	Personal Note
	Featured Article
	New & Improved Coach2Growth Web Site
	Testimonial
	About Jacqueline

January, 2015

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Dear *|FNAME|*,

Are you ready for a fresh start with the New Year, or are you perfectly satisfied with where you’re headed? If the latter, there’s no need to read on. If you’re a little tired of humming the elevator music and yearning for something with an irresistible rumba beat, give yourself the gift of fifteen minutes to reflect on the following goal-setting exercise right now. Don’t over-think it, just fill in the blanks with the first thing that comes to mind (examples provided to spark the imagination).

Come hell or high water, I will...

Professional	Personal
1. Earn XX% more than I did last year (or pick specific figure).	1. Spend two weeks cycling along the coast of X.
2.	2.
3.	3.
Professional Development	Personal Development
1. Attend seminar on how to optimize LinkedIn profile.	1. Take a course in Y.

Writing down goals is critical and, of course, only one part of the success equation. Read on to learn more about how to make goal setting work for you as you head into the New Year. It’s easier than you might think.

Jacqueline Franklin
IPEC Certified Professional Coach
Energy Leadership Master Practitioner

Coach2Growth delivers leadership coaching, business strategy and marketing consulting for business people who want to achieve more, be recognized, and grow and prosper fearlessly.

S-M-A-R-T Goal-Setting Made Easy

Some people prefer to take each day as it comes and hope for the best. They thrive on the spontaneity of it all, and I respect that fully. Others stay clear of goal setting because they fear the possibility of failure. The gremlin inside their head whispers, “If I don’t set goals, then I don’t have to lament not achieving them.” While others aren’t necessarily opposed to goal setting, they are challenged to find the time to do so. It feels hard and time-consuming and, so, it just never gets done.

I, on the other hand, ascribe to something I heard a sales manager quip early in my career, “If the ship misses the harbor, it’s seldom the harbor’s fault.” While I’m not averse to enjoying an occasional aimless detour, I rather enjoy charting my course, and course correcting along the way. It’s what gets me up in the morning, and what makes life feel like an adventure. Setting goals gives me a vision for where I’m going, keeps me on track (more or less), and gives me a way to gauge progress.

Either way, for anyone who wants to embrace or improve upon the power of setting goals, here’s a surefire way to make the process easy and S-M-A-R-T [pun intended]. Someone way smarter than me came up with this acronym as a way to guide the goal-setting process and to ensure that goals stick. Setting S-M-A-R-T goals packs punch into your goals and helps you remain accountable.

See the Coach2Growth S-M-A-R-T Goals Tool at work below. Then, click through to the blog to download the blank template provided.

EXAMPLE:

Goal: “I will earn XX% more than I did last year (or pick specific figure).”
S-M-A-R-T	Questions to Ask	Goal Assessment
Specific	What exactly do you plan to accomplish?	Yes, this goal is specific. “To earn XX% more” is precise.
Measurable	How will you know if the goal was met?	Yes, this goal is measurable by comparing my earnings last year to my earnings at the end of this year.
Achievable	To what degree is the goal attainable and within your ability to affect? Stretch goals are only motivating if they are not audacious.	Yes, earning XX% more is within the realm of possibility and not overly ambitious.
Relevant	Is the goal aligned with your values (what’s important to you), and germane to your success?	Yes, this goal is relevant to me. Earning more money is important and motivating; I love abundance!
Time bound	Over what period of time will you have accomplished this goal?	Yes, this goal is time bound. “By the end of the year” is a specific milestone.

Setting S-M-A-R-T goals makes the process less laborious and gives your goals a greater chance of resulting in your being able to check the box as “successfully completed.” This in turn makes the goal-setting process more rewarding. Let’s say it’s a circular reference, in a good way.

Download the Coach2Growth S-M-A-R-T Goals Tool and make a go of it!

One of my goals for 2014 was to update the Coach2Growth web site so that it reflected the broader range of services now provided. It’s always fun to check the box on a mission accomplished! I welcome your comments.

See for yourself!

“I was at a cross-road in my career and needed to reevaluate my direction and value to the company. Jacqueline helped me take a step back and develop an action plan to qualify next steps all while providing a fresh perspective and positive energy. As a result, I have clear line of site to my goals and am once again moving with confidence.”

-- Jeannine Robbins-Murphy, Business Operations Finance
Raytheon, Integrated Air & Missile Defense Programs

Jacqueline blends years of strategic and practical business experience with global companies and her enthusiasm for helping leaders, organizations and teams realize their full potential by partnering for success. She has worked with company leaders and individual contributors to help them achieve more, be recognized, and prosper fearlessly.

Jacqueline has been a natural and compassionate champion, mentor and coach to women throughout her career. She participated on the board of Girls Inc. of Lynn for six years, and is a member of The Boston Club (one of the largest communities of women executives and professional leaders in the Northeast).

Jacqueline has an MBA and is a Certified Professional Coach (CPC), having completed her training in the premier accredited International Coaching Federation (ICF) certification program through the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (IPEC). She is also certified as an Energy Leadership Index-Master Practitioner (ELI-MP).

Learn more at http://coach2growth.com/about-me/.

Coach2Growth delivers leadership coaching, business strategy and marketing consulting for business people who want to achieve more, be recognized, and grow and prosper fearlessly.

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