Many children are not centered on setting any type of goal. They know what they want when they want it and when they get it then they have accomplished a goal that they did not put a lot of though in to in order to achieve it. If a child really wants something and gets a negative response, then goals might be set to influence a positive response the next time they ask for the item.

Children can come up with some innovate ideas for goal setting. They can carefully plot each action that is needed to get the things that they want, or they may simply take the short route and allow other people to make the decision for them. The latter does not help them in their personal development. To develop their logical thinking skills to handle real life situations, they must put use logic in their actions.

In their personal development, children will have to develop willpower. They have to realize that all things are not possible and to develop skills that make them strong enough emotionally to walk away without a reward or positive recognize. Their willpower skills will help them through many of life’s disappointments. They could choose to reward themselves in some way for attempting to win the prize in the first place and not look at losing out as a negative factor that lowers self-worth.

Some young people will not advance in the business world if their morals are out of alignment. They use innovative ideas to advance in their business and personal life by setting goals to earn respect and trust of everyone around them. By helping children in developing their moral standards, their personal development will progress throughout life in stages of acceptance and denial.

They will be tested by friends and business associates to see if they can be trusted with their inner most secrets or with confidential information that could cost the company millions. Reaching one goal at a time is acceptable and when done correctly will often accomplish other goals as well. Helping them learn where to draw the line and feel comfortable by doing so will help to build confidence in their own decision making processes.

Children utilize goal setting in the classroom through completion of daily assignments and long term science projects. Accomplishing tasks of this nature enforces the need for dependability which is amply rewarded by scholarships at school or selection to a class office. Parents see the results of their children’s efforts to meet goals and might choose to reward them with a new car because they have proven to be dependable and can be trusted to drive it responsibly.



By: James Brown

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Every business, whether it has a core IT function or deliverable or not seeks to achieve and strengthen their own market differentiator. But how do we create the behaviour that will ensure that we truly achieve what we believe we can?

It follows that every business, especially in the current climate, needs to innovate. Do you rely on the Developers, the analysts or the Directors to be creative? No – it should be a core behaviour right through your business – however big, or however small it is.

So how do we get our people ‘unleashed’ in this area?

Thinking – Challenge the norm – Innovate

There is a school of thought that says that creativity, something most people regard as a talent you either have or you don’t, is actually a skill like any other. It can be trained in the same way as you condition the brain to excel in any other skill. So if you can train IT skills, you can train creative thinking?

The key ingredient in getting people to innovate and be creative is to take away the barriers that naturally prevent it in a normal business environment. For example, you might expect the following thought process in almost any business.

1. Why should I try to be creative? I might fail. I will have to persuade others to get on side. Better that I just keep my head down.

2. Things are going ok, why change it? And if things get bad, then no one will want my crazy ideas with all their uncertainties. Better I keep my head down.

3. If I go public on that idea I had, it might not be 100%. Better I keep my head down.

4. The only great ideas get backed up by fact and logic in the end, so logic should come up with the good ideas – where’s the need for me to be creative? Better I keep my head down.

Great ideas don’t come from the sky in a flash of creative genius, they come from the confidence to challenge the norm – with the authority of knowledge and experience.

So what’s the short answer?

Have the confidence to be creative yourself and have the confidence to allow your people to be creative.

Confidence is the key.   Successful innovation comes when people have the confidence to challenge, the confidence to know from experience that new ideas are possible and better ways can be found.

The norm is most people do what you want them to do – what they think they are paid to do.  The minority, a few rebels, don’t.   It is expected that the challenge to the norm will come from the rebels, so the rest, the majority, don’t challenge by nature.

Make creativity and challenge a norm in your team, not the sole jurisdiction of the rebels.   Make it an expectation of behaviour – finish every team meeting with an opportunity to air new ideas.   Give your team the confidence to have them.   Most importantly, expect your team to have them.   If they do not, then the job is not being done – that is a shortfall in performance.

Eventually you get a new ‘norm’ – the Creative, innovative business or team you have set out to create



By: Grant

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