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February 2009 Issue #3

Goal Setting...

Hope: good psychology or wishful thinking?


Goal setting: Practically perfect in every way…


Two drivers of change - fear and opportunity. Which is it for you?


Why on earth isn't my second language improving?

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Welcome to TURNING POINT.

Hello again, and Happy New Year!

It is good to have caught your interest in the New Year: 2009 and the Year of the Ox. When we talk to business owners and general managers and ask them about their results in 2008, most state it was a very good year overall, with the financial and economic downturn affecting the second half or even only the last quarter.

Each new calendar year starts with January of course, which is named after Janus, the Roman god depicted with two faces, one looking backward and one looking forward.

Obviously, it is much easier to recount the past year then to predict the outcome of this new one. It might be an 'Ox' year, but bullish markets seem to be nowhere in sight. With the global economy still flagging, a new African American US President promising broad change and China restating the growth forecast of its GDP at 8% or more, reliable forecasts seem more challenging than ever.

However, business plans for 2009 have been completed (and revised) and the businesses are reporting the first hard facts. For us, this is a good opportunity to talk about goal setting and how to manage change in this issue of Turning Point.

In the Year of the Ox, just like in many years before, plans will have to be changed, goals reset and change actively managed. Consequently, in this issue you will find no less than the Psychology of Hope, Practical Perfection, the Relativity of Truth, and a Personal Cross-Cultural Goal for the Year of the Ox.

时来运转 – shí laí yùn zhŭan - Good fortune is coming at the turning point.

Tony, Reto and Joanna

Be the first respondent and get a free hope inventory
Click here

Hope: Good psychology or wishful thinking?

The current economic conditions are a challenge to goal-setting, aren’t they? What goals will we set this year? What would it be like to set goals, create an action plan, without hope – is that logical?

How many companies, and employees, already believe that they can’t achieve their goals this year, in spite of their action plans? Stretched goals often feel beyond our reach.

Hope is a key to achieving your goals – psychologists call it “self-efficacy” – your belief that you can have the impact you hope for. We achieve goals using three principles: goal (destination) action plan (roadmap) and hope (petrol in the tank).

So where do you want to go, and how will you get there - with HOPE?

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Goal setting: Practically perfect in every way…

The image of success in the business world and in people's personal lives is shown every day: in glossy magazines, the internet, TV and film. A smart appearance and neat grooming are status symbols of successful people – you might almost say they are practically perfect.

For you and me however, being "practically perfect" seems to be a big call or an unachievable goal. We don’t have a team of glamour specialists to look after us – we have to do it ourselves. There can be no ‘air-brushing’ when we meet others in person.

So, let us define practical perfection broadly as "a practical state of completeness and flawlessness".

First impressions are usually visual. By controlling how we are perceived - as perfectly groomed, with pride in appearance, or flawlessly self-confident - achieving this goal is definitely within reach. Your clients will think so too.

And here's a perfect answer: a 'tool kit' that will bring you a step closer to practical perfection.

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Two drivers of change - fear and opportunity.
Which is it for you?

We all know the economic climate has fallen from a strong position. That is the truth! More businesses are closing down, more people are losing their jobs, and debts are mounting. Is it better to call a spade a spade – “things are really bad” or to say “the good times are on their way back”? Perhaps you may even be philosophical -破财免灾 - pò cái miǎn zāi - you avoid some greater misfortune by losing some money.

There is certainly more than one way of handling the truth. The way you focus on it and how you communicate it to others leaves you with quite a few options. Your choice here will influence how you set goals and manage change.

And if you implement early, you may prove quicker and smarter than your competitors.

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The first two readers who complete the 'goal table' mentioned in this article and send it back to: joanna.williams@mannhartconsultants.com, will receive a free 1 hour review and planning session.

Why on earth isn't my second language improving?

Who amongst us is learning a second language? Maybe you are an expatriate in China learning Mandarin, or a Chinese local learning English. It has been said that learning your second language is the hardest, and that the third and fourth are easier. Give us strength – let us get the second to a standard we feel proud of!

Fluency in a tonal language such as Mandarin (with a required knowledge of 2000-6000 characters to understand the written scripture) seems to be a challenge for every non-native Chinese speaker. And many Chinese value any opportunity to practice their English.

That said, haven't we all expected a little more of ourselves, a bit more progress and a higher level of second language than daily courtesies, getting around the city and restaurant menus?

One key to efficient foreign language learning, (no matter which foreign language one learns) is clear goal setting. A language course (or self-study program) which includes goal setting, will contribute to both the learners' control over their own language learning process and to developing their foreign language proficiency. Looking at 'Goal Setting Theory', this proposes that performance is closely related to an individual's goals.

If you intend to keep developing your second language (whatever it may be), read on...

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