2022 Goals: Let’s S.C.R.E.A.M.
Goal setting is a classic kick-off activity every new year.
On a personal level, it is common to commit to breaking bad habits or starting new (healthy) ones with New Year’s resolutions. In a professional sense, there may be development of new skills, honing new areas of responsibility, or targeted career growth. For our company- and program-level initiatives, how do our teams continue to be impactful, effective, and efficient?
The question is ultimately the same: What do we want to accomplish this year, and how will we do it?
We are pushing forward in this pandemic, and while shouting may not solve your professional or personal problems, perhaps this acronym will!
S.C.R.E.A.M. stands for Stop, Clarify, Repeat, Empathize, Answer, and Move On.
- Stop – A year in review tends to be a fun, picture-focused activity on social media featuring the highlights from the best parts of the year. How often are we reflecting on our professional accomplishments to understand where our greatest efforts went? We should always make space to stop and reflect on how we reached our present moment to both celebrate our wins and mitigate our losses.
- Clarify – What is it we truly want to accomplish? If you’re like me, you have 1,000 ideas for personal and professional projects alike. The purpose of clarifying is to understand which are the highest priority, most impactful items? The list should be short and concise to maintain focus and delivery throughout the year.
- Repeat – This can be thought of in terms of “Why?” Repeating the goals not only keeps them top of mind but also reinforces that your efforts and those of your team should always relate back to your short list. For those who are process oriented, this also is a call to action that scaling and growth needs to include repeatable steps. Determine how to rinse and repeat or set the foundation for others to follow on their own.
- Empathize – What value and impact will be realized by setting and sticking to these goals? When listening to your stakeholder groups, including leadership, partners, and employees, take a moment to understand different perspectives. Listening to others and putting yourself in their shoes, no matter who they are, can allow for new perspectives and approaches. On a personal level, empathy for those that we care about, and for our own struggles and challenges, can be enlightening. Imagine what it will feel like once the goals are met, and cut yourself some slack if things do not go exactly according to plan.
- Answer – Stand by your goals. Questions may arise that threaten the integrity of what you are working toward, or about why efforts are not focused elsewhere. By gaining clarity earlier in this process, predict what sorts of answers you may need to provide and have them ready. The last thing you want is to respond with “I’m not sure” or “I don’t know” for those seeking more information.
- Move On – We all like to believe that success is an upward-trending straight line from the outset to the completion of our goals. There will be hiccups and steps backward along the way because growth is rarely linear. When faced with a challenge or adversity, do what you can, pivot if needed, and move on.
Particularly with goal setting, the plan you set out with may not be the plan that eventually gets you to your destination. Do not get hung up on the minutia, and give yourself space to move on when the time comes.
Late to your goal setting this year? It is never too late to perform some planning and get a course of action started! Take time to S.C.R.E.A.M. and delve into what your drivers are, what resources are available, and how you will get it done.
Are you S.C.R.E.A.M.-ing about BCIC? Talk to your account manager or implementation lead for assistance on your 2022 Program Roadmap. We have trusted experts in the industry to provide advisory services and in-tool development facilitated by our business analysts.
