Creating Your Dreams & Making Them Real!

The purpose of this program is to improve individual, team, and organizational performance capabilities to be more effective and productive. Through the application of this ‘learning process’ you will develop and enhance the following competencies: i.e. ATTITUDES, KNOWLEDGE, and SKILLS

Self Direction: A way to achieve your goals

Attitude - to value the importance of a personal ‘strategic direction’, consisting of a personal vision/mission, set of values, and key result areas.

Knowledge - what your ‘strategic management framework’ is, and its benefits.

Skills - how to create, utilize and continually enhance your own ‘strategic direction’.

A self management process

Attitude - to value the philosophy and personal discipline of self management as a ‘process’ to achieve both long and short term goals.

Knowledge - what the concept of ‘self management’ means and the tools and techniques to implement the process.

Skills - how to create, utilize and continually enhance your own ‘self management process’ to achieve both long and short-term goals.

Self Motivation

Attitude - to value ‘goal setting’ as a means to self-motivation and the importance of ‘positive mental conditioning’.

Knowledge - what motivation is; its relationship to ‘goal setting’; and overcoming potential obstacles to motivation.

Skills - how to use ‘goal setting’, and techniques of ‘positive mental conditioning’ as a means to self-motivation.

Building Relationship: A way to influence others to help you to succeed

Attitude - to appreciate the importance of interpersonal relationship skills in your success.

Knowledge - what is required in building interpersonal relationships and linking these relationships to your success and the success of others.

Skills - how to identify ‘key stakeholders’ to your success; how to build mutually beneficial relationships.

How to get the most out of the program!

There are different ways you can use this program as part of your ‘mental fitness’ program. First a reminder of the meaning of the acronym FIT: F for frequency; I for intensity, and T for Time. Depending on what degree of fitness you want, you can decide on the frequency, intensity, and time you will need to apply this tool kit, and how it compliments what else you are doing. Remember we learn and bring about behavior change through spaced-repetition. Behavior change comes about through a conditioning or re-conditioning process. So space out your learning and repeat some of the exercises over and over through your ‘Action Planning’ process. Group your learning goals so that they positively reinforce each other to get the synergy out of your learning process.

You will notice immediate results by using this program for daily inspiration and guidance. Begin by reading one concept each day, reflecting on it, and thinking of its current application in your life. You may then come across a particular concept that you want to dwell on and do some more intense work and you can choose accordingly.

You can also use this program section by section, focusing on a set of concepts related to one of the four competency areas, Strategic Direction, Self Management, Self Motivation, or Relationship Building. To become more Principled Centered, you may want to focus on the application of the Five Success Principles. Either way, you will develop a schedule to build on each concept in your chosen area that will allow you to do your personal assessment, develop your action plan and monitor your progress.

With this competency development approach, it is sometimes helpful to have a coach, whether a peer, mentor or counselor, to work with you. This program is particularly helpful and beneficial in a small group setting. The encouragement and support that you offer others - and, in turn, that is available to you - as you work your way through the learning process is invaluable.

A note on the design of the exercises for each concept

"The life which is unexamined is not worth living."

-Plato

You are first asked to read and reflect on each concept or better referred to as ‘behavioral attribute’ (example: Mind on top of Page 12). I use the term ‘behavioral attribute’ because we are interested in ‘why we do what we do’, therefore, our behavior- to act, function, or react in a particular way. Understanding and reflecting on each of these selected concepts as attributes will help to explain the cause or origins of our behavior. Apply the behavioral attribute to your own knowledge and set of life experiences. The reflection is usually prompted by several questions.

You may notice that the description of each concept may be written in either the first person singular "I" or plural "we". My intent is to be part of the dialogue and learning process with you, the reader. I, too, must continually go through these ‘mental practices’ to change and reinforce behavior change. Other times in describing a concept, I will be more instructive and use the pronouns "you" or "your", acting more in the role of your coach. This writing style, hopefully, will communicate that I am on this ‘human journey of continuous change and development’ with you.

Reflect on each question by answering how the question applies to you and your life experiences. Write this response down under Reflections on the page before proceeding to your action plans. It is upon this base that you form your personal assessment and action plan. The action plan is specifically designed with four questions:

These are powerful questions in managing change! They help you to be very specific about what you need to do to be more effective and efficient in the actions you take to improve your performance. Do not take these questions lightly! This is why I suggest a coach or support group. The feedback to your self-assessment and action planning is invaluable.

Let’s explore the power of each question. The first question, "What should I keep on doing?" focuses on your strengths. It helps you to sustain and maintain what you already do well. Too often we do not value nor celebrate our talents and very quickly focus on what we have to change. Continuity positively reinforces your strengths and builds upon them.

The second question, "What should I modify or do differently?" helps us to refine, to polish, and improve what we already know how to do, but want to execute at a higher level.