The Importance of Inspiring Stories to Values and Achieving Goals

Logic and emotion are both of great importance to being effective. Sharing inspiring stories that demonstrate our values and highlight success help us to engage with both the logical and emotional sides of what we need to do.

The Psychological Requirement to Connect Logic and Emotions

“Humans are creatures with a two-sided brain: On the left side, there’s nothing right and on the right side, there’s nothing left.” Anon

Scientists have long explored the dual functions of the brain and many people have heard of the idea that the left hemisphere of the brain is for logical functions whereas the right side is more for creative thinking.

The Right Questions - inspiring stories for values and achieving goals
Cerebral lobes – Wikicommons

Although this lateralisation is an over simplification it does contribute to our understanding of thought processes and personality types. We all have some sort of preference to being either more rational or intuitive in our approach to challenges and psychologists have used this and other measures to help explain personality types.

For example in the ‘Big 5’ personality traits model a preference for being more creative, intuitive and creative in approach would lead someone to have a high ‘openness’ score. Equally, within the same system, someone with a more logical, ordered and detailed approach to life is likely to have a higher ‘conscientiousness’ ranking.

Once again these measures are generalisations but they demonstrate that we all have certain preferences and that any preference to one side or another has certain strengths and weaknesses and therefore we need a balance of the logical and emotional in our approach.

How to Get the Balance and Make the Connection

One way we can achieve that balance is through developing a good team and having people who can fulfil different roles and play to their strengths. But even with a well balanced team there are certain functions in an organisation – such as customer service and brand awareness – that everyone has an influence on and therefore, whatever their preference, they need a way to be connected to both the logical and emotional drivers in the business.

It has been demonstrated that one of the most powerful ways of connecting between the logical and emotional is the use of stories. For most people it is shared experiences, the conversations we have, and the life illustrations we hear, that are the lessons we tend to remember.  These things become the threads that tie together the logical and emotional aspects of what we do.

This knowledge is very important to organisations, as any team needs to engage their people at the logical level, through things such as goals and measurements, to more emotional issues such as values and purpose. Really successful institutions have ways of capturing and sharing stories that naturally spread through the group; encouraging people and embedding the right strategies and attitudes in people whatever level, role or function they operate in.

The Successful Military Model

Having had a military background I can share a way that the Armed Forces has created a process that enables the sharing of stories that demonstrated the values of the organisation and inspire people to achieve their tasks with the right attitudes.

Even though the values of the British Army are regularly taught to soldiers, if you asked the average private what those values were they would probably struggle to give you more than two of the six core values. The core values of the British Army are:

  • Courage
  • Discipline
  • Respect for others
  • Integrity
  • Loyalty
  • Selfless commitment

These values are the most important aspect of the emotional connection within the Army. The critical issue on the logical side is the concept of mission. The military operates within an approach called ‘mission command’ and the importance of achieving the mission is drummed into every service man and woman.

Because a mission in the Army frequently requires hardship or threat to life it is vital that the values are effectively understood and adhered to. Otherwise the deeper purpose and motivation would be lost. How then is this done when the average soldier cannot recall what the values are? The answer is that they all know stories that link the achievement of a mission with the values that underpin that success.

The Right Questions - inspiring stories for values and achieving goals
Victoria Cross – Wikicommons

Stories that Inspire: Medal Citations

Many stories are passed on informally in the bars and barrack rooms of the military but there is also a formal process for capturing and celebrating the best of these stories. This is done through citations and the awarding of medals.

In the British Commonwealth the most famous medal of all is the Victoria Cross; the highest commendation that can be awarded for valour in the face of the enemy. Introduced by Queen Victoria in 1856 the Victoria Cross (VC) has only been awarded 1356 times, and only 13 times since the Second World War.

The stories that surround VC winners are legendary; VC winners are the heroes of the Armed Forces and the stories permeate the culture of the organisation. Their history is taught during training, pictures of their heroic deeds hang on the walls of offices and messes; teams and places are even named after them.

Lieutenant John Chard – A Hero of Rorke’s Drift

The Right Questions - inspiring stories for values and achieving goals
Lieutenant John Chard – Wikicommons

For me, being a Royal Engineer Officer, one story I have been steeped in is that of Lieutenant John Chard, the Royal Engineer Officer who led the defence of Rorke’s Drift during the Zulu War in 1878.

Chard was sent to Rorke’s Drift (a small garrison at a mission station) to build a bridge but the location became the site of a decisive battle.

A Zulu impi (an Army of 3000-4000 men) descended upon Rorke’s Drift fresh from subjecting the British to a terrible defeat at Isandlwana where they had annihilated 1350 British and Native troops.

There were only 139 soldiers (including 30 sick and wounded) and a handful of local and colonial troops (making about 150 in total) at Rorke’s Drift but John Chard led the successful defence of the station. The desperate fighting, often fought hand to hand, went on through an afternoon and an entire night but the defence held. The battle cost 17 of the defenders lives. The Zulus suffered several hundred mortalities and withdrew from the attack the following morning.

The incredible valour by the defenders led to the awarding on 11 VCs and 4 DCMs (Distinguished Conduct Medals). The story is particularly well known as it was made famous by the film ‘Zulu’ where John Chard was played by Stanley Baker and Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead – his fellow officer and VC recipient – was played by Michael Caine.

John Chard’s actions demonstrated his deep commitment to his mission and an exemplary illustration of the values of the Army. The leadership that Chard demonstrated at Rorke’s Drift has inspired generations of young officers, such as myself, and this is just one of many incredible stories that could be told of brave service men and women.

Inspiring Stories for Making the Connection

A recipient of the Victoria Cross is an extreme example of a story, and certainly not an everyday occurrence, but shows the power of stories to inspire people. Stories have the power to connect people to the logical and emotional requirements that an organisation expects of them and it is important that any team or business looks at ways of capturing and spreading stories that equip, inspire and release employees to take new levels of ownership in their work.

If you would like to read more about the story of Chard and Rorke’s Drift then you will enjoy this book:

If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions

About The Right Questions

The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.

Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.

Need help navigating your journey to success?

I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!

How Many Mission Statements Do You Need?

Trying to come up with a short pithy mission statement that encompasses everything you are about in life is not an easy task!  Do not worry – the concept of mission statements is bigger than just one individual phrase, as I will try to explain.  Mission statements exist in the context of lots of interlocking levels, generally not just as some isolated goal that stands totally alone.

Different mission statements within a single company

Imagine a company, a company that makes toilet rolls.  The vision of the company is that every posterior in the world should be blessed by the ultra-soft ‘Cushionette’ produced by the business.  They have defined their mission, their measure of success as: ‘to have a roll of Cushionette available in every lavatory in the world’.  It is a bold and audacious mission.

Different departments, different mission statements?

There are many departments within the company to allow it to function properly.  There are Sales; the guys in sales have a mission statement that is almost exactly the same as the company mission because they are trying to sell the product into as many spaces ‘in the world’ as possible.  For the Quality Control team, the mission statement is easy too, they need to make sure each roll of Cushionette is ‘ultra soft’.

How about the Finance team?  Defining the mission for the Finance team is somewhat harder.  It is harder still at an individual level: how do you create a mission statement that applies to the person who does the photocopying for the Finance team?  Yet, if they are going to be effective they need a mission that connects them to the greater vision and shows them how they can make a tangible difference in achieving the bigger goal.

So the Reprographic Officer (photocopier person) will have their personal mission statement.  Let’s say in this case their mission statement is “to always produce copies that are timely, accurate and cost-efficient” but that mission is a sub-set of the Finance team mission, which is, in turn, a subset of the company mission.

Linking and nesting mission statements

This is important as the more productive each individual and team is the more productive the overall effect is.  Also, one failure of the smallest element can bring down the whole thing.  If the ‘Vice President of Printed Communications’ (another photocopier person) fails to copy the company accounts on time, the company is put at risk. All right, so this is stretching the point somewhat but on a serious note, any communications process can have a major effect on the effectiveness of a team or company.

So from the example above we can see that within an organisation there will be various missions that all need to interlock vertically across the company.  It’s like those Russian dolls that fit inside one another.  Not clear yet?  Let’s investigate this from another angle; here is some background to the theory.

Mission Command

The military has probably spent more time and effort on developing the idea of a mission than anyone else, and in the British military this overlapping hierarchy of mission statements is referred to as ‘mission command’.  This decentralised approach is to some extent based on the lessons learned from the effectiveness of German Stormtroopers and the ‘manoeuvrist’ approach of Blitzkrieg warfare, but again don’t worry if this means nothing to you, you do not need to be an expert in military history to understand the basic principles.

The idea behind mission command is to allow maximum freedom of movement, coordination and support at every level of the organisation by having interconnected mission statements.  It requires a highly trained and motivated force but when it works it is referred to as a force multiplier, in other words, it is highly effective and greater than the sum of its parts.  In business, this is sometimes referred to as ‘synergy’.

So maximum effectiveness is the aim; your main responsibility is to make sure you and/or your workforce are highly trained and motivated, and then to make sure the mission is clear and connected both up and down the organisation.

How to craft a mission statement

In the military, the mission statement actually comes in two parts.  There is both a ‘to’ and an ‘in order to’ phrase in the statement.  For example, I said earlier a mission might be ‘to capture the position on hill 321’ but it will also have a second half that says something like ‘in order to allow the battalion to advance’.  In other words, one mission is connected to another mission in a hierarchy.  In this case, the battalion cannot achieve its mission of advancing unless the enemy position on the hill is captured.  The battalion in turn will have a mission that connects to its higher command and so on up the chain. These go up from the tactical to operational, strategic and grand-strategic levels. That one mission to engage with the enemy on hill 321 will be part of a much larger picture such as a war between two sovereign states. Who knows, the whole campaign could pivot on that one action: that is why the mission is so important.

Mission statements work up and down and side to side

So just like the toilet roll company, all the missions interlock up and down the organisation. So that is the hierarchy – the up and down bit, but there is more.  There is a horizontal plane of mission as well as a vertical one. Every department in a company or every person in a team will have a slightly different mission but they need to complement each other. Crafting mission statements is likely correctly harnessing horses. You are trying to get people to pull together in the same direction.

As an individual you are likely to have a mission in your workplace that interconnects vertically and horizontally within that organisation but your career mission statement may have very little to do with other parts of your life.  Most of us have a range of responsibilities and wear a variety of different hats. Therefore we can expect to have different missions that are relevant to the various roles we play.  For example what is your contribution or role within your community?  What is your mission in terms of your family and relationships?

These personal mission statements have a hierarchy too as all the goals we set are effectively part of the mission and they only exist (or should only exist) to support the greater mission.  Confused? Don’t worry! Take a look at how to make an action plan.

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If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions

About The Right Questions

The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.

Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.

Need help navigating your journey to success?

I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!

How to Set Goals, Tasks and Milestones When Planning

Creating a plan to achieve success is all about breaking down our overall vision and mission into smaller, measurable goals. From there we can deconstruct the goals to the point where we have a simple activity, a next step, that is achievable and easily actionable.

In this post we will look at the importance of having a plan, and remaining flexible, then drill down into how to break down the various goals right down to the next actionable step.

Have a plan but remain flexible

Whether you are leading others or just yourself, you are much more likely to succeed – in whatever you want to do – if you have done some planning. If you can produce some sort of written plan, so much the better; especially if you need to communicate your ideas with other people.

Going through the process of breaking down a mission statement into goals and steps is a large part of the planning process. When these tasks are connected to the people, resources and time needed to achieve each one then we have a plan.

When planning there has to be a balance between getting the detail we need to take action, while maintaining flexibility to adapt to the situation and unforeseen circumstances. To do this we concentrate on developing more detail for the activities that are closer in terms of time than those that are further off. The more distant the task, the broader and more flexible the approach can be. Circumstances will inevitably force you to amend your plan; hence the process of planning is more important than the plan.

“Plans are worthless but planning is everything.”

Dwight Eisenhower

Turning mission statements into action

To take a mission statement and turn it into something actionable we need to break down the overall mission into constituent parts. We then end up with a hierarchy of larger down to smaller activities. These various elements can be called different things but I tend to use these planning terms:

How to Set Goals, Tasks and Milestones Video – YouTube

Example of breaking down a mission statement into objectives

Here is another example to explore this concept further:

After a long period of busyness, I feel the need for a break. I want to relax, recharge and enjoy some time away from the hustle and bustle of life. I love travelling and exploring the outdoors, as well as relaxing and generally having fun. These are my drivers, my ‘why’ (principles, passions and priorities) for something I want to do.

I have a dream of lying on a pristine beach, listening to the waves rolling in, basking in the warm sun and sipping an ice-cold cocktail. This is the vision, the idea of a better future that I want to create. This relates to the where stage in The Right Questions approach.

The mission (the what) is the more tangible expression of what success looks like. In this case that could be ‘to go on vacation for two weeks to enjoy some sun and surf’. That mission statement becomes the tangible headline to our plan;

There are various options I could look at by which I could achieve this mission. I might consider going to the Florida Keys, to Spain or the Maldives; but in this case, I am thinking I want to go to the South of France. This choice of options becomes my primary goal or objective under the mission statement.

The planning now involves breaking this chosen goal down into all the constituent tasks such as booking the holiday, the budget and planning the travel.

Planning to achieve goals

Travel is a major factor in the success of the holiday. The journey then becomes a goal in itself — one objective that needs to be successful for us to achieve our dream – and therefore it requires further planning. It is effectively a mini-plan within the greater plan.

Say I choose to drive.  It is a long drive from London to Marseille and so it makes sense to break down the route into stages. With the aid of a map, we could very quickly come up with a plan showing each road as a task and the major cities along the way – London, Paris, Lyons and Marseilles – as the milestones.

Crossing from England to France using the Channel Tunnel could be considered one task but it too can be broken down into several steps such as: purchasing a ticket, passing through passport control and customs, boarding the train, making the crossing and then disembarking.  These are all sub-sets of the activity. Some of these activities may require further thought and planning, and so on.

I work out that the most important thing I need to do next is to book a ticket for the crossing on my preferred date. This becomes my next step; the tangible, achievable next action that takes me a step closer to my mission and vision.

So we see here how in our planning we connect the overall vision and mission through to the small steps we need to make.

Stretch goals

The previous example was a simple one but when we are looking at larger dreams we have in life, and medium to long-term objectives, it is important that we set ourselves goals that are really going to stretch us.  These goals should take us outside of our comfort zones and force us to learn, to grow and to depend upon others.  In other words, there should be a reasonable chance of us failing.

Fear of failure is one of, if not the major factor in not achieving our dreams.  But we should never make a decision out of fear; if we bind ourselves by only contemplating the things we know we can achieve we will stop ourselves from ever doing something really outstanding.  The goals that seem unreachable are the ones that are the most rewarding and life-changing.

Challenging goals also inspire others and one story that has inspired me is the story of Jim Lawless. He set the goal (actually the result of a bet) that he would compete as a professional jockey. Given that he was thirty years old and overweight, had only a year to achieve the task and yet had never ridden a horse before, made that a real stretch goal! You can read the whole story, how he achieved his goal along with the lessons he learned, in his excellent book Taming Tigers.

A stretch goal is the sort of goal that borders on unrealistic. It is generally something that will require some time to achieve, possibly years, and has a large element of risk involved.  It is the sort of thing that you could fail in, but by succeeding you could achieve a significant step-change.

Audacious Goals

Jim Collins, in his book Good to Great, describes a stretch goal as a ‘Big Hairy Audacious Goal’ or ‘BHAG’ (pronounced bee-hag).  He postulates that people and companies that set themselves BHAGs are the ones that have the potential to become great.

If you aim high you may miss the mark but even so, you will most likely strike higher than you would otherwise have done.  The fact is that if you aim low you then you will hit low.

“A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at.”

Bruce Lee

One stretch goal or ‘BHAG’ I set myself was to run The Dragon’s Back Challenge, reputedly the hardest mountain race in the world. To complete the race you need to cover over 300km of mountain terrain in 5 days. Not surprisingly there is a high failure rate. Fewer than 50% of those that start the race actually complete it. Signing up for the race was exciting and daunting in equal measure! Once committed it was important that I created a plan for my training and for the race itself.

Questions for goal setting

If you are trying to think of your next stretch goal, here are some good questions you can use to generate ideas. I often use these questions while coaching and can be used with tools such as the GROW model:

  • What should I do? What do you feel obliged to do or responsible for doing?
  • How should I logically proceed? What goals are a logical progression for you if you continue in the same direction or on the same course?
  • Which goals keep coming up again and again? What are your deja vu goals – the things you want to achieve but have never got around to?
  • What would someone else tell you to do? Think about it from somebody else’s perspective. What would your family/friends/colleagues expect or hope for you to do?
  • Describe your deep wants. What are the desires and heartfelt passions for things you want to achieve?
  • If you could have anything, what would you wish for? If someone could wave and make anything happen, what would that be?
  • What are your happy wants? Which ideas, pictures or dreams give you the greatest feeling of contentment?
  • What are your secret goals? Are there private, secret, ‘naughty’ dreams that you have? The ones you might feel are stupid to share or too personal to tell people?
  • When might you have done things differently? Do you sometimes think, if only I could go back, rewind time and choose another path? What would that be?
  • Which goals excite you? What makes you think ‘wow!’ Which ideas and dreams give you real energy?

Tasks and Milestones

Once we have a goal we can consider what tasks and milestones will help us achieve our aim.

What is the difference between a task and a milestone? A task is best defined as a piece of work, an activity, that has a certain duration. A milestone is an event, a point in time, that indicates important stages of progression.

Examples of tasks and milestone

Let’s look at another example and consider the relatively simple task. I recently had to get a new garden shed so let’s use that. Building a shed is a  relatively straightforward construction process but it is still sensible to break the project down into tasks and milestones.

Here are some examples of activities and events, see if you can decide which are tasks and which are milestones:

  • Work out what type and size of shed you need
  • Select the best shed to suit your purpose
  • Purchase the shed
  • Shed is delivered
  • Prepare the ground
  • Erect the walls
  • Construct the roof
  • Fit the door and windows
  • Furnish the shed ready for use
  • Start using the shed

In this example the majority of the items listed are tasks, but the shed being delivered and starting to use the shed could be considered as milestones. Note the difference here is that a task is something that requires a duration of time to achieve, whereas a milestone is a moment in time; a threshold or gauge of significant progress.

To explain this in another simple way, let’s use the running analogy again. For each day of the race, I had to cover 60-70km on average. Each day was broken into four stages. The task was to run the next 15-20km stage in the shortest duration possible. Any rest stations or checkpoints after each stage on the route would equate to milestones.

So, in summary, you complete the task (the activity) and then pass the milestone (the progress marker).

The next step

The final constituent part of our planning is the ‘step’.  This is the smallest and yet probably the most crucial part.  Defining the first or next step is important because many jobs and goals are never initiated, as it is too daunting to start, or they stall because the next step is not defined.

“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.”

Confucius

There is something of a psychological barrier when getting going.  A clean sheet can lead to a mental block.  To overcome this an artist may give a blank canvas a simple wash of colour that will be painted over, and a writer may type a few lines on an empty page that may later be deleted.  For us, we need to make a small step in the right direction to get over the inertia when starting up.

Going back to the running analogy, when I have completed ultra-marathons I have had to set myself literal steps as I have become tired. I might tell myself, ‘just run to that next tree’ or ‘run for 50 steps, then you can walk for 50 steps.’ When you still have 50 km of a 100km race to go it can seem really daunting. Just focussing on the next few steps or next few minutes of activity can reduce the chances of becoming overwhelmed and stop you from giving up.

One useful strategy when starting a project is to break down the first task into an easy step that can be completed in about 30 minutes.  If it can be done in 5 minutes even better!  If we cannot do it right now then we plan to do that one step at the beginning of the next day and make sure we set another step for the following day.  As things gain momentum you will find that it is easier to get into the work and complete your tasks, even if they require more time.  The key is often just getting going.

So, to get to that point, remember STEP:

  • Start with the overall success or mission statement
  • Target success by identifying the key goals that need to be achieved
  • Evaluate these goals, breaking them into tasks and activities
  • Plan the next step, making it small enough to be achievable

Planning exercise

Now its your turn.

Think of something you need to do. Pick something relatively simple but with enough complexity to test the process. That could be planning a holiday or business trip, purchasing a new phone or computer; have a think a use a real goal that you need to achieve.

Work out your mission statement and then follow the process, breaking things down until you have the next steps you need to achieve. These are the ones that need to go in your diary or be done right now!

Congratulations, you are a step closer to achieving your mission!

If you would like more help with planning, including a free template for your plan, you can look at the post, ‘How to make an action plan to achieve your goal.’

And, if you would like access to some bonus content and get updates then please do sign up to my email list.

If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions

About The Right Questions

The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.

Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.

Need help navigating your journey to success?

I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!