Clean slate; time to make your New Year’s resolutions! How can DISC help you make goals you are motivated to see all the way through?
New Year resolutions can be a motivating jumpstart to reaching our goals; not to mention, it helps us feel better about what we didn’t do the past year. However, goals need to be more than a subject word; they need to be action-oriented to get it done.
One way to make goals more attainable is to start by creating ones that motivate you. All too many of us have created goals that are idealistic or far beyond our reach. Does the word “diet” ring a bell? It’s great to stretch for our goals, but getting started and maintaining momentum often sucks all of our energy, and we end up falling short.
DISC and goal setting
Your DISC style impacts everything you do, including goal setting. So, why not use it to your advantage? We can’t escape our style; so why not use it to guide us in setting goals and to finding the best path to achieving them? DISC helps you better understand how you prefer to do things; including, what motivates you, what you tend to avoid, and how you prefer to achieve goals. Isn’t that what you ultimately want?
Remember, there is no style better or worse; they are simply different. Let’s looks at what goals tend to be motivating for your style.
Setting motivating goals for your style
D-styles are driven and independent. You are more comfortable taking risks and setting challenging, multi-focused goals. You may lose motivation when you don’t see immediate results or you don’t have some control of the outcome. As a D-style, you want clear, quantifiable goals; preferably, achievable in the short term. Get started right away, and build in flexibility to get to an end goal you can see.
I-styles tend to be more impulsive and want more flexibility. As an I-style, use your enthusiasm to get yourself off to a great start, but keep pushing to see it to the end. Don’t focus on the glory of finishing before you start. Practice following through before you move on to the next exciting goal! Make sure to focus on the tasks and details needed to achieve them. Try focusing on short-term goals that deliver frequent gratification you get to share with others. Let’s make it fun and get it done!
S-styles prefer step-by-step directions and a clearly laid out plan. As a careful planner, you may be slower to start; spending more time on the planning of getting ready. Don’t lose sight of the goal! Use your support network to motivate you. Sometimes, taking that leap and getting going is often not as difficult as you thought it would be! And, it makes it that much closer to your goal, and we know your persistence will get you there!
C-styles want clear, logical goals that rely on their expertise. As a C-style, you can overly focus on small details instead of stepping back and understanding the broader scope of what needs to be achieved. Don’t worry about criticism and small failures; focus on moving toward the end goal. Try getting off to a quicker start; there is some truth about too much data. Practice focusing on the positives of what’s going well and soon you will find yourself closer to the end point!
Committing to your goals
DISC helps remind you how your goals and paths to achieve them are different from others. It can also help your team come together by identifying its strengths and team dynamics. Everyone on your team has shared goals, but how you reach them depends on what you do independently and how well you come together as a team.
DISC also helps you understand what may be barriers to achieving your goals. Goals and pressure to achieve them go hand in hand. We tend to revert to our natural style under pressure because we don’t have the same focus and energy to make adjustments. For example, a D-style under pressure may begin to tunnel vision on what can be achieved quickly. They may not take into account the opinions of others or they begin to make mistakes by taking too many risks and moving too quickly. You can make better adjustments by knowing how you show up.
Give yourself a jump start!
Are you a big picture person or do you need step-by-step planning? Do you need to build in quick rewards or have back-up plans? What is the simplest course of planning for your style? Your stronger self-awareness helps you understand and practice the adjustments you need to make toward achieving your goals.
First, you need commitment to the goals you’ve made. DISC helps you commit to goals that are more motivating to your style, which means you have already taken a step forward. You can be more flexible by rewarding yourself along the way. Now, when the work begins, you can use your style to create a clearer path to achieving your goals. Let’s go!