BLOG
PROFILE
METHOD
SERVICES
LIBRARY
BLOG
THE SHOES ARE THE PROBLEM (or how to turn wishes into goals)
adviser@thehumanaffairs.com
The 42 kilometers, 195 meters distance is a challenge for runners. Running it is the ultimate achievement. I remember an occasion, in my early years as a runner--a time when runs were not as “hot” as they are now—that I overhead a party talking about the feeling of running a marathon. Their accounts coincided in how unique was the experience of crossing the finish line. Excited, I told them: “I want to run a marathon!” Everyone encouraged me, but one of them who was emphatic: “Desires do not get others pregnant*. First, buy another pair of shoes: those (you are using) are ruined.”
A goal is not a wish. It should leave aside the generality and be precise. The search for accuracy in the definition, requires to be honest about our expectations and validate if that is really what we want to achieve. It often happens that we think of a wish and use it as an excuse to not make decisions or not to take actions. Not having a clear purpose freezes our actions.
In order to specify what we really want, we must go from a general phrase to a definition that can be assess both quantitative and qualitative. Doing this exercise allows not just visualizing our goals, but also validating them. This very first step is determining: Is a low cost, high return investment. With clarity of purpose we can make a more productive use of our resources, being time one of them.
Let’s see some examples of how wishes turn into objectives.
WISH
OBJECTIVE
Earn more
Increase 20% my monthly income starting next month
Getting a good job
Secure a position with a better career plan in a tech company by next semester
Run a marathon
Running the NYC Marathon next November
Having my own business
Become the owner of an organic products farm in four years
These simple examples were chosen to highlight how specific you need to get when setting your targets, as well as taking your individuality well into account. It is about your goals!
(*) Free translation of a traditional saying in Venezuela (“los deseos no preñan”,) which means that the mere desire of something, no matter how strong, is not enough to getting it.
WHEN WE GET INTO THE MAZE (KEYS TO WINNING FOR THE STRONG ONES)
adviser@thehumanaffairs.com
“No man is equal to another one. Not better. Not worse. Is another one.”
This phrase serves me as a guide to understand and use the individuality as a tool for the achievement of objectives. The presumed author, Jean Paul Sartre, never wrote it with that purpose. I can't imagine the controversial Frenchman lecturing on Existentialism and thinking that his words would serve to explain that knowing ourselves and understand us as individuals is the first step in the processes to achieve objectives, making decisions, communications or relationships in the workplace.
When we speak of individuality, we mean the set of characteristics that define a person. That individuality is the best reference to understand our own strengths and weaknesses. It is within ourselves where we can identify aspects that can either help or prevent us from reaching our goals.
Some people mistake threats and opportunities with strengths and weaknesses. Threats and opportunities are the obstacles and advantages present in the environment, and come from external agents. Strengths and weaknesses are referred to the individual, and are the internal factors that help or block the achievement of objectives.
The distinction between external and internal factors helps to focus on actions needed to complete our processes. It often happens that we freeze in the wake of a threat (external factor,) just because we are not aware that we have a strength (personal factors) that can neutralize it.
Being aware on our strengths and weaknesses allows to define better what really is up to us to achieve our goals, and so decrease dependence on external factors. Defining our array of strengths and weaknesses is a simple exercise. The first step is to know on which objective we are working, since it is what tells us what we will evaluate as a strength or a weakness.
Remember that goals are not desires, and should be measurable and feasible. When you say “I want to make more money,” that is a desire. Turning it into a goal demands being more specific: “I want to earn 20% more this year.”
Based on that goal, what are your strengths and weaknesses?
Strengths: Features I own as an individual that help me to achieve that goal
Weaknesses: Features I own as an individual that hinder the achievement of that goal
Weaknesses: Features I own as an individual that hinder the achievement of that goal
When doing the exercise, results will validate the goal valid or the need to redefine it. If the strengths tell you that you have enough to neutralize weaknesses and work towards your goal, you confirm it. If by contrast, weaknesses are higher and they cannot be neutralized, we redefine the goal. Warning: Redefining a goal not necessarily means you just drop it, but to set others that you must reach before in order to neutralize weaknesses.
The exercise of knowing and understanding ourselves lead us to more, productive actions within our personal process.
PROFILE
What do
we do?
What do
we do?
We help people to find answers about individual processes in and out of their jobs.
Normally, we deal with individual processes. Some people feel that they are facing hurdles for a promotion, while others cannot establish harmonious relationships with their environment. Others keep on watching a gap between their actions and the results, and many have not met the expectations they set for themselves, or even defined them.
Based on our research and experiences, we have designed methodologies that enable people to build responses in their decision-making processes, achievement of objectives, communications, and relations with the working environment.
A marathon is run with the mind, heart and legs. At the 32 Km mark, where the marathon truly begins, the effort is so strenuous that most runners want to leave back home. The only reason why legs are still moving is because the mind and the heart lead them to the biggest satisfaction of a marathoner: crossing the finish line at 42 kilometers and 195 meters.
As professionals, for more than 20 years we have helped many prestigious companies to achieve their business goals. Most of the time our work demanded great efforts, and sure, there were moments when we wanted to leave. But as marathoners we are used to keep on going, and we searched for both rational and emotional levers to achieve our goals.
Our job always started by defining or assembling work objectives for those who were working with us in that project. Over time, It began to happen that individuals asked us to work on their individual processes. Helping and watching them to achieve their goals gave us great pride and professional satisfaction.
Living the joy of helping others to cross their own finish lines, motivated us to create THE HUMAN AFFAIRS.
Why we
do it?
Why we
do it?
Method
Our job is to design processes based on the profile, environment and situation of the subject. And the method is executed in three steps:
Exploration:
Identification:
Course of Action:
We profile both the person and his/her environment. Then we work the current situation vs. desired situation and establish his/her expectations and goals.
Once the goals are defined and validated, it’s time to identify the factors that have an impact on the situation, as well as the people who make decisions and have influence on it (power map).
We develop an action plan to achieve the goals.
SERVICES
Achievement of Objectives:
We must turn desires into goals, and work to achieve them.
Our working sessions help you to define and validate your goals. The goals are used to identify impacting factors and the people who decide or influence to achieve them. This process allows more precision in designing the course of actions.
Decision making:
Deciding is a simple act of will, if the consequences of that decision do not have greater impact. When a decision represents a major impact, the process to make it can be complex.
Our working sessions provide orientation on how to deal with the process and make it easier. Not only the options box is checked, but the context in which the decision and the profile of those involved is made. To determine the risks and opportunities, as well as assessing actions to minimize the former and enhance the chances of the latter, is another benefit of our sessions.
Communication:
Sending the right message to the correct person at the right time and through the most effective means, is crucial for any individual process.
Our working sessions will help you to identify the situation, as well as the right messages and targets for them. We work on determining the context, time and fitting channel to convey your messages to specific audiences.
Workplace Relations:
A number of audiences decide about or influence our work environment. Not only are the bosses, colleagues and employees, since work dynamics involves suppliers, customers and, sometimes, regulators or authorities. Occasionally, our work, career plan or even the accomplishment of objectives are affected by these relationships.
Our working sessions can help to understand the work environment, profile target audiences and assess their impact on us. The product is very useful, since it contributes to building productive relationships with those who decide and influence in your work environment.
LIBRARY
Soul gives us balance. Mind gives us wisdom. Body gives us action.
We selected texts and videos to strengthen our balance, wisdom, and action.
Fun talk shows us an experiment on delayed gratification
A researcher talks about happy maps
Entertaining talk about creativity (TED says: Don’t miss the hilarious final poem!)
