Setting SMART Goals - Lesson 1

Hello and welcome. I'm Dr. Chuck Coker. Our program on smart development plans will provide you with information and direction that you may not normally receive in your church or ministry organization, but what I do want you to know is that over the decades that I have been using this plan and when it was taught in a seminary situation, the students responded by saying this helped them so much that it allowed them to become more effective and more efficient with their ministry.

So what we're going to do is we're going to dig into a process that's going to allow you to accelerate and more greatly enhance your particular purpose before God, because a purpose needs a goal, perhaps even a reason for existence, something that's going to shape your life and the decisions that you're going to make. Let me give you an example. Think about Nelson Mandela from South Africa.

Here's a man who felt that he had a purpose that was so important that he was willing to go to jail for over two decades, but at one point he came out and was able to fulfill the purpose that God had called him to, and you will be able to fulfill your purpose if you think about it, if you put it down and you focus on chunking it and getting it to a point to where you can actually live it out. And while it may not seem like it now, you also have a very unique, special purpose in life that is ordained by God. So what I want to do is provide you with a process to help you write it down, but don't be surprised if it evolves over time, because it probably will as God orders your steps from one place to another.

I want you to think about your uniqueness. And when I say that, I mean it very seriously, because as you look at yourself, you can't compare yourself to other people because God has made you uniquely and therefore you cannot compare yourself. Next, I want to remove the guessing aspect of developing a plan.

So that's why we've directed you to use the empirical data that is available to you through the online assessments that we've provided for you. If you went through the behavior and mindset courses, you'll have that data already, but if you haven't, you need to go back and get that because creating a plan is something that's going to make a massive difference. Let me give you an example.

A number of years ago, there was a Harvard study of people who actually after graduation developed a plan for their future and those who created a plan for their future, and yes, it was modified from time to time, 3% of the graduates ended up being and holding 90% of the wealth from that class. What I want to do is provide you with a plan that will help you understand what you need for growth and development, because growth and development is a lifelong process, there's no limit to how far you can go, especially if the spirit is ordering your steps. So what I want you to look at as we go through your empirical data is what are the five characteristics that you most like about others and then what are the five characteristics that you least like about others? Then what are the three to five characteristics that cause some friction between others and what will be the easiest and hardest for you to achieve your ultimate objective if there are things you want to change? Now, as you dig through those things, it's going to be important that you find and discover those concepts as you review your behavioral and your mindset profile.

So let's remember what was important, why behaviors or the genetic aspects that we see that God created and wove together in Jeremiah 1.5. These are the things that are going to help you improve your communication and relationships. They're going to help you improve your understanding so that you can make better decisions. They're going to develop a deeper acceptance of why you are the way you are.

And finally, it's going to lay the foundation for adapting your communication in a way that helps you minimize misunderstandings and will allow you to clarify your point. So we see that in the high dominant person that is the strategic thinker, the very focused and very detail oriented with the tasks. We see it in the other extrovert, the high I, that is inspiring, creative, enthusiastic and energetic.

But the population is tilted towards the introvert and the people oriented introvert. The high S is more relaxed, more consistent, more caring and nurturing. But the task oriented introvert, the high C, is much more analytical and systematic, and they are going to want to focus on details because that helps them become more meticulous and more reliable.

Now, we also want to consider the aspects of our culture and what that brought to us. So if you're unfamiliar with this, please review the course on behaviors and mindsets because this will help you better understand how to build your goals and how to build the objectives that are going to take you where God has called you. So mindsets come from our culture, from our education, from our family, from our friends and the roles that we play.

And when we think about that, we have to understand that mindsets can improve our motivation and the implementation of these goals and objectives because they develop a deeper understanding of what is important to you and your coworkers. Mindsets are much more fluid than behaviors because behaviors are the nature and mindsets are the nurture, and we are constantly in a process of learning. So they're going to change over time, but mindsets help us lay a foundation to understanding what will maximize our performance in a given environment.

So we must learn to adapt them. Now it's time for us to dig in and begin to apply that uniqueness that God created within us, both through nature and nurture. And that uniqueness is going to help focus you into the path that God ordered for you

So the question you need to begin to ask yourself at this point is, will you need assistance beyond the plan? If so, how are you going to do that? Do you need a mentor that can help you with this process? If not, why not? Do you know how to find one? That's important. And what have you learned about yourself as you went through the discovery process of mindsets and behaviors? So I want you to think about that as you develop your plan, because very rarely are we able to do things completely on our own. And as I've mentioned in previous lessons, we are interdependent with the people that the Lord has placed in our path more than independent.

So I want you to focus on your priorities, not what someone else thinks is right for you. This has to be your plan, not someone else's. And I want you to take the time to walk through this plan and not rush through the process.

I want you to take the time to carefully evaluate your disc and mindset scores to identify your strengths and weaknesses. And I want you to do that in your own words, in your study guide. Pay close attention to repetitive areas, because what you may see is there are some characteristics in your behavior that are similar to your mindsets.

Summarize them into single statements for your personal development plan, strengths and weaknesses that we're going to discuss in just a minute or two. Now, in your study guide, what I have done for you is I have given you a breakdown on high, medium and low scores for your behaviors and your mindsets. Refer to your study guide so that you can actually apply these.

It'll take some of the questions away and allow you to move through this process much more quickly. So as we continue to dig into your uniqueness, I want to assure you that if you want to grow and develop, you must grow your emotional intelligence, which will make your plan much more effective. And let me tell you why.

Studies over the past couple of decades have indicated one thing will increase your intelligence, and that is journaling and writing about your life and your future planning. So if you want to increase your intelligence, you have to begin to write these things down and you have to do them in a way that is going to help you become successful. And what does Paul say? Run the race to win.

In other words, become what God created you to be. And the only way that you can do that is by using both your objective mindsets and your subjective mindsets that are driven by your belief system. Now, let me give you the six key characteristics that are critical for you to develop this plan that's going to help you.

First of all, you have to do it with integrity. You must become a person of integrity. That's why I just advised you to not listen to other people and have them construct your plan for you.

This is between you and God. This is going to allow you to be true to yourself and be true to the creation that he designed before the foundation of the earth. Number two, you have to have a desire for continuous growth.

You can't have a fixed mindset. You can't be going in the same direction and not seek that growth and development. You need to have number three, a proper personal perspective.

That's why we've given you these assessments so that you can begin to identify what I have strength wise that I can use to propel my development before God and my fellow man. The fourth thing that I want you to remember is that when you develop this plan, remember a promise is a promise. And I'm not just talking about a promise to someone else.

I'm talking about a promise that you're making to God and yourself. Because number five, there must be honesty and truth come forth or your plan will not achieve the desired results. Lastly, it has to focus on doing the right thing, not just the easiest thing.

Let's start off with integrity. Extensive research has shown that integrity is not just important from a moral perspective. It has enormous impact on your ability to lead and manage effectively.

Whether you are a pastor, an elder or staff member, volunteer, if you are leading, you are going to have an enormous impact on the health of the organization that you oversee. To have that integrity is vital to your ministry's health, regardless of what area of focus your particular ministry is directed in. You see, by being a high integrity organization, three things are going to happen.

You're going to have better staff because they are going to be better employees and you're going to have lower turnover when they know they can trust you. Second, you're going to have better customers, members of your congregation and those that are involved in the ministry because the engagement level will be much stronger and provide long-term value that God expects for us to pass on to the people we meet. Remember, we want to make the people that we meet better, not bitter.

Thirdly, this is going to have a massive impact on people that give or the donors or whatever you might call them with your ministry. The higher the level of integrity, the more capital is going to come from better and longer lasting resources and different sources also. So, the best way that you can judge a leader is by how they lead themselves.

This is what we call continuous personal growth. This applies not only to matters of skill, but to matters of integrity that we just discussed. You see, leaders with high level of integrity are in a constant learning mode.

They are in that growth mindset because they're honest with themselves and they seek guidance to discover and improve on their weak points. They're always learning and growing as leaders by embracing that growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset. So, if you are going to be that leader of integrity and you're going to continue to grow, you are going to have to have a proper personal perspective.

You see, when the team has achieved something, make a habit of showing recognition and that you care them. If you have a chance, grab an old book. It's been around for decades, but it's called One Minute Manager.

In that book, the key premise is praise in public, correct in privacy. You must share that recognition publicly, and it's got to be done in a format that fits with your particular group because in some cases it may be via email, social media, or in a group setting, but on a day-to-day basis, look for opportunities to help your team members grow. Give those you lead honest feedback and recommend them for good fitting opportunities, and we're going to see that as we get deeper into this program because the nature and nurture is how God planned to focus them on opportunities that fit their personality.

No matter how subjective you might be or sensitive to people and surroundings, there are times when you're going to need to be objective. Don't let office politics or ministry politics influence your better judgment. Always refer back to an individual's data.

Keep them in a folder in your desk so that when you meet with them, you can pull that folder out, glance at that empirical data, and then speak to them in their own terminology. So remember that when other people make mistakes, take the time to understand what others think and feel before you pass judgment. Tell them about an error you made in a similar situation and how you dealt with and how the experience has actually helped your success.

Next, remember that a promise is a promise. Making promises is much easier said than done. Surprises are going to come up and timelines are going to change.

The leadership of your ministry may change the game plan or even worse, struggle to figure one out. When the ministry shifts its game plan in a way that may upset the employees, the leader needs to be forthright and honest. About why the changes occurred and how people are going to fit moving forward.

Because time is always going to throw a little monkey wrench in the gears and you want to make sure that you are prepared for that. Because our next concept of honesty and truth is critical. Without that, your people will not have the trust necessary to follow through and develop into the people God created them to be.

So when we talk about honesty and truth, don't give false assurances. Don't make promises you can't keep. High integrity leaders will be open and honest about what they know and what they don't know and what they can control and what they cannot.

You see, honesty and giving candid feedback as to avoiding issues and avoiding tough talks is a surefire way to build rather than tear down. So this concept is critical. Do the right thing, not just the easiest thing.

High integrity leaders are not prone to taking shortcuts. When they communicate, they don't go from paragraph one to three to five to 10. They take it one step at a time to ensure that there's a thorough understanding by the staff in their ministry.

They have a keen sense of obligation of what is right and wrong, and you can depend on them to do the right thing for the right reason, even if it's not the easiest solution. Leaders who prioritize doing the right thing will often have open door policies and concerns. The larger the organization, the harder that's going to be.

But here's the key. If you are a larger organization or part of one, yes, there needs to be that executive leadership team that the senior pastor or the founder of the ministry invests in, but it cannot stop there. That executive leadership team must in turn invest in their staff members.

They must be able to communicate with them, and they must be able to protect people that have information and needs to come to the surface and provide honest regular feedback to the people that they are trying to help. Sad as it is, at some point or another, every organization will have employees who are willing to cut corners in an unacceptable way. Now, I've covered a lot of territory during this introduction, but each aspect is SMART.

We're going to get into that SMART process, but I want you to know going into planning and development, especially personally, you have to be honest with yourself and even more honesty when you begin to build plans for the group. So what questions have you developed at this point? When you talk about seeking out a mentor, do you have any recommendations about the advantages or disadvantages of having the mentor within the organization or outside the organization or even within the field that you're working in or outside of the field that you're working in? My recommendation to most people that ask that question is to find someone who is not directly involved or emotionally attached to a situation. They should be in the same industry field.

They should be in the same industry if you are looking at a more secularized organization, but they need to be older. They need to have their selves defeated from time to time, but they bring that experience to the process. So by bringing someone in that is not emotionally attached, their objectivity is normally much stronger and much more free from the distractions of the ministry or organization that you're involved with, but here's the most important thing, whether they are close or in a different organization, they must be people of integrity and you must take the time to identify that these people have the same reputation among a wide variety of people and that each of those reputations that are communicated to you follow the guidelines of your Christian principles and convictions.

I want to make sure that I see where you're going. What SMART is about, looking at who you are, behaviors and mindsets, establishing a goal, and then the steps necessary to get to that goal. That's what SMART is, isn't it? That's exactly right.

And I think that as we look at this, we have to remember that we're not making this plan for other people to just look at and evaluate. We're making this plan between ourselves and God, because we have to focus on what's going to help us grow and develop. If we don't, we're focused in on a fixed mindset and what is this, what is that? And it becomes a selfish plan.

And anyone that is focused selfishly on growth and development is going to leave out the most important part, and that's that there's going to be adjustments because God is going to allow us to stumble from time to time and we need to learn from each of those mistakes. So if we're going to understand this, it's really important that we listen to that class and believe in mindsets, isn't it? Because you're using the terminology, it would appear. It is critical because if you don't have an understanding and self-awareness, you are not going to be able to identify what are some of the roadblocks I'm going to run into, because if you are an objective person, then your tendency is not going to be listening to other people.

You're going to be focused on your own agenda, especially the higher the level of individuality, if you are more subjective, you will allow other people to manipulate your plan and you can't afford to do that because it's not their plan. How many times have we seen someone that said, well, my dad was a CPA, so I got to be a CPA too. That's not how God designed us.