Jahnvi hit the road from being an individual contributor in her job to telling others what to do. She was eminently excited to take the road, however, she was a bit nervous that she might make mistakes that would put a stamp on her profile. Now that she was on her way to being a first-time manager, she knew that is not supposed to direct people but to guide them in becoming self-directed to enhance performance.
Jahnvi was aware that her new career path requires skills beyond her current skill sets as she was going to be judged for her decisions and the way she will tackle the challenges along the way. She had to make a leap from an individual contributor to a leader who rallies others to foster great results. She knew she had the candor to be a leader, however, she was apprehensive about the new responsibilities.
When she was surrounded by clouds of doubt, she had an unwavering determination to learn everything it takes to be a leader. Jahnvi began her journey to unwrap different aspects of being a first-time manager and so far she has covered the requisites of becoming a first-time manager, her values, locus of control, setting goals and achieving them, and her learnings from The Strangest Secret.
While discovering the successful way to set and achieve goals, she felt empowered that she can achieve anything she wants, however, there was still a smidge of doubt – what if she was still not able to achieve her goals and meet her desired future state? She was completely aware of the cycle or trap people fall into after setting goals and feel regretful about not achieving them later on. She wanted to keep her goals anchored, however, she wanted to know about the things to do if she couldn’t achieve her goals in the stipulated time.
Being a new manager can bring along many emotions, it can make you feel like others are more talented, successful, and capable than you. Now that Jahnvi was aware of the meaning that goals can bring into someone’s life, she was terrified of the idea of missed goals. So, she wanted to know beforehand how to deal with missed goals to be ready for the worst-case scenario.
While she was doing her research, she took a sigh of relief after reading this –
“Even the brightest, most successful, and best of us struggle with thoughts of inefficacy when they fail to accomplish their goals.”
Elon Musk’s big lesson on missed goals is:
Musk was close to seeing both Tesla and SpaceX collapse in 2008, however, he kept moving toward the only goal that could save him. He kept working on different ways to raise funds for both companies just as the fourth SpaceX rocket was about to launch. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration awarded the company a $1.5 billion contract after the Falcon 1 successfully launched into orbit in the final days of 2008. Tesla raised $50 million in a venture capital round that closed in May 2009. A few years later, Tesla announced record sales that caught the market by surprise.
Musk said, “It’s better to undersell than overdeliver at times.”
Elon Musk’s words brought some hope to Jahnvi’s frightful heart and she said, “It’s okay, I will be able to deal with my missed goals, as long as I conquer my territory in the long run.”
Now that she knew that not achieving goals in the specific timeframe is not the end of the world, she wanted to know what to do to brace herself and her team when anything such happens in the future.
How To Handle Missed Goals?
“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.”
– Confucius
Do you:
- Assume you’ll never be able to get there and give up trying.
- Decide that goal-setting is pointless because you’ll “never meet them anyway”?
- Consider what prevented you from reaching your goal.
- Consider taking a different path to your goal.
- Decide to try again using the same method.
When we fail to meet a goal, many of us immediately become crestfallen. We believe that trying again is pointless because if we were good enough, smart enough, hardworking enough, etc., we would have met it the first time. However, this way of thinking keeps us stuck in our heads and prevents us from making real progress toward our own personal growth.
Having a plan for what to do if you don’t meet your goals can help relieve some of the stress you feel while working toward them. Then, unable to achieve them will no longer feel like a failure, but rather an accepted part of the process—and you’ll be more motivated and more likely to reformulate and try again.
Jahnvi understood that it is up to her either to carry the burden of her missed goals or place them as stairs to step ahead and achieve goals the next time. She pondered upon the thought, found deeper meanings, and focused on growing in the process. She refrained from shunning the idea of failure and embraced it as learning to move forward. This is how she planned to manage the crisis when it comes.
What To Do When You Miss Your Goals?
Jahnvi was headlong in the research to find ways to recoup if she failed to achieve her goals. She learned that in order to reach the destination of success she has to go through the road of learning. She accepted the fact and found a six-step process to bounce back higher in her game. Here is what she understood from the process.
1. Perseverance is the key
Today, most of the people, who are at the top, have a similarity in their attitude, ‘perseverance’. Just because they are something today does not mean they have never had problems. They, too, must have had found it challenging to achieve their goals at time, however, they overcame them by maintaining their willpower, and they gradually evolved into who they are today.
When you wanted to achieve a desired goal and could not achieve it, you must question yourself, ‘what went wrong?’ Thereafter, when you decide to reset the journey towards your goals, again ask yourself – what would you like to start doing, what would you like to stop doing, what would you like to continue doing based on your experience, were you too ambitious to set the goal in the moment, and do you need more time to achieve your desired goal?
2. Grow through the experience
The next step is to determine what you can learn from your missed goals and grow through it. It is not easy, however, if you change your perspective and look at it as a positive opportunity, things can change.
“Success in life is the result of good judgment,” said Tony Robbins wisely. Experience usually results in good judgment. Experience is frequently the result of poor judgment.” As a result, when you fail to meet your objectives, ask yourself, “What does this mean, and what can I learn from it?”
Concentrate on what you can learn rather than the problem. When you treat failure as a learning experience and gain a new perspective from it, you grow into someone better and more deserving of the goal.
3. Carry your dream on your sleeve
Always remind yourself of your dream. You are motivated when you see yourself achieving your goals and living your ideal lifestyle. This is significant because losing interest in what you want is one of the main reasons people fail to achieve their goals.
They started out strong, but as the days passed, their motivation faded and they became distracted by everything going on in their daily lives. As a result, they lose touch with their goals, and eventually, they stop acting and give up. Never allow this to happen to you. Make it a point to think about your dreams and your goals at all times.
4. Rediscover your purpose
Remember that your purpose is what gets you started and what keeps you going. And you can’t go on unless you have both. Your mission is the lighthouse that guides you through the storms. And it is your passion that drives you to take action every day.
So rediscover your mission. Why do you want to achieve the objectives? Why do you want to achieve your goals? The more powerful and emotional your purpose, the more powerful your motivation.
5. Plan and recalibrate
After you rekindle your passion, it’s time to plan ahead and recalibrate your action steps. At this point, you should have a better understanding of why were you unable to achieve your goals in the first place. Perhaps you aren’t taking enough action. Perhaps your approach was ineffective. Perhaps you need to re-establish your milestone. Or maybe you should give it another shot.
Whatever you do, make a new plan and begin again. Never underestimate the power of forethought. “Nobody ever wrote down a plan to be broke, fat, lazy, or stupid, that’s what happens when you don’t have a plan.” Larry Winget said. Your plan outlines what you must do to achieve your objectives. The final step, of course, is to take action.
6. Take action and bounce back
The final step is to take massive action to recoup. You now have only two options. First, you decide to sit and do nothing. This is not going to get you anywhere. Doing nothing will not help you if you are stuck in a rut. You must make progress, which leads to option number two: take massive action.
Even if you’re on the right track, if you just sit there, you’ll be run over. Understand that people do not drown when they fall into the water. They drown because they remain in the water. This is why you must continue to move. Take massive and consistent action in accordance with the plan you’ve devised.
It is common to fall short of your goals. Thomas Edison himself was said to have failed over 10,000 times or he learnt 10,000 new ways. The difference, however, was that Edison did not give up. He knew how to learn and grow through the experience. Incorporate these six steps into your life if you want to turn the situation around and reach your goals.
Jahnvi has covered a great length to discover the requisites of an ideal manager/leader. She is not leaving any stone unturned in her journey, and being ready for missed goals is a commendable example of her dedication to bringing justice to her roles and responsibilities. Now that she is ready for anything that could come her way, she feels more confident and liberated as a leader. She aspires to inspire her people by striking a fine balance between the stark reality of the present and aligning her thoughts, choices, and actions toward huge success in the future. So she plans to think big, plan big, and achieve big for bigger success and a paramount feeling of accomplishment in her journey.
https://zapier.com/blog/missing-goals-learning-90-day/
https://www.ricardomiller.com/blog/missedgoals
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-happens-when-you-fail-achieve-your-goals-ashok-grover
https://eymtherapy.com/blog/when-you-dont-achieve-your-goals/
https://www.bukedde.co.ug/people/120191/five-powerful-ways-to-deal-with-unaccomplishe
https://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/11/5-ideas-from-elon-musk-to-avoid-moments-of-doubt-and-failure.html
Written By: Jimmy Jain
Edited By: Afreen Fatima
Society of Design Thinking Professionals
