Are you mission-driven? Really?

What drives you? When I ask that, I mean this: Really, truly, what drives every decision you make?

Many of us identify goals we’d like to accomplish and then take actions, by and large, that are pretty darn similar to what we would have done before we set the goals. Our behaviors don’t change that much. These “goals” are actually “wishes.”

Want to know the best way to gauge whether or not you’re truly mission-driven? Try this: as you’ve been reading, have you:

a) thought about the actions you take and considered how they are connected to your goals, or

b) focused on your goals and considered a plan of action that will lead you there?

Approach #a is how a drunk uses a lamppost: for support, not illumination¹. Rather, we want to tackle approach #b to conquer our goals, making sure we remain steadfast in our pursuit of what drives us. The action plan follows – it’s a deliberate and thoughtful strategy for achieving our goals.

Let’s become mission-driven.

¹ = Thanks to former Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully for that clever reference.

Pete Hall is an educational consultant, former award-winning principal, speaker, and author of six books (including Lead On! Motivational lessons for school leaders (Eye on Education, 2011) and Teach, Reflect, Learn: Building your capacity for success in the classroom (ASCD, 2015). He shares his perspectives in 212-word entries every month or so. He can be reached for speaking engagements, professional development, or other queries at petehall@educationhall.com.