suggests that “SMART Goals” are not enough—and it ticked me off! And this reminder:
to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies) and
for my Top-10 Book Recommendations of 2017, and my Book-of-the-Year pick.
S.M.A.R.T.E.R. Goals
Alignment is a big deal for me, whether reading or recommending books. To avoid
Management by Bestseller Syndrome, I look for books, blogs, articles, and podcasts that are in alignment with my core view of leadership and management.
Your Best Year Ever: A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals, by Michael Hyatt, aligns with many of my core beliefs, especially my
Results Bucket. And how could I not read this? I’m a big fan (and reviewer) of seven of his endorsers: Seth Godin, John C. Maxwell,
Henry Cloud, Andy Stanley, Donald Miller, Andy Andrews, and Ian Morgan Cron.
Michael Hyatt says that “great goals check seven boxes.” I’ve preached “S.M.A.R.T. Goals” for years, so how did I feel about this bestselling author’s two-upmanship? OK, I thought, lay out your case for S.M.A.R.T.E.R. Goals.
Hyatt’s big seven:•
Specific
•
Measurable
•
Actionable
•
Risky
•
Time-keyed
•
Exciting
•
Relevant
My first thought: If S.M.A.R.T.E.R. Goals are smarter than S.M.A.R.T. Goals, then why not S.M.A.R.T.Y.P.A.N.T.S. Goals? (Then I prayed and confessed to having an arrogant spirit. Then I read Chapter 7: really good stuff!) Feel free to define your own “smart” words at this
acronym finder website.
You, or someone on your team or in your family, will love this book—and for many, it could be a career-altering holy fork-in-the-road experience.
The quotable PowerPoint-worthy lines ooze off the page:•
“Goals poorly formulated are goals easily forgotten.”• “Dragging the worst of the past into the best of the future is another reason goals fail.”
• “Fitness centers sell yearlong contracts knowing the majority of customers won’t come for more than a few weeks. NPR covered one chain with 6,500 members per location and only room for 300 at a time.”
• The chart on page 37 contrasting “Scarcity Thinkers” with “Abundance Thinkers” is revealing. The latter “welcome competition, believing it makes the pie bigger and them better.”
•
“…if you already have everything you need to achieve your goal, then your goal’s probably too small.”• “Resources are never the main challenge in achieving our goals.”
I appreciate authors who declare their assumptions, because
Donald Rumsfeld reminds us that
“It is possible to proceed perfectly logically from an inaccurate premise to an inaccurate and unfortunate conclusion.” Hyatt lists five assumptions, and begins with “real life is multi-faceted”—his circle of 10 interrelated domains: spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical, marital, parental, social, vocational, avocational, and financial.
“The only people with no hope are those with no regrets,” says Hyatt. Important principles are punctuated with ample doses of LOL one-liners, like the section on “There’s No Autocorrect for Tattoo Needles,” and this actual tattoo:
“REGRET NOHING.”
More good stuff—and alignment:• “An experience is not complete until it is remembered.” (Wow…this aligns perfectly with my 2017 book-of-the-year,
The Power of Moments.)
• “The Opportunity Principle” (based on research) fits well with my recent review of
Dollars and Sense: How We Misthink Money and How to Spend Smarter. Hyatt contrasts roadblocks with road signs. Great metaphors.
• “…the mere act of writing one’s goals boosted achievement by 42 percent.” (For more, see my 2016 book-of-the-year,
The One Thing.)
• A written goal “…enables you to see—and celebrate—your progress.” More alignment with my
Hoopla! Bucket.
• And for some personality types, why “
Eat That Frog” may not be the best advice.
If you’re a March Madness fan—order the book today, and read pages 89-90 to your team at work or home. Hyatt shares a Coach K secret how Duke University’s Mike Krzyzewski leveraged the power of gratitude to inspire the Duke basketball team to win the 2015 NCAA Tournament Championship Game. You will customize his creative idea for your own team.
A few more:• Quoting Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
“It is only with gratitude that life becomes richer,” Hyatt journals his gratitude every day.
• Explaining his "LEAP Principle" (Lean, Engage, Activate, Pounce), Hyatt quotes Peter Thiel on unrealized aspirations about the future:
"We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters."• “It may sound simplistic, but I find it’s best to use a strong verb to prompt the action you want to take.” (Examples: fun, finish, or eliminate.”)
Finally—my favorite and most practical take-aways:• The dramatic difference between achievement goals and habit goals.
•
10 very practical pages of sample goal templates (pages 237-246)• Myth-buster: you can perfect new habits in 21 days (research says its 66 days).
• The calendar chain concept.
I’ve started using it.• “We share our goals, but not with everyone.”
•
Brilliant: use Activation Triggers. (Example: “Program the lights in my office to turn off automatically at 6:00 p.m. so I follow through on my goal of quitting work by 6:00 p.m.")
Special thanks to
Goals Guru Mike Pate for sending me this book. I’m grateful!
To order from Amazon, click on the title for
Your Best Year Ever: A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals, by Michael Hyatt.
Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions:
1) Michael Hyatt’s wife notes, “People lose their way when they lose their why.” Discuss in groups of two.
2) Hyatt organizes his week into stages: Front Stage, Back Stage, and Off Stage time. When Off Stage, he leaves his laptop at his office. Are you thriving with the way you organize your week? Why or why not?
The Billy Graham Moment
Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook
When Billy Graham arrived home on Feb. 21, 2018, the media coverage was unprecedented—and still is. (See Time magazine.)
What a great time to talk with your team and your family about faith, goals, impact, influence, and eternity.
God’s Not Dead: A Light in Darkness (number three in the series) opens in theaters nationwide on March 30 (Easter Weekend). That’s a great opportunity to view the film as a group and begin some meaningful conversations about life’s biggest decision. Remember Donald Rumsfeld’s wisdom: “It is possible to proceed perfectly logically from an inaccurate premise to an inaccurate and unfortunate conclusion.”
For more resources on goal setting from the Results Bucket, order Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook: Management Tools, Templates, and Tips From John Pearson and visit the Results Bucket webpage.
NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here. New book reviews will also be archived at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. Or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon.
