By: Ananya Manchanda
Lotus Valley International School, Noida
Three apples changed the world. One that Steve Jobs built, one that Adam ate, and finally, one that fell on Newton’s head. All created enormous and rather ‘revolutionary’ impacts.
Just like them, Ever since 10th grade, I was firm that through my entrepreneurial skills, I wanted to make an impact. But How? First step: ideate. As straightforward as it seemed, it wouldn’t be all wrong to picture me as some struggling, starving artist lounging in their bedroom, desperate for solutions. I needed a start for the successful business journey that I’d ambitiously pictured in my head. It was then that I discovered the IVY Early Entrepreneur Program.
7 days, 10 teams, and 1 final pitch! To define it in three simple words: It’s worth it! Usually, summer programs and workshops focus on presentations and theoretical learnings, but IVY EE mentors concentrate on practical application. These seven days were a trip to real-life markets. From generic market research to designing actual prototypes, this program acted as a great power booster. The most challenging part of entrepreneurship [Ideation] was covered through fun activities. Kriti ma’am and Rishi sir helped me understand the thinking process in less than two hours. Mentors’ stubborn persuasion and vision of life and society reassembled mine. This again helped me to gain confidence. Learning from their experiences and inspirational stories pushed me out of my comfort zone and taught me how the real world works. Not every day does one get to speak to MIT board members, true scholars, qualified business coaches, or founders/CEOs of such vast and successful organizations worldwide. These mentors set great examples of how it takes resolution, responsibility, and desire to succeed.
My team had to provide feasible solutions for budget-friendly travels. Humor me when I reveal this, but initially, we were worried about figuring out the fundamental problem when innumerable solutions pre-existed in the marketplace. However, through step-by-step training, we overcame one obstacle after another. From research about our field and services to brainstorming the funding for our startup to creating a whole new brand, it was delightful. I learned about finance and marketing and how to work in a team, respecting and following various theories and methods that each member had. Opposite to what I’d expected, we had dozens of fragmented ideas by day 4. Finally, during office hours, Kriti ma’am helped us incorporate our several incomplete ideas into one concluding solution for the final project day.
Ivy EE didn’t only tickle my imagination but also stimulated critical thinking and intellectual curiosity. One saying by Rishi sir that I’m always going to cherish is that “No idea is a vague idea.” This program taught me how one random thought could prove to be revolutionary. So, without further delay, this earlier struggling artist is now starting her journey with 10 new ideas, incredible experiences, great new motivation, and optimistic thinking.
The notion of leadership has been extensively analyzed and examined, but a comprehensive way to define leadership skills has remained elusive. For me, leadership skills are oxymoronic as leaders have qualities while managers have the skills. Managers use their skills to direct the employees to a particular task, while leadership is a quality possessed by leaders for employees to get guidance for their work. There is no one leader in a firm, but obviously, there is a specific manager for a department in a firm. That’s where the distinct boundary line is penned.
Everyone hunts for a leader over any other profession in today’s generation. This is because a leader is someone who attracts people to work, can complete a certain task without being bossy or overpowering the others, and have an approachable and inspiring personality, which people look upto. A leader is anyone who guides you to the right path and provides you with constant guidance to achieve what you aspire to.
Fundamentals of Leadership!
What are the fundamentals of leadership? Well, it is exceptionally subjective to how one perceives leadership; however, by the thesaurus or something that I believe means leadership, it is communication, self-awareness, empowerment, adaptability and teamwork. To reiterate, a leader is someone who binds different people and groups to work collaboratively, for which one needs to understand the importance of working in a team and adapt to differences in culture etc.
1. Communication
To begin with, communication is essential as a leader is a person who guides everyone. If a message isn’t clear, the word that is spread across will lose meaning and impact the organization’s work culture.
Moreover, being a leader means taking responsibility for not only yourself but the other team members in the organization. This is denotative of proper communication and information sharing between you and your employee so that customers are satisfied with the positive service. It is the most powerful suite of a leader, as good communication gains trust, aligns efforts in pursuing goals, and inspires positive change.
2. Self-awareness and empowerment
Secondly, self-awareness and empowerment are vital fundamentals of leadership. For being able to communicate effectively and the correct information, it is imperative to be aware of the information in depth so that it is easier to help the employee understand what you expect out of them.
Leadership requires people to bring incremental changes in the organization by motivating and empowering other employees to work towards a common goal, to achieve it faster and in quality.
3. Teamwork and adaptability
Similarly, adaptability and teamwork are important factors that act as the base for a good leader possessing leadership qualities. If you can’t adapt to the culture in your organization, you are unlikely to understand how people believe in something, which leads to a conflict of interest amongst people. To be able to listen and adapt is what aligns the thoughts between two individuals.
Furthermore, lone work leads to decremental productivity and lacking new ideas affecting the quality of work. One has to work in a team to achieve the best of their potential. For a team to work together, it is necessary to bind the team to work together and hear each member to move forward. The need to respect every individual and keep everyone satisfied is the responsibility of a leader who needs to possess the skills to make the team collaborate and work together.
These are the fundamentals of leadership which I believe lay the foundation of the organization as a whole.
The RUDIMENTS of a Good Leader!
What constitutes a good leader? Well, I question that myself. Is it specific skill sets or criteria that make you a good leader? Some leaderships have been characterized as good and used as challenges for others to emulate. This description, however, raises an obvious question: upon what criteria were these leaders described as good? These are the possible questions one often encounters when reading about good leadership. But indeed, there are possible characteristics necessary to be a good leader. The abbreviated term ‘RUDIMENTS’ stands for a leader’s characteristics.
Reliable; reachable:A person can only lead a team if their focus is relevant and seeks liable solutions. The individual soul should be reliable in assigning work, providing information and being punctual, without which decisions are affected and become inconsistent. Ask yourself if you want to reach out to those you help, to address any problems, solutions, etc.
Unique:While reliable and reachable, it is necessary to be exceptional simultaneously. If you are another individual from the herd, what is unique about you that makes you a leader? You can’t be a leader if your skill sets match the other 20 people in your classroom. Unique styles, qualifications and ways of working call out for a leader.
Delve deeply into the problem:As a leader, it is of utmost importance to delve into the situation more profound for viable solutions. It’s essential to go well beyond the mere surface issues! Instead, a basic rule of leading should be to delve deeply consistently so you are prepared and able to make well-considered decisions!
Imaginative ideas:Creativity is critical for a leader. Question yourself: How will you assure you possess the quality imagination to propel your organization forward? How will you consistently evaluate your ideas’ quality and implement them?
Motivate: A leader motivates not just himself but his team, not through his motivational speeches or words but one’s actions. You must set an example if you want the others in your organization to work.
Empathize:Being a leader means being empathetic toward other fellow employees. To set an example, you must be a good listener who understands people’s values and beliefs.
Needs:True leadership must focus on and address the needs, concerns and priorities of those you serve and represent!
Timely; trends:Understand, recognize and determine which trends might be relevant and enhance the sustainability and potential of your group! Never resort to procrastination; instead, constantly proceed forward, make well-considered, timely decisions, and take meaningful action.
Strengthen; a sustainable system:One never becomes a natural leader if his efforts and attention do not consistently strengthen his organization! The goal must be to address current needs and challenges but focus on the best, the sustainable system you will perceive and conceive of, create, develop and implement!
Use RUDIMENTS to understand the rudiments of a leader to become one yourself. These basic principles are the foundation of possessing successful leadership skills
The ten golden rules for leadership!
While it is essential to set the foundation for a successful leader, it is also beneficial to understand the golden rules for leadership, which make it easier to succeed in life and achieve success. The ten golden rules of leadership include:
Know yourself: it is essential to understand yourself before understanding others. Learning your strengths and weaknesses can help you approach information gathering more tactfully. Self-awareness is a prerequisite for effective leadership.
The place you work at shows you as a person: Assuming power exposes the leader’s innermost thoughts and feelings. Can leaders effectively use their control if they have gone through a simple self-discovery process?
Nurture community in your space: Many virtues can be fostered through the right kind of support, guidance, and incentives from leaders.
Do not waste energy on things you cannot change: Be careful about wasting your time and resources attempting to change or influence things you can’t control.
Always embrace the truth:Effective leaders should always assume the truth, encourage candid criticism throughout the organization, be skeptical of positive appraisals, and never let authority place a wedge between them and the facts.
Let competition reveal talent: Nurture an environment that can use the forces of competition constructively, create a platform that releases the ingenuity and creativity of your employees in pursuing corporate goals and objectives, identify subordinates who use competition as a constructive force, steer away from subordinates who use competition as a destructive force.
Live life by a higher code: Dedicate yourself to a higher standard of personal conduct; don’t harbor ill-will toward those who offend; be ready to assist those who are in need without asking something in return; remain calm in the face of crisis; dedicate yourself to principle without compromise; earn the trust, respect, and admiration of your subordinates through your character, not the authority conferred upon you by the corporate chart; turn authority into power.
Constantly evaluate information with a critical eye: Don’t rely upon old premises, assertions, and theories. Develop a necessary mindset that accepts nothing at face value, certifies the credibility and usefulness of critical information, analyzes the context that produces vital information and the messengers who convey it, and never rushes to judgments.
Never underestimate the power of personal integrity:Personal integrity is a critical asset for authentic leadership. Always set an honorable agenda, adhere to a code of professional conduct, never try to justify dishonesty and deceit, rather “fail with honor than win by cheating.”
Character is destiny: True leadership is ultimately traceable to factors of character and personal integrity; much of what is called “destiny” lies in our hands, not in mysterious forces beyond our control.
These are the ten golden leadership rules that could help one become a successful leader if followed. These character-building tips are the most important thing as a leader. Leadership is a skill, an opportunity, that can be improvised upon by practice rather than theory.
LEADERSHIP AS AN OPPORTUNITY
I believe that leadership is an opportunity. If one understands and unleashes the crux of it, they are meant to become successful leaders. However, if you cannot avail this opportunity, you are doomed. Some of the basic options that leaders get are:
1. The opportunity to help others
Who all do you think a leader can help? Probably their team members, organization, and even customers. If you are a good leader, you can help your team members be more encouraged and work more effectively, which will help improve the organization’s workflow.
You may have noticed that when a pebble is thrown in the pond, it creates concentric circles that keep expanding and enlarging as they ripple from their original point of contact. Similarly, a leader is like a pebble thrown in the pond, whose influence and impact keep enlarging as the organization grows.
2. The opportunity to expand their influence
It is a commonly said fact that good leaders often lead by example. The sentiment behind the sentence is correct, but it is incomplete. Every leader leads by example. A leader just needs to realize if they are setting the correct example that they want people to follow.
When you start to feel people are influenced by your behavior, body language, words etc., you feel satisfied as you set a positive influence in the work environment, which is necessary for a good workflow.
3. The opportunity to bring changes to the world
Leaders set missions, visions and objectives to achieve their goals. If these outcomes are realistic and valuable, a leader has the opportunity to change the world for the better. No one can make a change without anyone initiating and leading from the front.
You have the opportunity to be that person. Buckle up your shoes to start this journey. There is no age to become a leader. Get your hands on possessing leadership skills to become a leader! It is never too late to bring a change, be it in yourself or the world.
Conclusion
To conclude, leadership is a blend of art and science. Some leaders are born / pre-equipped better than others (nature), but intelligent training and development (nurture) can enhance virtually anyone’s leadership capability. Theories and models are used only to underpin “practice” in leadership and tangible world outcomes.
Leadership has become essential in everything, be it college applications. Colleges look for students with excellent leadership skills in their schools. In college applications, you can demonstrate leadership in many ways other than just being a council member or becoming a founder of a newsletter, club, team etc. It can even be done through volunteering or community activism experiences. Doing this shows you as a leader and enhances your application, and makes it more holistic rather than confining it to academic achievements only. And these are the correct ways to improve your leadership skill. As mentioned above, leadership skills can only be developed by practicing them. If you take full advantage of the opportunities provided in school, you can excel quicker than your herd and gain a competitive edge over others.
Lastly, it’s best to be you but also inherit these skills to reach greater heights. Every leader that exhibits leadership qualities is said to become much more successful than the rest! Look ahead and don’t be a part of the herd because you are born to stand out!
Networking can be difficult and time-consuming for most people. However, there is just no doubting the influence a strong professional network can have on your professional growth. If done correctly, networking would not only help you land a position you desire faster, but it will also offer you a competitive advantage throughout your life! That’s why networking is important for your progress and you must know the ins and outs to become great at networking. Let’s start with the basics!
Networking does not entail soliciting favors, attempting to sell, or communicating knowledge of any kind. It is purely about establishing connections and nurturing them in a way that is mutually beneficial for both parties. While you may think that networking is a very professional act, if you look closely, you can see its uses in everyday life activities – ranging from getting your morning beverage to getting to your dream college!
For instance, imagine you walk into the school canteen you visit every lunch break to get your favorite beverage and there is a huge line. Having known the barista on a greater level would mean you would not have to wait in line to get your beverage so you could rush to your class (the canteen barista would definitely pull some strings and set you up). Now coming to getting into your dream college. Having known alumni and attending the summer school for that dream college would facilitate connections with people that might be on the admissions committee and it would also give you first-hand knowledge of the school and its programs – making you a very good candidate!
The History of Networking
The rise of the industrial revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries brought with it the need for businesses to collaborate with and trust a broader range of people and other businesses. It wasn’t enough to cultivate a few partners and customers and then work with them for the rest of your life, as many simple artisans did.
Risk-sharing and resource bundling became more common in business as a way of ‘expanding the pie’ and increasing profit for all parties involved.
People needed to take a longer view and trust others more as they expanded their overseas trade. Investors had to put their faith in sea captains. Manufacturers had to have faith in their suppliers. In order to reduce transaction costs and increase competitive advantage, business partners needed to trust one another. Business also resulted in a significant increase in insurance, beginning with maritime protection and progressing to other business interests. To insure someone, you must trust them, and insurance agents can safely offer lower premiums to those they believe in.
Businesspeople in late-eighteenth-century Britain established capital and credit networks. The resulting increase in trust and decrease in transaction costs resulted in credit expansion and various forms of collective economic diversification, as well as an increased use of the joint-stock form of business organization. All of this could only have been possible on trust which is built by networking!
The interconnectedness of the industrial revolution has now expanded into the knowledge economy, where jobs are becoming more mobile and flexible. The internet has taken networking to a new and frenetic level, with people tweeting and posting multiple times per day. With cell phones and social networking, we can have an infinite number of ‘friends,’ but that still limits the number of people we can realistically know. This paired with the boom in the ‘startup culture’ has made networking even more important to stand out in the crowd!
The Essence of Networking!
Networking is not just about taking because you aim to create a situation that is collectively favorable for both you and the person you tend to form a connection with! A similar principle is followed by negotiating maestros as they share the same goal as good networkers. Master negotiators strive to create a win-win situation. This is the ‘ideal’ outcome as all the parties come to agree upon a resolution that encompasses some benefits for every party, if not all. This specific outcome is considered ideal because it fosters a positive relationship among all the parties that are concerned and benefits everybody! Your connection must feel that having this relationship would be fruitful for them as well (be it now or in the future).
Networking also covers the essence of the exchange of ideas. This benefit can be enjoyed both in your regular and professional life. Having a broad network would mean that you could get feedback from people which may have very different perspectives. This would broaden your knowledge spectrum and foster skills such as creative thinking. If you’re stuck on a project, brainstorming with someone in your network can assist you in getting things moving again.
According to studies, up to two-thirds of jobs are never advertised and are filled solely through word of mouth. People can open doors to new opportunities for business, career progression, and personal fulfillment by expanding our network. This increases our visibility and increases our chances of meeting the correct individuals at the right time. New ideas almost always come from outside of our immediate circle. As a result, it all comes down to leveraging “the strength of our weak ties,” as sociology professor Mark Granovetter stated in his paper about the unique value of a person we don’t know well.
The Two Types of Networking
The act of networking in the professional setting is not very new. It was only around the late 1970s and early 1980s that the word took over the entire workforce. From the very beginning, the act was considered to have the main goal of benefitting one in business.
“Social networking” is a more mild form of networking that people engage in when they are having difficulty making a connection. This frequently comes in the form of self-exposure in environments with a plentiful supply of people to potentially add to your network. People go to school, take classes, or participate in communal hobbies (going to the temple, church or mosque) and sporting activities. Others who are also involved in such activities are frequently looking for company. Interactions allow people to meet and get to know each other. Mutual attraction causes linkages to form.
Many saw “Business Networking”, at least in its early stages, as a valuable new discovery. Business networking requires focused attention, maintaining records, and network cultivation, all of which take time and money. In small businesses, a business owner’s networking efforts often produce the best results. There are numerous other benefits to networking—of the many potential gains, knowledge sharing is the most beneficial. To reap the benefits of a network, you must first understand what business networking benefits you can obtain as a high schooler itself and the numerous opportunities that it opens up for you! In the end, these connections are very fruitful and have higher stakes (you would not want to lose any of them)!
The Benefits of Being Good at Networking!
The benefits of networking are endless. By surrounding yourself with people who share a similar drive and ambition, you are more likely to move forward as a group. Here are five benefits of being good at networking!
Sharing of Knowledge: Networking is an excellent way to share ideas and knowledge. Asking for feedback or discussing your point of view will help you expand your knowledge and see things from a different perspective. It’s also possible that within a community, there will be people who have been where you are now. This gives you the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and avoid them in the future.
Opportunities: It is intuitive for networking to lead to opportunities. The only thing you won’t know is when or how they’ll appear. Whether it’s to get referrals for your college application or to get an internship, it’s critical to be ready to seize opportunities as they arise.
Connections: Recognize that you are not only gaining exposure to the people in the room, but you are also connecting with their network. If you have made an impact on them and they have a need that matches your business, you will most likely get a recommendation. And keep in mind that it is not a one-way street. If someone in your network matches a college you meet at a college fair, don’t be afraid to share their contact information. It will only strengthen your bond.
Better Confidence: Regular networking and forcing yourself to talk to people you don’t know will help you gain confidence. This is an important characteristic to have as a future business owner because the growth of your organization is dependent on talking to people and making connections.
Profile Development: Being visible and noticeable is a significant advantage of networking. People will start to recognize you if you attend business and social events on a regular basis. By providing useful information or tips to those in need, you can help to build your reputation as a knowledgeable, reliable, and supportive individual. You will also get more leads and referrals because you will be the first person that comes to mind when they need what you offer.
Tips to Become Better!
Connecting with people in such a way that you can add value to their lives or businesses in exchange for them assisting you with your needs.
Here are a few networking tips to help you understand how to become a better networker!
Consider making it all about the other person: Everyone’s favorite topic when you meet them at a function or a meeting is themselves. Make sure to keep the conversation focused on them and not on yourself. Making it all about the other person is a great way to ensure that this person finds you interesting, which will help you in the future. A great tip to use here is to say three strong words… “Tell me about.” “Tell me about yourself” is a great way to get people to speak regarding themselves.
Remember to follow up: One of my favorite networking strategies. Whenever we meet someone we’d like to add to our network, we should make a point of finding them on social media or visiting their website, and emailing or messaging them. In the email or message, we should express how wonderful it was to meet them, thank them for their time, and let them know if they require any assistance. We strongly advise you to try this method. Make it all about them with no expectations of reciprocation.
Make First Degree Networks First: If you’ve linked with someone by chance (that is, you did not intend to network), practice contacting that individual and having a discussion. To practice having conversations with people you don’t know very well, talk with people in your office you haven’t talked with much before. Networking does not always imply seeking out new relationships. Nourish the ones you already have and try to invest in them first.
Be attentive at all times: Remember what someone tells you about his or her home life or something he or she finds interesting. These slight links come in handy when you meet with that person again or send an email after an event. The more personal your connection, the stronger it becomes.
Focus on quality over quantity: Who you network with is far more important than how many people you speak with at an event. You should prioritize the quality of your connections over the quantity. As you do so, you’ll notice that you become a better networker because you’re able to focus on what matters.
Conclusion
Among the most obvious advantages of networking is that it accelerates your growth in school and beyond and improves your communication skills. Don’t limit yourself to traditional networking circles; having a good reputation with a diverse group of people will boost your likelihood of getting referrals and career opportunities. You never know who somebody can introduce you to or what you’d learn.
Take the time to discover the best networking strategy for you and concentrate on making it a pleasant experience. As a result, networking will become less of a chore and much more of a fun opportunity to grow. Trust us, you will not be sorry if you learn how to network effectively.
I am sure everyone has heard of goals, but now you must be wondering what ‘SMART’ goals are. As the name suggests, it is pretty direct – goals that are smart! But now you might ask, how do we make our goals smart? Do not worry, we have got you!
Let’s start by understanding what exactly are smart goals. Could the word ‘smart’ have another meaning to it when it comes to goals?
SMART goals are one of the most invaluable objective-setting techniques and yes, the word SMART does have another meaning when it comes to goals. SMART is a popular acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound.
To get a better sense of this, let us take a look at each letter of the SMART acronym:
Specific
General vs Specific Goals:
General goals are vague and that makes it hard for you to make a concrete action plan for them. Thus they are less likely to be accomplished. For example, “I want to get in shape.”
On the other hand, specific goals are more likely to be accomplished because thinking specifically about the goal you want to achieve helps devise a plan of action with ease. For example, “I will join the gym, workout 4 times a week, and start eating better.”
It is easy to spot the difference between the 2 examples above and one must follow the latter to achieve one’s goals.
Now, how do we set specific goals?
We do so by including the 6 W’s- Why, When, Who, Where, Which, and What.
Why: Identify Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
When: Establish a time frame.
Who: Figure out who is involved
Where: Identify a location.
Which: Identify requirements and constraints.
What: What do you want to accomplish?
So, if I wanted to make a goal regarding finishing my exam syllabus before time, this is what the six W’s could look like-
Why: Because I want to score well on the exam.
When: 1 month before the exam month (say July).
Who: Myself/ tutor/ teacher (whom I may want extra hours with for doubts)
Where: At the study table in my house/ local library.
Which: Not managing my time well and giving into distractions might slow down my progress. Thus, I need a fixed schedule with breaks and need to put my phone away while studying.
What: Finishing the syllabus so that I can score well on my exams.
Measurable
When you measure your progress, you hold yourself accountable. This accountability factor oftentimes gives you a push to reach your goals. To make your goals measurable, you need to have concrete criteria, which in turn can be done using the 3 H’s, wherein numbers come into play.
To ensure that your goals are measurable, you can ask yourself questions such as:
How much work?
How many people, hours?
How will I know when it is accomplished?
Taking the same example of studying to complete my syllabus before the exam, this is what the 3 H’s could look like.
How much – 10 chapters
How many – 6 hours per day for 1 month, and 1 hour of tuition with 1 tuition teacher
How will I know when it is accomplished – when my 10 chapters are over/ when I finish studying 6 hours a day
Achievable/Attainable
A good goal would be that which you believe you can achieve.
Planning your steps wisely can help achieve any goal. However, it is always better to start small and then grow to meet the bigger goals. The reason behind this is that when you list down or come up with goals that mean something to you and are important, you start searching for qualities within yourself that can facilitate the attainment of these goals. This is because in order to achieve bigger goals you need to acquire qualities that you may not possess at present. Thus, you must be self-aware before deciding on your goals. Once you know of the qualities you have and those you will need it becomes easier to grow into achieving a larger goal.
However, achieving goals like getting into an Ivy League Universities can be intimidating. As important as this goal is, it is not achievable without achieving smaller goals like starting an extracurricular activity, acquiring leadership skills or making sure you have a well-rounded development etc. These activities will help build your portfolio, and that is what will then facilitate admission into a great university.
Now you may easily observe that a small activity like starting an extracurricular activity is more achievable than a big goal like getting into a great university. However, the small activity does not need to be an isolated one, it could be a way or step to reach your big goal. What this brings us to is that when you identify goals that are important to you, you begin finding out ways/steps that will help you achieve those big goals. You grow and expand into these goals by developing attitudes, financial capacity, skills, abilities, etc.
If you make unrealistic goals which are not achievable in the time frame you give yourself, it will just lead to demotivation and stress. Hence, we should judge our capability and capacity before deciding on our goals in order to plan them in an achievable manner.
Realistic
To make your goals realistic, you must be “willing” and “able” to work towards them. Even the hardest of goals are achievable with the right motivation and resources.
The willingness brings us to the relevance of the goals as well. Naturally, you would be more willing to work on a goal that you yourself deem important and urgent. This is because that goal is more relevant to you. If today you say you want to study medicine, you will be more willing to work towards it than if your teachers or parents were to tell you the same. Thus, the more personal or urgent the goal is to you, the more willing you are to take the necessary steps to achieve it.
Moreover, you are also more likely to want to work towards expanding and developing your abilities for a goal that you are willing to achieve because the right motivation is present. Thus, with the right balance and combination of willingness and ability, or in other terms, your motivation and resources, you make your goal realistic and relevant.
Furthermore, if you believe that you can achieve your goal, it is probably realistic. Another way to check whether your goals are realistic or not is to analyse what resources you would need and if you have access to them; what conditions/obstacles could arise and if you will be able to overcome them or if you have been able to achieve something similar in the past.
Time-Bound
Deadlines are going to be your saviour when it comes to accomplishing your goals because they bring in a sense of urgency. If you say “I will finish 20 chapters”, what that misses is a time frame. You can easily finish 20 chapters in 2 months but if your exams are in 1 month then asserting the timeline of 1 month is imperative. Now the goal will look something like this, “I will finish 20 chapters in less than a month.”
One thing to keep in mind, however, is not to make unrealistic deadlines. If you say you want to finish 20 chapters in 5 days, it is quite impossible and it will in turn crush your willingness and motivation. So again, make sure that it is doable.
All letters of the acronym SMART, tie in with each other in some way or the other. By making your goals time-bound, you are not only making them specific but also realistic and measurable.
Something you could do is time yourself finishing one of the hardest/ longest chapters to gauge an estimate of how long it will take you to do each chapter. You should time the hardest/ longest chapter because if you time the easiest one, it is obvious it will be a much lesser timing. And when you are not able to finish every chapter at the same time, you will get demotivated and feel stressed because you have now planned your schedule according to the easiest chapter and now the hard chapters start looking even more intimidating than they already are.
Now that we have successfully analysed the 5 letters of the acronym SMART, here are a few tips especially for students who are preparing for an exam and struggling, that could help them frame and follow their SMART Goals:
Get yourself a planner well in advance. Being ahead of time will help you plan much better and it will be easier for you to follow it. Even if you lag behind on something you will have enough time to come back to it later.
Write down the syllabus you need to complete for each subject and be as specific as you can. You can divide your syllabus into a number of chapters and chapters into a number of further sub-divisions etc. This will break it down for you so that you can estimate how much time it would take you to finish a chapter and subsequently the syllabus, which in turn will make your goal measurable as well.
Tick each topic off your list once you are done with it because not only will you get a boost from the topics you are finishing but also an idea about how much work is remaining. If a chapter ever got too much for me, I would leave the last 1 or 2 subtopics and move on to the next; however, since those subtopics were not ticked in my planner, I always remembered to come back to them later.
Make a week-wise timetable and again try to go into the number of hours you will study in a day, the number of chapters you will finish in a day and by the end of the week etc. Do make sure to add in the necessary breaks to make it achievable because we all know it is impossible to study for 24 hours a day. Add in some power naps, some physical activity, maybe a music break etc. You can use the Google Calendar app to device your schedule; it is what I used and was extremely helpful because it gave me reminders too!
This is an example of a schedule on Google Calendar that you can take reference from. I have planned a day where I aim to mainly get done with some math syllabus. As you can see, on the app I can be specific with the number of hours I want to devote to each task. I have also added necessary switch ups i.e. English, because just one subject can get monotonous, breaks, and physical activity like dance which would help me reduce anxiety or stress that may come up during the day. Physical activity releases endorphins as well, which facilitate the production of the brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters, called endorphins which elevate mood, energise you etc. Moreover, I have left blank, white spaces in the schedule so that if I am unable to complete a particular task in the stipulated time then I could carry it over to the blank spaces. For more useful study resources, check out this blog.
Make sure to keep your goals for the week/day realistic. If you expect too much from yourself, not reaching said goals may demotivate you. This was a mistake I always made and I hope that after reading this you will avoid it.
If you want, add a reward for yourself at the end of every week or maybe at the end of every day too! This worked for me because I had something to look forward to once I completed a certain portion of my syllabus.
The obstacle that you may face in general while trying to accomplish your SMART goals is procrastination. Putting your work off to the end will go against the entire concept of smart goals. All your effort will go to waste if you do not follow through with your schedules and deadlines effectively. Here is where you can get a few tips on how to stop procrastinating- https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/education/how-to-stop-procrastinating.
Prioritise – put away your distractions, be it your phone, food (a huge distraction, at least for a foodie like me) etc. while you are studying. This is actually one of the most helpful tips. Everyone knows they should do this but actually executing it will help you focus.
The sense of satisfaction you will get when you tick off topics on your syllabus sheet will naturally motivate you to do more 🙂
If you follow these, you will be able to manage your time much better and will be able to effectively achieve your SMART Goals.
Pro Tip– Try to start studying early in the morning. Your focus will be much more and by lunchtime, you will already feel like you have accomplished a lot. Trust me, I have tried studying from 2-6 am without sleep telling everyone that I study better at night, but the amount I could study that way compared to what I could early in the morning differed by leaps and bounds.
The young are not just the leaders of tomorrow, they are fast reshaping today too! They are the catalysts of change and are making a difference in the world. Through social media events/posts, online blog posts, or taking part or creating a social change event, the teens are not just discovering their wings – they are already bridging the gap between today and tomorrow!
Social change activities are great at uncovering and nurturing future leaders. They offer a real world experience about how a change movement is conceptualised, how the idea is disseminated, how a team is built around a common shared goal, how the intricacies of the event are planned, how the responsibilities are shared and finally how success is achieved. They provide the right platform to nurture and forge better leaders. There are many ways in which teens can become better leaders by carrying out social change.
Through Volunteering
Volunteering can be a great learning experience. The task might be anything – a teaching activity, an eco-club event, conservation work, awareness campaigns, volunteering at the local hospital, vaccination drives etc. By being a part of an event, a teen can gain deeper insights into how an organisational structure functions. It helps the teen to understand how the giant machinery of an event is built and set into motion!
Also, being an agent of social change requires self-awareness. It requires a teen to evaluate strengths and shortcomings – plan action better and lead the team to success. Through the activity, a teen can strive to make a real difference – and, conversely, the activity can make a real difference in the teen! Volunteering for activities helps a teen become a better leader.
Through Writing
‘Pen is mightier than sword’ is an oft overused and abused cliche, but one that still rings true. Through writing, a teen has access to a powerful medium that can reach and influence many. The benefits of connectivity that technology offers means that you can reach out to and influence millions of people around the world.
The writing can be of any form – from social media posts, to hashtags, to blog posts, to articles for the print media, or even books – there is no limit. Writing about a cause or a movement helps you be the change and make a difference. It draws attention to the cause. Better the writing, the better it can connect to others.
Writing cultivates the capacity to think, augments knowledge about various subjects, broadens perspectives and improves effective communication skills – in short, it helps you become a better leader.
Participating in group events
‘Social’ change – it cannot happen in isolation, can it? Bringing about a social change requires motivated and committed teams – and people ready to lead them. By stepping up and taking up the responsibility, you can gain invaluable hands-on experience in communicating effectively by improving your listening and expressive communication skills, managing people and tasks, assigning responsibilities and delegating, planning the course of action, developing problem solving skills and negotiating and overcoming differences – to sum up, everything necessary to become a better leader!
Thinking out of the box
An out of the box idea gains traction. Creativity helps generate new ideas that will form the basis for a change initiative. Teens can make a difference by finding ways to be completely unique. By thinking out of the box, you develop the power to think about alternate models – what is and what could have been. If you want to change the current system, you must look outside for fresh ideas. Greta Thunberg’s campaign that made the world pay attention to climate change, Malala Yousafzai’s change initiative that advocates for the rights of girls around the world to receive education, Tilak Mehta’s inspired startup Papers N Parcels that gave hundreds of Mumbai dabbawalas an additional source of income all started out as ideas that broke the mould.
The ability to think out of the box and see the idea to fruition is what sets great leaders apart.
The importance of a good Leadership Development programme
A leadership development programme provides you with opportunities and equips you with the necessary skills and confidence to participate in activities and workshops. It helps you to learn from challenges – by teaching you evaluation, planning, strategies, work allocation and analysing results. The training is not just restricted to learning, a good leadership development program encourages you to participate in real world events and make a difference.
