A company hired a writer to boost its online visibility, but no one there had ever worked with a writer before. On the writer’s first day, his manager pointed to a work station and said, in effect, “Go to it.”
Without instructions or deadlines, the writer was free to add articles to the company’s website. He chose all his own topics and photos and made his own decisions on story length, tone, headlines and subjects to interview.
The result? In a year, the website’s readership went from zero to half a million. In the next six months, the website rose to the number one position in its field as the result of an online search on the web.
Later, a law firm made him an offer to double his salary. He took the job, but soon came to realize the new firm’s methods allowed much less creative freedom. Whenever the writer penned an article, one of the law partners would pull up a chair next to his and go over the copy, line by line, dictating things like paragraph length and photo selection. After two days at the firm, the writer quit and asked for his old job back.
What forces brought the first website to the top of its industry? And what forces drove the writer away from the law firm with its fat paycheck? If money doesn’t float everyone’s boat, then what is it that motivates people to do their best?
Successful leaders focus on what they want to achieve. They know what they want, and they devise ways to get it. The secret to their success is their ability to set and achieve specific goals. The abilities to set clear goals and plan how to achieve them are important leadership skills. If you cannot identify and communicate goals and plan how to achieve them, you will have difficulty fulfilling other leadership responsibilities.
A goal is a specific objective you and your team must achieve.
A plan is the blueprint for achieving these goals.
Characteristics of Goals
Goals should not be grand or complex. They need only be statements of results you hope to achieve. For example, a Toastmasters club president’s goal may be “To be a Distinguished Club by June 30.” A vice president education’s goal may be “To have three members receive their CC award by May 31.”
A goal has several characteristics. It is:
Specific. It clearly states what must happen.
Measurable. Results can be easily validated.
Action-oriented. It begins with the word “to,” followed by a verb.
Realistic. It is challenging, yet practical and achievable – not too high or low.
Time-bounded. It contains a timetable for achievement.
For our next meeting, be prepared to share at least one of your goals for this year and the reasons why you set these goal(s).
“Editor’s note: This article is adapted by the author from her book The Message of You: Turn Your Life Story into a Money-Making Speaking Career (St. Martin’s Press).
Have you ever imagined yourself a speech contest winner, perhaps the World Champion of Public Speaking? As Toastmasters, you want to deliver a speech that transforms people’s lives. But how to find that message or story that inspires the audience to action?
Okay, I’m going to say something shocking. Ready? Your greatest speech already exists, even though you don’t know it.
It’s in the advice you give to your friends, in the lessons you teach your children, in the stories you tell your family. You’ve given parts of your speech when you helped your sister build her website, or when you shared the story of your immigrant grandparents’ journey to a new country. The Message of You speech is in the stories you share that inspire others to tell the truth, conquer their fears and lead happier, healthier and wealthier lives. Your greatest speech is in the stories you tell every day.
The Message of You is a distillation of all of your experiences, personal and professional, that form the meaning of your life. It’s what you’ll be remembered for when you die, your legacy. It’s what you stand for, are associated with, are famous for or might become famous for.
The thing most World Champions of Public Speaking have in common is that their speeches reflect the message they have lived. What’s tricky is you may not be aware of yours. Often the meaning of our lives is lost on us. It’s so familiar that it’s invisible. We’re not objective about what we’re bringing to others, unable to see our own impact. Yet these are the very things that make people want to listen and know more about us.
The good news is you can discover The Message of You and develop it to enhance your current profession, win toastmasters contests and even launch a successful career as a professional speaker.
So, How Do You Find Your Message?
The secret to finding The Message of You lies in the word itself. You can’t spell “message” without a M-E-S-S. You can’t see that mess without A-G-E. And when you reflect back on the messes in your life you can become a S-A-G-E. See it now? M-E-S-S-A-G-E!
Your “mess” may have occurred in your childhood. Perhaps with “age” you can see that the mess was the first step on your road to success.
Turn Your Mess into a Message
Look back to your childhood or youth and dig deeper to find a situation that was a “mess”—a party you weren’t invited to, a time you were bullied or rejected, or when you did something regrettable.
My childhood messes not only provide me with comedy material, they also give me purpose. As I wrote the book The Message of You, memories I’d forgotten came to mind and I saw how they’d shaped me and were part of my success. One repressed memory was…”
The current issue is available for viewing only by Toastmasters members.If you are a member, CLICK HERE to login. You must enter your user name and password to view this month’s issue. (If you’ve never accessed it this way, your user name is the same as your member number, which is easily found on your Toastmasters magazine label.)
Click on the video below to watch a presentation where Judy “Carter talks about her inspiration for The Message Of You”:
JIA Toastmasters Club 