Setting S.M.A.R.T goals and scaling Himalayan heights

How does one go about pursuing one's ambitions which are sky-high?. Especially, if those ambitions necessitate goal-setting and their implementation with the help of teamwork. ­­Here is an activity that we performed in our class which helped us understand what went into setting smart goals.

                                        Tower building Exercise

          We were given a set of wooden blocks and build a tower using them. These blocks had to be placed on top of one large block. There was one person who was building the block and the rest were asked to assist him. Also, whenever the tower falls, the game was as good as over.

          We were then asked to arrive at an estimate for the height of the tower to be built. The rest of the class was asked to give suggestions about goal set, goal history, and goal achieved in terms of the height of the tower as we all made educated guesses about them.

          This activity was then used as a platform to explain the concept of S.M.A.R.T goals. The picture below shows the importance of S.M.A.R.T goals and what they really mean when it comes to achieving the goals.

            

          The process helped us understand that human potential is infinite and that it always comes on top of the other parameters. The parameters considered were:-

1. Potential

2. Goals set

3. Performance (actual)

4. Performance (history)

          The goals set will always be less than the potential. It's our efforts to bridge the gap between potential and goals set that will help us move closer and closer to our goals and become near-perfect. 

The Story of three Chinese Monks

                              

          The film is based on the proverb "One monk will shoulder two buckets of water, two will share the load, but a third and no one will want to fetch water."

          The film is an animation movie directed by A Da, released in 1980. The movie is a silent movie, and hence worthy of appreciation across cultures. It tells the story from the Buddhist Bhakku's point of view. Different instruments were used for the description of each monk.

          Subject of the movie

          A buddhist monk lived atop a mountain. Everyday, he took a yoke and a bucket along with to the foot of the mountain to fetch water. The water that he fetched was enough  for his daily needs and to water his plant which was kept with the idol.

          One fine day, he was joined by an older monk at the monastery. Since both of them needed water, they carried a bucket tied to the centre of a pole to the foot of the mountain to fetch water. However, the attempt to share the work failed miserably as each monk felt that it was the other's job to fetch water. The plant also was running out of life due to lack of water.

                              

          The scenario worsened when the third monk joined and began to devour on the water collected by the other two. The three were undecided on how one had to go about the task of fetching water. Their prayers were also hampered due to the unrest between them. The plant also began to grow sober. So did the idol as depicted in the movie.

But there came a twist in the tale when the monastery caught fire. They say that tough times bring out the best in you. So did it in this case as management strategies evolved from the crisis.

They run for their lives....and how?

          Extinguishing the fire was the single motive in the minds of the monks. That urged them to come up with a disaster management strategy. Innovation made the strategy a highly successful tool to combat the fire. Productivity was at its peak as the three monks implemented the strategy in unison.

Lessons in Management

          Co-operation among team-mates is an art that needs to be imbibed for success in the corporate arena. It's not just about how good you are, but it's also about the intent that you display to take the team along with you. As exemplified in the movie, it was co-operation that helped the monks 'get out of jail.'

          Innovation was also a topic that was covered in the movie as the monks used a pulley system to draw water. It showed the importance of technology in improving productivity.

          As they accomplished their task, they later reaped the joy of success which was catalyzed by teamwork. The plant blossomed, the idol grew happy, and they meditated with peace.