Even when we're at a high point in our careers, whether it's a corporate position or our own booming business, our time and energy are continually being challenged with more, more! One of the things that we can do to keep ourselves on the trajectory of success is to make sure to set our goals and to keep them as a focus. Alpha Women know the importance of this, but sometimes we need a little help to keep ourselves on track as well as specific reminders of what it is we want to achieve.

1. Up-to-Date Values

Demands in the workplace are constantly changing; our children's activities and family's needs are in flux. When was the last time you looked closely at your goals to see if they're current? I always conduct a values activity with my clients to identify what are their current, strongest values. Values are a funny thing when we're talking about goals. Believe it or not, they change at different times and phases in our lives. And, if our goals aren't reflecting the values that are most important to us at a given time, we're likely not to achieve them!

2. Aspired Future

Have you ever heard a friend or colleague say, "My goal this year is to make twice what I made last year"? Well, that's terrific if she is willing to work possibly twice as many hours, drastically change her work habits, or land a big client who is going to generate a revenue windfall. And, these things do happen to Alpha Women. The piece that isn't revealed is that for the goal to be achieved, it must clearly reflect or clearly lead to our vision of the future. If you want to spend more time with your family or actively participate in your hobbies this year, the income goal doesn't reflect that. Think about all of the parts that are present in your desired future and set your goal so that it helps you close the gap between here and there.

3. Growth to Achieve

People don't usually talk about all the hard work that actually goes into achieving their goals. But we know that when we achieve a goal that we've set, we worked diligently and pushed ourselves to get there. One of my professional teachers, Dr. Jeffrey Auerbach, Ph.D., articulated the "balance of challenge and support" necessary for development. I use this very successfully with my clients toward the achievement of their goals. We have to push ourselves to get out of our comfort zone and get motivated to make the necessary changes. We also need to bolster ourselves along the way to feel the satisfaction and encouragement of our efforts.

4. Effective Strategies

How do you know if the practices or procedures you implemented are in fact moving you closer to the achievement of your goal? Have you ever wondered, "How close am I, exactly, to achieving my goal?" Monitoring your progress and evaluating the effectiveness of your strategies are critical steps. Sure, sometimes we get lucky and are intuitively so in sync with our goals that we meet them without this. But the rest of the time we need to do everything in our power by noticing at what times and during what activities do we get greater movement toward our goal. Then we can set strategic dates to review our practices and procedures to determine whether they are really the best fit for our target.

5. Hitting the Target

The time of the goal has arrived! You've accomplished it and will reap the benefits that this success yields. Take the time to reflect and celebrate this achievement. You've worked hard, learned things along the way, and strengthened your skills and confidence. Make sure you allow yourself thoughtful contemplation of these assets so that the progress is not in vain and it supports you for future growth. It may sound cliché to celebrate or reward yourself for your achievement, but remember the line in The Shining: "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." What if, however, you didn't achieve the goal? Now is the opportunity for even greater learning. Thoroughly study your actions and strategies to figure out what went wrong. Go back to the drawing board and devise a new plan with new tactics. The objective is to try to catch the problems during Step 4 and modify the strategies where needed to be able to achieve the goal by the date you've set.

Nancy Schill, M.A., 2007

You can find out more about Nancy and her work at www.executiveintelligentcoaching.com. She can be reached at nschill@executiveintelligentcoaching.com.