I interviewed for and have been offered a new role - Telecare Project Coordinator.  It is a one year contract but it is the stepping stone I need to focus my career and use my skills more effectively - so:

• Make a solid start in my new role - gain full understanding of the detail of the project and put in progress the key actions;
• Continue to share knowledge, skills and examples of best practice through membership of Desk Demon;
• Gain a Project Management qualification - I have the skill and experience but the qualification would be a valuable addition and I need the challenge of learning again
• In 2009 I had developing my coaching skills as a goal ... largely as a result of this I have been very humbled by the support and encouragement that I have received over the past few months and the solid friendships which have arisen from this.  This is an area I aim to continue working at in 2010

I'll come back and revisit these once I have had a little time at my new desk and see how my goals need to develop with the role.

In the immediate day or so my sole goal is to occupy next door's Labrador while they are having their first Baby ... on the face of it I am glad not to be back at that stage in my life ...

Cathy

I generally set my professional goals on the fiscal year calendar which is how our performance development system works.

So far, I am 3/4 of the way through accomplishing one major goal my boss has made me stick to, and that is to set up our office on total web based record keeping.  I am excited we are going totally green and will have this accomplished by the end of January 2010 when he and I are both trained on the new system and we have established the cabinet structure.  We have gone greener than we were last year this time by utilizing electronic files and webex more.

As my role changes with the changes going on in our company, I have stayed with my goal to keep an open mind and embrace change, learning as much as I can and maintaining a positive attitude and outlook. 

I was given a new responsibility today as an administrator of a new database which will support our business unit. I am very excited about the opportunity to contribute.

In the meantime, I have to revisit my plan for the fiscal year and determine what courses I need to take as outlined in the plan.  I have accomplished one in development and two in the area of corporate and social responsibility.

Well, we are almost a 1/4 of the way through the year and I thought it was time for an update. How are the rest of you doing on your goals for the year?

1) Investigate the requirements for becoming a Professional Registered Parliamentarian. I have finished my investigation and started ACTING! I sat for and passed the entrance exam to the National Association of Parliamentarians. My goal is to sit for the exam for Registered Parliamentarian in April. I am not sure yet if I will go all the way to Professional Registered Parliamentarian (which requires attending a 2.5 day class in addition to other tasks and essentially prepares you to be able to teach Parliamentary Procedure among other things), but I will be satisfied with Registered Parliamentarian as a certification, either way.

2) Decide if I want to run for a Chapter or Division Board position in IAAP. DECIDED! I am running for Vice President of the Illinois Division of IAAP for the 2010-2011 year. Hopefully I will get elected, but if not, I will have at least have completed my portion of this action.

3) Return to college for my bachelor's degree. This step has hit yet another snag. I am currently in discussions with my company about paying for it. This is a future very long and very ventworthy blog posting.

4) Publish an article in OfficePro magazine, as discussed with the editor. Still planning to do this and I have an article started. Susan, I am thinking I will submit one for AdminAdvantage as well. Need to get the writer's guidelines from you.

5) Restart the IAAP interchapter brainstorming chats. Not done yet, but definitely still planning to do this. Will definitely get caught up before attending the annual meeting this summer (assuming I go).

6) Write an APW planning manual. Started. I have begun putting this together and expect to have it complete in another 1-2 months. It's going to be a substantially sized booklet that will include instructions, timelines, suggestions for publicity, forms and templates, etc. that any chapter will be able to use to plan a stellar Administrative Professionals Week event.

So here is my update ... such as it is!


Not one of the goals per se - but I already know one year has been stretched to two!


Seven weeks in post and today I presented a status report on the project to a 2 hour Board meeting.  I haven't got the full 100% understanding but I have certainly established my presence and a reputation for being knowledgeable and achieving a united team.


No I haven't got the qualification YET ... my excuse? too busy? what I have achieved is that I won't be paying for it as intended ... I actually have two offers of funding on the table as I type ... very nice position to be in.


Around half of my time at the moment in the office is coaching and influencing change ...


You are probably more intrigued by this one than the rest ... was I glad to see the back of that dog? you bet!  I didn't succeed completely at occupying her ... but I did achieve the status of 'I'm in charge' this at 11pm when she was trying to get into my bed ... "dog - on that mat, lie down and don't try breaking into my room again!" shut door rather forcefully.  She slept like a baby after that!

Cathy

That is some great progress on those goals Cathy.

:)

Reading all these puts me to shame  :-[   Where do you all find the time to do all these things - I am going wrong somewhere   ???

However, time to change and be positive and I have now decided to put pen to paper and write mine out - I shall have a private brainstorming session with myself and see what comes out of it over the next few days  ;)

I can see the benefits of doing this and revisiting them regularly.

If I think they are sensible enough, I will post them here

It's certainly not intended to put anyone to shame, cathy. It's intended to inspire you to consider setting a goal or two of your own and making progress on them. It just seems like it is so easy for the time to slip away and before you know it another year has passed and we haven't actually done anything that we intended because the hours became weeks became months...

Thanks Marie

Cathy - don't forget there is a large chunk of luck in some of this ... and I know the progress will slow down now but I got really lucky in that this job has been exactly what it says on the tin.  There is also an art to going with the flow when luck directs you and there will be other things I have sacrificed to take that chance.  Finally never underestimate the empowerment of a positive and motivating environment to hep you along.

Cathy

Thanks Marie and Cathy S
I have started writing my goals down - both personal and work related.  Quite theraputic actually and it does make you feel a little more in control.

Will be good to look back in a year's time to see how I have progressed with them.

On a lighter side, my top one on the list is to wash the car - now I am leaving in the daylight and returning home in the daylight I can see how dirty is actually is  :-[

I would suggest that you add a note on your calendar to check back to update them once a month or once a quarter (whenever the next logical small progress step would be completed, depending on the type of goal of course). That will get you in the habit of saying, "ok, what do I need to do next to make progress on this goal?" and then actually scheduling that action. It's also a good red flag for you. If you decide you should have done something in a quarter's time frame and at the end of that quarter, you have no update to post, it will help to remotivate you and realize that the time has started slipping away again.

If you wait a year, well... Out of sight, out of mind! :)

I must learn to make myself clear marie!!

I did not mean to give the impression I would only look once a year although reading my posting it looks as if I do............ ooops!

I am planning to read over them each month and as you say, see what I have/have not done to move things on - and add to them of course  ;)

The ''year's'' reference was meant to read along the lines of after one year, look back and see just how much I have done using this new system of seeing goals in print rather than just trying to remember what I have achieved and thinking not much because I cannot remember them.  I am sure I do more than I think I do but my memory is not what it used to be.

Probably made it as clear as mud now  ::)

LOL. Gotcha. :)

It actually is rather fun going back and realizing how much you have accomplished. I have a list going back about 13 years that lists everything I have done every year, just simpled numbered lists. It includes certifications, classes attended or taught, special work projects, awards, etc. It's a great tool for performance review preparation.  Some years it even impresses me how much I have done! LOL... But it's most interesting to me, because I can absolutely "see" when I was motivated or not, by how much I accomplished during specific time periods. 

My husband and I were once watching a tv show and the question was raised of "how do you define success?" and people on the show were giving the usual answers (wealth, family, etc.). I turned to my husband and asked him how he thought I measured success. He said, "by the number of things you can check off your to do list!" ;)

I'm not actually as bad as all that. I'm not anal about the  little things like housekeeping being done perfectly or that sort of thing.

But like the parable of the rocks, I have to put my big rocks (goals) in first or the little rocks will take up all the room in the jar.

msmariah - I agree with the check off the list.  I have kept my reviews for the last 10 years and although have changed careers during that time, it is nice to go back and review the accomplishments and realize how I have managed to "sharpen my saw" if you will, (enhance the skillset) for those of you not familiar with  Franklin Covey:)

Well, we are about 1/2 way through the year and I thought it was time for an update. Red updates are from March and blue updates are from June.

How are the rest of you doing on your goals for the year?

1) Investigate the requirements for becoming a Professional Registered Parliamentarian. I have finished my investigation and started ACTING! I sat for and passed the entrance exam to the National Association of Parliamentarians. My goal is to sit for the exam for Registered Parliamentarian in April. I am not sure yet if I will go all the way to Professional Registered Parliamentarian (which requires attending a 2.5 day class in addition to other tasks and essentially prepares you to be able to teach Parliamentary Procedure among other things), but I will be satisfied with Registered Parliamentarian as a certification, either way.  I sat for the Registered Parliamentarian test, but did not pass all parts, so I plan to re-sit this summer. As Flylady would say, progress, not perfection! :)

2) Decide if I want to run for a Chapter or Division Board position in IAAP. DECIDED! I am running for Vice President of the Illinois Division of IAAP for the 2010-2011 year. Hopefully I will get elected, but if not, I will have at least have completed my portion of this action.  UPDATE! I was elected as the Illinois Division Vice President for the 2010-2011 program year. :)

3) Return to college for my bachelor's degree. This step has hit yet another snag. I am currently in discussions with my company about paying for it. This is a future very long and very ventworthy blog posting.Still discussing with my employer... No further progress on this one yet.

4) Publish an article in OfficePro magazine, as discussed with the editor. Still planning to do this and I have an article started. Susan, I am thinking I will submit one for AdminAdvantage as well. Need to get the writer's guidelines from you. DONE! I have submitted an article that is planned for publication in OfficePro later this summer and my article on Top Five Tips Why You Need To Update Your Social Networking Sites was published today in the May 2010 issue of AdminAdvantage (http://www.deskdemon.com/adminadvantage/2010/may/pageflip.html (http://www.deskdemon.com/adminadvantage/2010/may/pageflip.html))!

5) Restart the IAAP interchapter brainstorming chats. Not done yet, but definitely still planning to do this. Will definitely get caught up before attending the annual meeting this summer (assuming I go). Decided I am not going to the International Convertion this year. We just learned last week that hubby has lost his job. However on the plus side, that gives me more time to get the chats restarted. :)

6) Write an APW planning manual. Started. I have begun putting this together and expect to have it complete in another 1-2 months. It's going to be a substantially sized booklet that will include instructions, timelines, suggestions for publicity, forms and templates, etc. that any chapter will be able to use to plan a stellar Administrative Professionals Week event. Started! Still have a lot of work to do on it though. This will take a few months.

How about the rest of you??? How are your goals coming along? :)

I received news of one of my goals very recently.  I completed law school and now have a training contract with a law firm.  Not too easy to come by in these straitened times, so I feel very lucky. I leave my job at the end of July and begin work almost straight away.  My DH has made me an appointment with his tailor to have two new suits made.  My children have bought me a briefcase.   They all think  that I should look like a "proper lawyer".   Well, all that hard work, getting up early/staying up late and cramming has paid off.  Never let anyone tell you that you are "too old" to start a new career.  Hopefully, when my training contract finishes, and if I'm successful, The Authorities will let me loose on the unsuspecting public.  ROFLOL.

The other goal I have, is to learn Microsoft Office thoroughly.

At the moment, all I want to do is sleep. I feel as though I haven't slept properly for a year. 

Well done Rose, enjoy!  Don't forget...MOS, MOS, MOS!!!  :D

My one goal is to get through to next Thur before I go on holiday and not have to deal with any more dithering, incompetent, idiotic people!  ???

Congratulations Rose! That's wonderful and such a fabulous accomplishment!

So here is my update number 2 ... such as it is!

Contract for second year in preparation and we aren't halfway through the first!


Well this project is like Topsy and just keeps right on growing ... everytime I follow a lead I uncover the stuff that someone else brushed under the rug.

However I now have the skeleton of our long term strategy; have established my credibility in a new field; and have set in motion all the key strands that had been sidelined.



Will start looking for courses for this during next three months and look to start Autumn or Spring.  I have made a strategic connection with our IT Manager who is looking at his and his teams development plan and we can provide development opportunities to each other and broaden the scope for us all.

This continues and in fact will become more formal over the next three months since we now need to train 500 staff (20 at a time for half a day) and out Trainer will not be able to sustain this load on her own so I will share it.

Thankfully the dog has safely settled back home and our home has returned to the tranquil and calm that we are used to .... ahhhh bliss!

Cathy

Congratulations Rose - that is an amazing achievement and you must feel very proud.


Pleased to hear it ... they should be proud of you too


Absolutely true and you will be successful.  Do you have a specialist area you want to focus on or is it too early to say?

Hmmm ... may I suggest this is perhaps not the thing to do in your new office? just at home! ::) but perhaps not i your new suits ...

I so look forward to hearing how you get on ...

Best wishes

Cathy

Thank you, everyone.

I have my appointment to be measured up for my new clothes in my diary for next week, which is exciting. 

Cathy: I will see what happens in my "live" training.  It's very early days indeed, but I rather think I would like to specialize in private client work, which will give me plenty of scope for the future.   

We are recruiting my successor now in my current post.  All the applicants are women and some are outstanding.  I promise to tell "the next Rose" about DD. 

We have our company AGM coming up and two meetings of our Board before I leave. I have to sort out the filing system (long, on-going project) and do lots of general housekeeping.  I want things to be ship-shape before Rose Mark II starts work. 

I shall be exhausted come the end of July.

Best wishes,

Rose

Well, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my article for OfficePro magazine (which was originally scheduled to be published in August) actually became the cover article for the July issue. :)

The topic is Bouncing Back From A Negative Performance Review.

Well done Marie ... and a fantastic bonus to be cover story a month ahead of schedule

Cathy

Cover story - wow!  well done!

Well done Marie, you must feel great about this  :)

Can anyone obtain a copy of OfficePro magazine or do you have to be a member?

Normally anyone can see the current cover story, but I see it hasn't yet been updated with the July issue. They are probably too swamped getting ready for the annual meeting, which is next week.

This may seem a silly problem but one that is bugging me so...............

Can anyone share how they are actually setting out their goals please?

By that I mean do you have an electronic document with list of headings and update under each one and add new ones as they arise?

I started my list (not for sharing yet I am afraid  :-X ) but am not happy with the format.  I have tried a couple of layouts but not satisfied with them.  They are too fussy and not exciting enough to make me want to keep updating.   They seem to 'bitty'. 

I generally like to mindmap mine and then mark progress/completion at intervals.  I usually roll it forward each year and take off the completed bits and add new.  I can add dates and timescales to these too so it works for me in a one page format.  However I know not everyone gets on with mind maps.

However this year I just have the post I added on here ... because everything was changing at the time.

Cathy

To be honest, I just post a simple numbered list like I did at the beginning of this post. It's a simple document in Word. Depending on what I am doing it for, I post the same list in multiple places (like here, on my fridge, on my cubicle wall at work, etc.) so that I have a visual reminder of what I should be working on.

I also have the Skills and Accomplishments document that I keep updated as I complete or acheive things. I add a reminder on my outlook to update the list quarterly.

Marie

Thanks for the tips.  I quite like mind mapping - I am a visual person so this would work for me I am sure.  Only problems is, I can see it growing and getting too big!!

I like lists - do lists for everything  :D   so will now plan a mixture of both.