ARROW – Part I (Aim – Reality)

This model is based on the ARROW Model of Coaching. This assignment will help you in
forming your complete Business, Professional, Entrepreneurial and Leadership Development
Plan.

The assignment has five important sections:

A – Aim

R – Reality

R – Reflection

O – Options

W – Way Forward

The entire ARROW Model is based on three fundamental questions:

1)      Where are you now? (Reality)

2)      Where do you want to go? (Aim)

3)      How will you reach there? (Reflect – Look for Options – Create a Way Forward)

The next week’s assignment will be in continuation of this assignment. This assignment is split
into two parts:

This Assignment will focus on the first two components of ARROW, i.e. Aim and Reality and
the next week’s assignment will focus on the other three components of ARROW, i.e. Reflection,
Options and Way Forward

(Please note that these two assignments will be slightly lengthy than the usual assignments but
they will help you build a strong Professional Development Plan for next 6 months for yourself.)

Please ensure that you answer all questions with your current level of knowledge and experience
and in great detail. The more detailed your answer will be, the likelihood of your PDP becoming
robust becomes more. There may be a time when you might feel that the questions are repetitive,
but please remember that all questions are linked with each other. So avoid skipping any
question. Every question that is asked has a purpose.

As Dr. Bindra has stated that whenever he wants to start anything new and wants to do it
successfully, he asks himself two questions, first who is No. 1 in the industry and second, how
can I become better than him. Every individual, whether you are an entrepreneur or an
organizational leader, needs to have an aspiration of becoming like someone. You have to
identify like who you would like to become. This assignment will give you an opportunity to
think widely and explore your thoughts.

In the question below think and write about a person who you think is the best in your industry,
study about his habits and qualities – what does he do, how is he so successful, how has he
maintained to become the best and then think how can you become like him. For that you will
have to also identify about your current lifestyle, for example what is that he is doing and you are
not doing etc. Also write about his three specific qualities that have inspired you the most.

Q 1. Who do you envision yourself as becoming? Write down three specific qualities you
would like to learn from him.

        i.           
_____________________________________________________________________

      ii.           
_____________________________________________________________________

    iii.           
_____________________________________________________________________

Once you’ve identified your role model, it is time to put your goal on paper. Identify and write
down your specific short term and long term goal. While forming your goal and to make sure
your goals are clear and reachable, remember to make it SMART, i.e.

Specific (simple, sensible, significant):

Your goal should be clear and specific, otherwise you won't be able to focus on your efforts or
feel truly motivated to achieve it. Imagine that you are currently a marketing executive, and
you'd like to become the head of marketing. A specific goal could be, "I want to​gain the skills
and experience necessary to become the head of marketing within my organization, so that I can
​build my career​and lead a successful team."

Measurable (meaningful, motivating)

It's important to have measurable goals, so that you can track your progress and stay motivated.
Assessing progress helps you to stay focused, meet your deadlines, and feel the excitement of
getting closer to achieving your goal.

A measurable goal should address questions such as:

How much? | How many? | How will I know when it is accomplished? 

Your goal also needs to be realistic and attainable to be successful. In other words, it should
stretch your abilities but still remain possible. When you set an achievable goal, you may be able
to identify previously overlooked opportunities or resources that can bring you closer to it. An
achievable goal will usually answer questions such as:

How can I accomplish this goal? | How realistic is the goal, based on other constraints, such as
financial factors?

In continuation of the above example, you might need to ask yourself whether developing the
skills required to become head of marketing is realistic, based on your existing experience and
qualifications. For example, do you have the time to complete the required training effectively?
Are the necessary resources available to you? Can you afford to do it?

Relevant (reasonable, realistic, resourced and results-based)

This step is about ensuring that your goal matters to you, and that it also aligns with other
relevant goals. We all need support and assistance in achieving our goals, but it's important to
retain control over them. So, make sure that your plans drive everyone forward, but that you're
still responsible for achieving your own goal. In continuation of the above example, you might
want to gain the skills to become the head of marketing within your organization, but is it the
right time to undertake the required training, or work toward additional qualifications? Are you
sure that you're the right person for the head of marketing role? Have you considered your
spouse's goals? For example, if you want to start a family, would completing training in your free
time make this more difficult?

Time bound (time-based, time/cost limited, timely and time-sensitive)

Every goal needs a target date, so that you have a deadline to focus on and something to work
towards. This part of the SMART goal criteria helps to prevent everyday tasks from taking
priority over your longer-term goals.

A time-bound goal will usually answer these questions:

When? | What can I do six months from now? | What can I do six weeks from now? | What can I
do today?

In continuation of the above example, gaining the skills to become the head of marketing may
require additional training​ or experience, as we mentioned earlier. How long will it take you to
acquire these skills? Do you need​ further training, so that you're eligible for certain exams or
qualifications? It's important to give yourself a realistic time frame for accomplishing the smaller
goals that are necessary to achieving your final objective.
You might find that the real reason you haven't been able to achieve your plans is because they
have been too vague or unrealistic. Think about how you can adjust your vision and rephrase it
as a SMART goal, so that you can make your dream come true.

In the question below, write down, “I will do what by when”. Create a SMART short term and a
long term goal for yourself. Be as specific and realistic as possible. Also give it a timeline by
when do you want to achieve it.

Q 2. Write down your specific Short Term and Long Term Goal.

Once you’ve decided your goal, it becomes fundamental to define your Milestones. These
Milestones are your Measures of Success. Measures of Success are the landmarks that you
decide that will tell you that you are going in the right direction and also at what speed. It is like
when you go on a highway, you see the milestones on the roadside that tells you the distance left
to reach your destination.

In the question below, identify and write down your milestones that you like to put as a measure
of success that you are going in the right direction at the right speed. These milestones will keep
telling you about the status of your goal achieved so far.

Q 3. What would be the milestones on the way to achieving your goal? How will you
measure them?

Just like Aim helps you in identifying where do you want to go; Reality helps you in knowing
where you are at the moment. The next few questions will help you identify your current reality
with respect to your goal statement.

In the question below identify and write down about your current reality, i.e. where you are now?
You will have to give the same measurement to your current reality as you’ve given to your goal
statement above to know where you are at the moment. Be descriptive in stating where you are
right now in terms of distance from your goal.

Q 4. What is your current reality? Where are you right now?

In order to go far, it is always useful to do a self-check in between. In the question below, think
and write about the actions that you have already taken in order to reach to your goals. It will
definitely be in your mind, but it is important to put it in writing.

Q 5. What actions have you taken till now?

If you have been taking actions, then why the goal is still unaccomplished? It is time to reflect
again. In the question below, think and write why you haven’t achieved your goal till now. What
are those actions that you were missing to do? Your response to this question will help you
identify those things that if you will practice, can help you achieve your goal faster. This will
help you in creating an action plan for yourself.

Q 6. Why haven't you reached that goal already? What do you think was really missing?

In the next question below, give yourself a rating on a scale of 1 – 10 as to where you are at the
moment. If you’ve reached a stage of perfection, give yourself between 9 – 10. If you haven’t
started, give yourself a 1 – 2. Answer this question with reference to your response in question
no. 2, where you’ve set your goal.

Q 7. Rate yourself on a scale of 1 – 10, where are you at the moment with respect to your
goal.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

It is always a great idea to take reference of people who have done well, like we did in question
number 1 also. People who have achieved similar goals will inspire you and can be support
givers also. In the question below, think and write the names of three people who have achieved
similar goals as yours. Association with them will help you reach your goals faster.

Q 8. Think and write names of three people around you, who according to you have
achieved similar goals.

        i.           
_____________________________________________________________________

      ii.           
_____________________________________________________________________

    iii.           
_____________________________________________________________________

In the next question, make your DILO (Day – In – Life – Of). A DILO is a minute by minute
review of each and every activity performed by an individual. This is a superb exercise to help
you identify the types, quantity and causes of your own non-value adding activities. It will also
help you identify operational issues, their root causes and their impact.

(Hint: DILO should be made on any working day, during working hours. Don’t rely too much on
your memory; write in as much detail as possible. Don’t comment on or criticize while you are
writing it. You can ponder on it later)
Once you’ve made your DILO, mark or circle the activities that you feel are non-value adding
and are negatively hampering your productivity. It is important to identify them now, because it
will help you create a robust action plan for yourself.

Q 9. Make your own DILO. Write down your schedule of an average day.

Rating Activities

While it is important to identify your mistakes and gaps in the process and you’ve already
identified few of them in the previous few questions. It is equally important to know your
strengths. Knowing about your strengths will give you confidence and will inspire you to go an
extra mile. The fact of the matter is that every individual is unique and so are the strengths. The
only challenge is that lot of times we forget about our strengths, they are present in us but we are
not able to recognize, appreciate and use them.

In the question below think and identify your signature strengths that can contribute in achieving
your goal. There can be few strengths that you might be using; there can be some you might not
be using at all. Whatever the case may be, identification is important. Response to this question
will help your hidden potential come out in the most productive manner.

Q 10. Identify your Signature Strengths that can contribute to your Goal Statement.

        i.           
_____________________________________________________________________

      ii.           
_____________________________________________________________________
    iii.           
_____________________________________________________________________

     iv.           
_____________________________________________________________________

       v.           
_____________________________________________________________________

In the question below, identify those 1, 2 or 3 strengths that you have not been using at all. This
will help you create a robust action plan, because these are those strengths that you possess but
you haven’t used ever.

Q 11. Write down the Signature Strengths that you are not using at the moment.

        i.           
_____________________________________________________________________

      ii.           
_____________________________________________________________________

    iii.           
_____________________________________________________________________

There will certainly be some strengths that you have been using that have contributed to your
success so far. In the question below, write about those strengths that have contributed to your
success so far. It may be a small success, but it is important to identify the strength.

Q 12. Which Strengths /Actions have contributed to your success so far? What has worked
well for you so far?

You might feel that the questions and responses are appearing similar. It happens when you limit
your thinking process. They may appear similar, but in reality they are all different and every
question has a purpose. The responses to these questions will give you clarity as to how you
should move forward.

The next assignment will be in continuation to this assignment. Here we discussed Aim and
Reality; the next assignment will focus on Reflection, Options and Way Forward.

In the next assignment we will help you –

·         Build Strategies in Reflection and Option, and           

·         Create Objective Based Action Plan in Way Forward