Planning and Management

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SMART Goals Infographics

INTRODUCTION

Successful entrepreneurs and employees have a lot of characteristics in common. They are organised, they can self-manage, they can take initiative and improve processes without being asked. Taking initiative is a key attribute of an entrepreneur, but it is also a key skill for an employee to develop, than employers really value. Taking initiative is a form of self-management. It is when you can identify and complete an action, without being told to do you. By showing initiative, you are also showing that you are resourceful. When you show that you have initiative, you are showing that you can think for yourself and act upon your ideas when necessary. As such, taking initiative is part of self-management. Like all of these skills mentioned in the WebQuests, taking initiative, planning and self-management are all skills that can be practiced and refined. The following task will take you through some simple steps that you can follow to build these skills and advance your careers.

TASK

You and your friends are attending a career guidance seminar that has been organised by a local university to help young people to plan their careers.  You are at a workshop, when the speaker starts talking about SMART Goals and why it is important to set these goals in your career. Together, you and your friends start discussing what SMART Goals are and why they are important, especially for people like you, starting out in your career.  You also notice how there is no information on setting SMART Goals in your local career guidance office.  You and your friends decide that you will conduct more research on what SMART Goals are; and that you will create an infographic to promote SMART Goals to other students and young people in your area.  Once you are finished designing the infographic, you can share this resource with your local career guidance office.

PROCESS

Step 1: What are SMART Goals?

Goals are important. They help us to set achievements in our personal and professional lives; and they can motivate us to succeed when we feel like giving up. But in order for goals to remain motivational, they need to be SMART. You need to ensure that when you set a personal or career goal, that it is actually attainable – by setting goals that are unrealistic, you are setting yourself up to fail. The first step in the process for you and your friends is to conduct some research into what SMART Goals are. Working together in a small team, check out the links below to learn more about what SMART Goals are:

· [VIDEO] SMART Goals – Quick Overview: https://youtu.be/1-SvuFIQjK8

Step 2: Why Should you Set SMART Goals?

Now that you know a little about what SMART Goals are, why do you think its important that we set SMART Goals? Setting goals that are SMART gives us something to plan towards; it allows us to plot a pathway to our success and to manage our expectations so that we set goals that are realistic, attainable and achievable within a particular time period. Setting goals that are not specific, that are too vague or that will take too long to attain means that we can get lost in our effort to work towards these goals; or our quest to achieve the goal can feel never ending. Conduct some research online to find out more about why you should set SMART Goals; and then practice setting some SMART Goals of your own. Only set one or two goals though, remember that you don’t want to over-reach or set too many goals that you fail to achieve any of them!

To help you get started with setting SMART Goals, you might find these links helpful:

How to write a SMART goal: https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/learnstorm-growth-mindset-activities-us/elementary-and-middle-school-activities/setting-goals/v/learnstorm-growth-mindset-how-to-write-a-smart-goal

Step 3: Designing an Infographic

Well done, you have successfully learned why SMART Goals are important and you have also managed to plan and set SMART Goals for yourself. The next step for your team is to design an infographic, so that you can share what you have learned with your peers and with other young people in your school and wider community. Infographics were chosen for this project because they combine both written and graphical elements, and so they are very effective at packing big ideas into small spaces. In order to create your infographic, you will have to plan this creative project with your team members and create a list of tasks that you will need to complete in developing and designing your infographic.

For some guidance on how to get started with planning and managing this creative project, the following links might be useful:

·         [VIDEO] How to Make an Infographic in 5 Steps [INFOGRAPHIC DESIGN GUIDE + EXAMPLES]: https://youtu.be/uQXf_d5Mgjg

Step 4: Sharing the Infographic – Writing a Cover Letter

Congratulations, you and your team have designed a great infographic! You should all be very proud of your efforts. Now that you see the quality of what you have produced, you decide that you will take initiative and share it with your local career guidance office, so that other students and young people can learn about SMART Goals and set their own. To be able to send your infographic to the career office, you and your team will need to write a cover letter to accompany the infographic. The following links will help you to write a suitable cover letter: 8 Essential Steps to Writing a Business Letter in English: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/business-english/writing-a-business-letter-in-english/

EVALUATION

KnowledgeSkillsAttitudes
• Basic knowledge of what it means to take the initiative.• Describe what it means to take the initiative.• Openness to set personal and professional goals.
• Basic knowledge of how to set a personal goal.• Use SMART goals to set a personal goal.• Willingness to solve problems that affect a community.
• Basic knowledge of what SMART goals are.• Use SMART goals to set a group goal.• Appreciation of the different communication skills required for groupwork and collaboration.
• Basic knowledge of how to list tasks to be completed.• Create a to-do list of tasks to be completed to develop a project.• Increased regard for teamwork activities.
• Basic knowledge about the value of teamwork.• Apply communication skills to a group-work setting.• Openness to collaborate with peers to undertake a small project or task.
• Basic knowledge of communication techniques in a team-work setting.• Adapt communication styles for group-work activities.
• Apply negotiation skills in a groupwork setting.
• Practice collaboration by completing a short groupwork activity.

As part of the assessment of this WebQuest, all learners will be expected to work as part of a team, to set at least one SMART Goal and to develop a short project together as part of a team so that they can design a simple infographic and share it with a local career guidance office in their community or school. The aim of completing these activities is that they will build core skills of young learners in the areas of research, digital skills, taking initiative, collaboration, team-work and planning and managing a small project. These are all key skills that will benefit learners in their future careers. For the infographics that groups of learners complete, teachers and youth workers can provide support to individual groups of learners to complete these infographics. Teachers and youth workers can also assess the quality  of the infographics, and provide feedback to individual groups on their project work. Where projects have been successfully completed by teams, teachers and youth workers can choose sample infographics to display in the classroom or on notice-boards to raise awareness about setting SMART Goals, and to encourage other learners to set personal and professional SMART Goals.

As a self- assessment exercise for this WebQuest, learners will then be asked complete a short self-reflection exercise and write 150-200 words on how they rated their performance in the task, what elements they enjoyed or didn’t enjoy and what they would do differently, if they were to repeat the activity again. The following questions will guide this self-assessment:

  • How did you find collaborating as part of a team?
  • Did you have to change your communication style because you were working in a team?
  • What elements of this activity did I enjoy best?
  • What aspect did I find most challenging and why?
  • What skills did I acquire through this activity? Is there something you were good at that you did not think you would be good at?
  • Did you set SMART Goals? How did you find this activity?
  • Do you think SMART Goals are useful?
  • If you were to do this activity again, would you do things differently next time? What and why?

And complete a short quiz: https://forms.gle/DbaRouNwxqPRLr8F9

Answers:

Q1: What does the S in SMART Goals stand for?

  1. Simple
  2. Specific
  3. Special

Correct: 2

Q2: What does the R in SMART Goals stand for?

  1. Ready
  2. Reachable
  3. Relevant

Correct: 3

Q3: What does the M in SMART Goals stand for?

  1. Moving
  2. Measurable
  3. Monitored

Correct: 2

Q4: What does the T in SMART Goals stand for?

  1. Tentative
  2. Tenacious
  3. Time-bound

Correct: 3

Q5: What does the A in SMART Goals stand for?

  1. Achievable
  2. Adaptable
  3. Admirable

Correct: 2

Q6: Setting SMART Goals can help you to plan and take steps towards achieving your goals:

  1. True
  2. False

Correct: 1

Questions that a youth workers or teacher might use in a whole class discussion to debrief this WebQuest:

  • How would you rate the over-all experience? Did you enjoy learning through completing a WebQuest challenge?
  • How did you enjoy working as part of a team?
  • Did you feel you contributed enough to the team?
  • What role did you take on in the team? Did you like this role? Would you have preferred to take a different role?
  • Did you enjoy the scenario? Are there other scenarios that you would have preferred to work through? Why?
  • What do you think you have learned through this challenge?
  • Do you feel like you have gained new skills? If so, what are they?
  • What parts did you enjoy most and least? And why?
  • Do you have a sense of accomplishment on completing this challenge?

Did you set SMART Goals? Do you think this is a useful activity? Why?

CONCLUSION

Congratulations! You and your team have successfully finished this short project. You have shown that you can plan tasks, manage your work-load and your collaboration, take initiative to create an infographic that is both attractive for viewers, and informative; and you have even set your own SMART Goals along the way. In this challenge, you have developed key skills that will stand to you in your future career. Remember that by making your goals SMART, you are increasing your chances of success. Nobody is expecting you to achieve everything you have ever wanted by tomorrow or the next day, but by continually setting SMART Goals and always progressing towards achieving these goals, you are sure to reach success in your future! If you take one thing with you from this lesson, remember:

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” —Pablo Picasso

Photo by S.O.C.I.A.L.C.U.T on Unsplash

Developing a Personal Action Plan

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever sat down and really thought about what you want from life? Do you want a big house, nice cars, and a fancy job in the city with a corner office? Would you rather no commitments, no ties and a round-the-world ticket? Do you want to start your own eco-label in skincare or food production? Do you want to trek the Himalayas? Do you have an idea for a social enterprise that will cut unemployment and ensure that vulnerable people do not become homeless? What do you feel you were put on this Earth for? We all have a purpose, but many of us walk through life without ever determining what that purpose is. However, goal setting allows us to plan and manage the decisions we make, which can positively impact where we end up in our lives. By having a goal in mind, the decisions we make can bring us ever closer to achieving that goal – but without the goal, our decision-making won’t help us to create the reality that we want for ourselves. Having a goal in mind is a great start; however, without a plan of action to help you to attain that goal and to track your progress along the way, sometimes a goal will always stay out of reach. In order for us to ensure our success, we need a plan to back up that goal; a plan that will allow us to predict and overcome any obstacle that can get in our way; a plan that will keep us on track, until we reach the goal we had in mind.  Goals give our lives purpose; but plans make our goals attainable.

TASK

You are coming to the end of your final school term, and everyone – your teachers, your counsellors, your mentors, your family – everyone is asking you what your future holds. You have dreams, you’ve always had dreams, but you don’t know how to put them into practice. You feel the tension mounting on your shoulders to pick the right career. Everyone around you seems to know what they are doing, and you don’t know which career path is right for you. You share your fears with your school’s career counsellor, who listens to the dreams you have and sees great potential in you to attain those goals. Together, you write out a career goal, using the SMART Goals technique. Your counsellor tells you that you can use this as the basis for writing a Personal Action Plan. You have one-week to transform your goals into a Personal Action Plan before your next session with your career counsellor, so you’d better get to work!

PROCESS

Step 1: Setting SMART Goals

The first step to cover is to set your career goal. If you have completed the Foundation level WebQuest, you will already know what SMART Goals are and why you should focus your mind and your efforts by setting SMART Goals. Your first step now is to write that SMART Goal that you are working towards. If you need a refresher, the following links will provide you with some information on what SMART Goals are:

·         [VIDEO] SMART Goals – Quick Overview: https://youtu.be/1-SvuFIQjK8

Step2: What is a Personal Action Plan?

Great, you have a goal in mind – that’s the first obstacle overcome. Next up, you need to start developing a plan to achieve that goal, so that you succeed in achieving it, and it doesn’t just sit there on a piece of paper for all eternity! Your career counsellor recommended that you write a Personal Action Plan, so your first port of call is to conduct some research to find out what a PAP is, and why its useful to help you to attain your goals. In the following links, you will find some interesting articles to get you started, or alternatively, you can conduct your own research online:

Step 3: Learn to WOOP Your Life!

What is WOOP I hear you say! WOOP – which stands for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan – is a science-based mental strategy that people can use to find and fulfil their wishes, set preferences, and change their habits. WOOPing is gaining some popularity around the world, as a way of re-training your brain for success. So, when you come across an obstacle that would normally be a pitfall for you, by practicing to WOOP, you give yourself a better opportunity to succeed.

To learn more about how WOOP can transform your life, read and watch some of the following information. When you’ve finished reading about WOOP, give it a go, try and WOOP one of your goals from Step 1!

Step 4: Setting a Long-Term Goal and Working Backwards

So now you know how to WOOP, what’s next? If you have completed a short WOOP exercise, you will have completed WOOP to set a goal for 4 weeks’ time. Your next task is to set a long-term goal. Think of what you want to be ding, where you want to be, what you would like to work at in 1 year, 5 years and 10 years’ time. Take some time to think about these goals and write them down on a piece of paper. When you write your Personal Action Plan, you will need to have a long-term goal to work towards, and then you will work backwards and set a series of shorter term goals so that you can ensure your goals are always within reach and attainable. By having a series of short-term goals that will lead you to achieve a long-term goal, you increase your chances of succeeding in achieving your long-term goal.

For some advice on setting long term goals, the following links might be a good starting point for you:   

Step 5: Identifying Barriers and Obstacles

As you have seen in the WOOP exercise you completed, one of the key points in planning for success is to identify potential obstacles and barriers that will hinder your success and then plan for how you will overcome these obstacles. This is a key step also in developing your Personal Action Plan. In this step, reflect on your long-term goal that you have just set, and determine what could go wrong to hinder you in achieving that goal. When you have identified your barriers, it will be easier for you to develop a plan to overcome these obstacles that may get in your way. For some tips and advice on how to do this, the following links might be useful to you: 5 Ways to Overcome Success Barriers: https://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/5-ways-to-overcome-success-barriers.html

Step 6: Writing a Personal Action Plan

Well done, you have gone through all the steps and made all the key decisions that will determine the focus of your Personal Action Plan. All that is left now is to write up your PAP, so that you can work through it with your career counsellor at your next session. Remember all of the goals you have set, the obstacles you have identified, the plans you have made to overcome them and the new WOOPing technique you have learned that will ensure your future success. The following links will help you to bring all of this together so that you can write your Personal Action Plan:

Step 7: Role Models as Inspiration

Congratulations, you have completed your personal action plan; how do you feel? Are you ready to succeed? We all chase success in some form or another, but many of us allow our motivation to wane because we can come across an obstacle that we think is too great to overcome; or we run out of enthusiasm for the goal we originally aimed to achieve. When this happens, it is important that we have someone to look to for support and inspiration. Some people are lucky enough to have someone in their lives that they can look up to – like a mentor. For others, they seek role-models in the sector where their dream job is. It might be a lead scientist, a novelist, a social media influencer – whoever it is, it is important to have someone in mind who you can look up to, when you feel your drive diminishing or you feel your goal is slipping from your grasp. As your final task, think of who your role model is, and why they inspire you.

To learn more about the importance of having role models in our lives, so that we can visualise our pathway to success, some of the following links might be useful. Role model: what is it and why is it important to have it?: https://www.youthreporter.eu/de/beitrag/role-model-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-important-to-have-it.15683/#.XswAqmhKiUk

EVALUATION

KnowledgeSkillsAttitude
• Factual knowledge about how to plan to achieve goals that are set in a professional capacity.• Make choices that reflect personal preferences• Willingness to reflect on learning to determine its value.
• Factual knowledge of how to measure achievement towards goals.• Develop a plan to turn an idea into action by plotting simple steps.• Willingness to set professional goals over different terms.
• Factual knowledge of how to set personal and professional milestones.• Design milestones to assess progress towards goals.• Openness to identify personal milestones.
• Factual knowledge of how to develop a personal action plan.• Synthesize goals and milestones to develop a personal action plan.• Willingness to develop a personal action plan.
• Evaluate progress towards achieving these goals• Appreciation of my personal successes and failures.
• Work independently to achieve goals.• Appreciation of what has been learned through these successes and failures.
• Self-assess skills, talents, attributes, etc.• Awareness of how past experiences help us to grow personally.
• Develop a personal education plan to highlight areas of skills gaps.
• Reflect on successes and failures until this point.
• Describe what was learned from these personal successes and failures.
• Reflect on the successes and failures of others.
• Assess how these successes and failures affected their development.

As part of the assessment of this WebQuest, all learners will be expected to work independently to develop their own Personal Action Plan. All learners will be expected to write a Personal Action Plan and to discuss their goals and their plans for success with their teachers, youth workers and peers. The aim of completing this activity is that it will show young learners how they need to set goals to succeed, but will also teach them the value of planning for success and will show them the steps involved in planning to succeed and achieve their career and personal goals.

As a self- assessment exercise for this WebQuest, learners will then be asked complete a short self-reflection exercise and write 300-350 words about the role-model they chose and why they chose this role-model. Learners can choose to share their role-model with the group; however, this is not a requirement as choosing a role-model can be a personal issue and learners may not feel comfortable sharing their role model with others. The following questions will guide this self-reflection exercise:

  • Who is the role-model I chose?
  • Why did I choose this role-model?
  • What attributes and qualities do I admire in them and why?
  • What is it from their success story that inspires me and why?
  • What can I learn from them?

And complete a short quiz: https://forms.gle/HnmMPB7FGwxhVrXC6

Answers:

Q1: What does the W in WOOP stand for?

  1. Want
  2. Will
  3. Wish

Correct: 3

Q2: What does the P in WOOP stand for?

  1. Prioritise
  2. Plan
  3. Prepare

Correct: 2

Q3: Which of the following is NOT a common barrier to success?

  1. Time
  2. Access to Resources
  3. Appreciating Past Successes
  4. Self-doubt

Correct: 3

Q4: Which of the following is NOT a way to overcome barriers?

  1. Get emotionally involved
  2. Understand what success means for you
  3. Get informed

Correct: 1

Q5: Which of the following is NOT included in a Personal Action Plan?

  1. Plan to prepare for setbacks
  2. Visualising success
  3. Economic benefits
  4. Setting short-term goals

Correct: 3

Questions that a youth workers or teacher might use in a whole class discussion to debrief this WebQuest:

  • How would you rate the over-all experience? Did you enjoy learning through completing a WebQuest challenge?
  • How did you enjoy working through this challenge on your own? Would you have preferred to complete the challenge as part of a team? Why?
  • Did you find the WOOP exercise useful? Will you use this in your future goal-setting activities?
  • Did you enjoy the scenario? Are there other scenarios that you would have preferred to work through? Why?
  • What do you think you have learned through this challenge?
  • Do you feel like you have gained new skills? If so, what are they?
  • What parts did you enjoy most and least? And why?
  • Do you have a sense of accomplishment on completing this challenge?

Did you find the experience of developing a Personal Action Plan useful? Why?

CONCLUSION

Well done, you have reached the end of the challenge and now you have a goal in mind, and a plan to support you to achieve it. You are in the minority, and on the road to success! Did you know, 92% of people who set New Year’s resolutions and goals each year don’t actually achieve their goals? (University of Scranton, 2016). For those who don’t achieve their goals, what do they all have in common? They didn’t plan for success. Having goals is only part of the mission, you need to visualise, plan and manage your goals so that you can achieve them. Setting long-term goals is a wonderful exercise, but without key measurable milestones along the way, it will be easy to lose track of your goals and wander off your road to success. Instead, by developing action and development plans, you can plan for any distractions or barriers you may encounter along the way, and ensure that you reach your final destination – the goal that you want to achieve. The lessons you have learned in this WebQuest will stay with you wherever you go in life, especially if you WOOP your way there! If you take one thing with you from this lesson, remember:

“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes.” —Andrew Carnegie

Photo by Benjamin Davies, on Unsplash