Values Aligned Goal Setting - Part 3 Identifying Action Steps & Creating Accountability
We have reviewed how to identify your core values, and how to create values aligned goals that work best for you. Now, we are going to work through how to identify action steps that will help you achieve your goals and accountability structures that will help you be successful.
The first part of identifying action steps involves further breaking your goals down. Looking at the goals you developed, take each one individually and identify milestones and/or mini goals that will help add up to meaningful progress and goal completion. For example, for my goal this year to deepen my coaching practice I have the mini goal of completing my Associate Certified Coach credential, which will include milestones such as completing 100 hours of coaching and passing the International Coaching Federation Knowledge exam. Completing these milestones and the overall mini goal of gaining my credential would definitely be meaningful progress for me towards my coaching goals this year. Some mini goals and milestones might be time-bound if they are related to specific events, and others may be more ongoing. One of my goals this year is to use discipline with my finances, and this includes the ongoing mini goal of meeting my monthly savings goals throughout the year.
Once you have brainstormed your mini goals and milestones, develop specific action steps that you will need to take to complete those mini goals or milestones. Definitely break this down into as many specific action steps as needed. For example, when considering my milestone of completing the ICF Knowledge Exam my action steps include researching about the test on the ICF website, utilizing study materials provided by my coach training program, reviewing my coach training manual, selecting the date and time I would like to take the test, registering for the exam, and then completing it and hopefully passing! Try to think about any and everything you will need to do to fulfill you mini goals and meet your milestones.
Consider, as well, if your goals or mini goals involve building a life practice or habit. This may include changing or starting new routines, incorporating a new activity regularly into your life, or making consistent changes to be more aligned to specific intentions. I have been working this year to build a life practice of meditating daily. It has certainly been harder than I thought! I have realized that two key things for me have been finding the right time of day for this new routine (definitely first thing in the morning for me) and having a tracking system for accountability. I was consistently meditating in February and March, and it has since dropped off. I am looking forward to returning to this life practice this summer, and also starting to go to bed early with a more solidified evening routine - stay tuned for that progress!
After drilling down specific action steps, I like to look at my planner and draft out when I would want to complete different action steps. This helps give me deadlines, and also ensures I am not overloading myself at any point in time. Lots of folks have the tendency to hit the ground running with a lot of goal-related to-dos and then get burnt out quickly, or abandon goals when they don’t get to their first few action steps because they are too busy and overwhelmed. I definitely recommend growing slow! Also consider your life in-full, and when you’ll have more free space and time to take on some action steps versus times you know you’ll be busy with work or life. It also may be helpful to focus on certain goals during specific seasons, or align goals with specific events that you already have planned to give you helpful time-bound markers.
As you plan out your mini goals and action steps, definitely consider when you would want to do some goal reflection and revision. You may find as you go that some goals are finished pretty quickly, while others may need to be paused. You can also reflect on your goal setting method, and think about if you would want to make any changes, what your next mini goals might be, and if you need to add, edit, or delete any action steps. I like to do a quarterly refresh to consider how my goals are going every three months or so, and give myself the opportunity to change goals, mini goals, and action steps as needed.
Definitely plan times and ways to celebrate as well! It always feels awesome to complete a major goal - think about the ways you want to acknowledge and recognize your accomplishment, if and how you may want to share it with others, and how you plan to celebrate. I recently ran a half marathon after training for two and a half months, and my celebration included having a big chocolate chip cookie afterward and treating myself to a really nice sports bra.
Accountability
Similar to creating goals, it’s important to find accountability systems that work best for you. When discussing accountability, I often refer clients to Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies, which is a personality assessment that helps individuals determine how they prefer to respond to both inner and outer expectations. Understanding your tendency and how you respond to different forms of expectations can help you put together meaningful accountability structures. You may need an “accountabili-buddy” to check-in with from time to time on your goal progress, or to involve in some of your mini goals and action steps. You may also respond well to internal expectations, and enjoy tracking your goal progress in a planner or journal.
Reflect on what has or has not worked well for you when you have previously set up accountability systems - what would you change for the future? What do you need that you were not previously receiving? What does support look like to you? As an Upholder, I respond well to both internal and outer expectations. While I can use independent systems to hold myself accountable for some goals, I often prefer to connect with a friend or share my goals with my partner as a form of external accountability as well. One of my friends and I have created monthly challenges for ourselves aligned with our goals and I feel much more tied to those action steps knowing she is doing the same.
Finding a coach can also be a great form of support and accountability when working towards your goals. A coach can provide individualized support, and hold space to process and help you develop meaningful progress. Coaching can also be a great resource if you don’t even know where to start, but know you want to make some major changes or need to transition within different parts of your life. I would definitely suggest readings some of my previous blog posts on what coaching is, who coaching is for, and what happens in a coaching session.
We have come to an end on this blog series on values aligned goal setting! I hope this has been useful and provided some different ways to think about and approach goal setting. I would love to hear about your process, what action steps you have identified, and what accountability structures you have created. Feel free to connect with me through email at corron.amy@gmail.com or on Instagram @amersy Happy spring goal setting season!!