Question

The assignment summary sheets will be submitted week 14 with Test 3.

You are to personally experience the power and satisfaction of developing these skills firsthand and to reflect and write about this experience. Over the years, many students have shared amazingly rewarding experiences as they worked on these skills.

The assignment will be evaluated and be weighted as 5% of your final mark (together, they are worth 20% of your mark for Test 3, which is worth 25% of your final mark).

G. - GOALS

First, read the article below and think about people that you know who are successful. I can assure you that they have constantly set goals for themselves – they aim (set goals), shoot (do) and score (benefit). Julius Erving said, “Goals determine what you’re going to be.”

Required:

You are to set 3 goals for this term.

You are to write those goals down on a piece of paper and to place the paper where you will see it every day. You will also write them down on paper and hand a copy to me during week 2.

During week 14, you will hand in a 1-page document with the goals, whether or not they were achieved and what you have learned from this goal-setting experience.

The Rules of Goal Setting By Helaine Iris

Answer this question for yourself right now: Are you happy and attaining the things you've envisioned for your career and life? If so, congratulations, you're doing something right - if not keep reading.

There are certainly many factors and circumstances that determine whether you get what you want out of life or not. Some of them you don't have control over, some of them you do.

Goal setting - more specifically, learning HOW to reach your goals can be the most useful skill you can learn in order to maximize what you can control and get what you want.

Goal setting is simply an organized and intentional personal planning process.

This is the definition of a goal: The purpose toward which an endeavor is directed.
Here's yet another way of saying that:

Goals are the objectives you are moving toward achieving.

Having defined goals will be essential to setting direction and providing a focus point for you to follow as you are building your career. A friend of mine often says, "If you don't set goals, you probably won't reach them".
It's important to understand the difference between making decisions and setting goals.

Making decisions is where you start, but making a decision is not the same as setting a goal.

Setting goals is putting action to your decisions.

N. - NETWORKING

Definition:

Networking is simply getting to know people and letting them get to know you so that you can possibly help each other in the future.

Objectives:

to improve your networking skills

to have students experience first-hand, the power of networking to open doors that otherwise could not be opened for you

Required:

Identify at least 2 contacts that you have made during the term that you feel you turned into a networking contact, i.e. someone that you feel may be able to help you in the future and/or that you may be able to help in the future. This could involve a person from work, school, sports or social settings.

Describe how this networking opportunity came about and what you feel was required by you to turn it into an actual networking opportunity.

Briefly describe how you feel about the role that networking can play in your plan to build a successful future, both professionally and personally.

Note: This assignment is based on a few months of networking – to stress the importance and power of networking, think about completing this exercise

EVERY DAY

(Most successful business people do).

M. - MENTORING

First, read the article below – read it slowly and think about what it is saying, imagine how you will benefit for years, by finding a mentor NOW. Secondly, JUST DO IT!

Seriously, the world is full of good people who would love to help you – you just have to think, prepare and then ask.

P.S. Students like to ask is there bonus marks – no, but I can assure you that your level of success, income and happiness will increase in the future – I hope that is considered a “bonus mark”!

Below is the article to read before you get started:

We need examples

No matter how much we grow or change, one aspect of our beings remains the same. We all still look to those who have come before us to serve as good examples.

But, as with everything in life, we need to make good decisions and choices in selecting the people we want to emulate. A good mentor can make a world of difference in how we succeed and progress in our careers.

How mentoring works

Keep in mind that mentors can serve a variety of purposes. They may offer us advice and guidance in getting ahead in the world, and also give us encouragement and even push us when we need a gentle shove. They also may simply lend us their ears when we need to talk with someone.

It’s also important to remember that not all mentoring occurs through face-to-face interaction; it can also take place through other media such as telephone conversations and email.

Tips for choosing a mentor

Here are some guidelines and tips that can help you find a good mentor.

Think about your needs and what you’d like your mentor to do for you

It’s important to consider the types of services that you want your prospective mentor to provide. Again, services can relate to both the professional and personal realms.

You may want your mentor to offer advice on subjects such as continuing education and advancing your career. A good mentor may also be able to help you with networking and making connections with others in your field who might help you.

Or, you may want your mentor only to listen to you and offer advice when you need to visit with someone neutral.

Think about and list possible mentors

It’s important to consider all possibilities when it comes to mentors. A person you may not have thought of originally may turn out to be the mentor of your dreams.

Keep an open mind in matching your needs to a prospective mentor. He or she may be able to help you in ways you hadn’t planned for or didn’t expect.

Your circle of friends and family represent a good starting point in the search for mentors. From there, expand your search to include teachers, leaders of groups to which you belong, spiritual or religious leaders, and other significant people in your life.

Decide how you will approach the prospective mentor(s)

Think about how you want to approach and ask people to mentor you. Learning about the people you want to ask first can help prepare you to ask for guidance and assistance.

Depending upon your comfort level and the relationship that you may already have with a potential mentor, you can either make your request via telephone or email. Another approach might involve setting up a meeting where the two of you can sit down and discuss your wants and needs. An informal drop-in meeting may work, too.

Ask the person to be your mentor

When the time comes to actually ask someone to mentor you, it’s a good idea to explain why you selected the person as a potential mentor and how you would like the person to help you, as well as. From there, ask the person to mentor you or to help you find another mentor.

Through the entire process of searching and asking, always be prepared for your prospect to turn you down. If this happens, don’t take it personally. The person likely has other responsibilities that would stand in the way of being a good mentor.

If you are turned down, always remember to thank the person. Above all, don’t give up in your search for a mentor.

Be patient

Like all worthwhile pursuits, finding a mentor takes some work and even involves some risk. You’ll find, though, that the benefits that you can reap from a relationship with a good mentor will be well worth the effort you put into your search. Good luck, and happy hunting.

By Louis Whitehead, IMDiversity.com

R. - Reading (the power of reading business related books)

This will involve reading a business related book. Typically, the book will be the biography of an extremely successful entrepreneur. Previous books have been “Persuasion” by Arlene Dickinson and “Cold, Hard Truth” by Kevin O’Leary.

I have formed the “Entrepreneurship Book Club” for this. We will meet twice during the term as a group outside of regular class hours to have an informal discussion about our experience and thoughts on the book. It’s fun and very informative.

The meetings will last 1-1.5 hours and will tentatively take place during weeks 6 and 11. During week 14 you will submit a 1-page write-up that identifies the most important key course concepts that are applied in the book through the entrepreneur’s story/successes.

In the past there have been prizes awarded by a draw at the Book Club meetings (example, a $25 Georgian Bookstore Gift Certificate). Typically there will be several copies of the book available at the Commons Library but some students may want to purchase their own copy (usually $25 approximately).

Answer 1

The people I know that have been really successful are the two women who are the co-founders of small start up company I interned with two years ago. They have grown tremendously in the span of three years from the time they launched their start up. They are youngsters whose focus is delivering quality customized computers to customers. They aimed for concrete goal of reaching out to the customers with their customized computer and encourage customers to use customized assembled computers with excellent service.

Their goal was the launch their own start up company and have profitability attached to their niche service. They were able to fulfill their goals. Now their goal is to expand in other areas of states and not just focus in Virginia.

The three goals I have are

Successfully fulfill the position of marketing assistant at a company and deliver positive results.

The second goal is to aim to promotion and learn well at the job place. This will be used for measurement of performance for the goal.

The third goal is to focus on improving the grades for this term. The measurement of performance will be results of the examination.

I am happy that I have focused on these goals and I plan to fulfill these goals.

The focus will be on setting goals and dividing them into long term and short term goals. The goals can be set and research can be conducted to set the objectives. This will help to fulfill the goals even when there will be a fixed time line set for it.

The two contacts that I made which will be able to help me in the future include the founders of the start up company I did internship with. They will be able to help me in the future to fulfill my professional goals.

The possible mentors in my case would be business studies professor who will help me to have an understanding of my goals and the understanding will help to fulfill my goals. Another mentor would be the employers of my internship company who will be able to guide me better and give me feedback regarding my work.