Ever wondered why really great leaders seem to do the right things? The answer is simple, it’s not that they have great ‘do’ goals, it’s that they operate within predetermined ‘who’ goals. When you know who you are, then you instinctively now what you must do.
Life can be full of do goals, the better ones might be ‘SMART’ but they are no substitute to who goals. Who goals allow you to operate in a principled way that will guide you well, so that you always know what it is you must do. In todays society, do goals often come first, it is perhaps time to reverse the order, establish who we are, and then follow with what we do.
Who goals will transcend the workplace too, they will give you a compass that can keep you travelling in the right direction wherever you are.
The easiest way to frame a who goal is via this easy sentence structure;
“I will be a ……. who ……… .”
For example; I will be a strong manager who serves his team, or I will be a good husband and father who lovingly supports his family.
Leaders who know who they are become easy to follow because they are predictable. If you see me do the honest thing in situation A and B, it’s easy to predict that I’ll do the honest thing in situation C. However, if I do the honest thing in situation A, but bend the rules in situation B, you have no idea which way I will tumble in situation C. Who goals help with the principled stand that brings consistency and reliability.
Start writing two or three who goals for yourself. Eventually develop this out to no more than seven statements that define you at work, at home and anywhere else you operate. Define who you are, what you stand for, then what you will do, will become increasingly obvious.
Bob Bannister
Ships Captain.
