What Successful People Do Differently
Assessment & Exercise Workbook
Adopting a
Get Better
Mindset
&
Executing Goals
With
If-Then Planning
Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson
Associate Director
Motivation Science Center
Columbia Business School
www.heidigranthalvorson.com
1
Self -Assessment #1
Using the scale below, rate how
much you agree with each
statement. In other words, rate how
true it is of you in general.
1 - Not at all true of me
2 - Slightly true of me
3 - Often true of me
4 - Very true of me
_____1. I try to outperform my coworkers.
_____2. I like having colleagues who can teach
me something about myself, even if it isn’t
always positive.
_____3. I am always seeking opportunities to
develop new skills and acquire new knowledge.
_____4. I really care about making a good
impression on other people.
_____5. It’s important to me to show that I am
smart and capable.
_____6. I strive to have open and honest
relationships with my coworkers.
_____7. I strive to constantly learn and improve
at my job.
_____8. When I am with my coworkers, I think
a lot about how I am “coming across” to them.
_____9. I feel good about myself when I know
that my colleagues like or are impressed by me.
Self-Assessment # 2
Please answer these questions on a scale from
1 (Strongly Agree) to 6 (Strongly Disagree)
_____ 1. You have a certain amount of
intelligence, and you really can’t do much to
change it.
_____2. Your intelligence is something about
you that you can’t change very much.
_____3. To be honest, you can’t really change
how intelligent you are.
Total Score = ________
If Total Score < 11, you have a more fixed view of
intelligence
_____10. I like to work with, and for, people
who challenge me to change for the better.
Be Good score
= Q1 + Q4 +Q5 + Q8 + Q9 = ________
Get Better score = Q2 + Q3 + Q6 + Q7 + Q10 = ________
2
Get Better Exercise #1:
What Do You Blame?
It never feels good when things go
wrong. But when you find that you
are doubting yourself – when you
are overwhelmed with anxiety, or
when you feel helpless and just want
to throw in the towel – the way you
are thinking about things has gone
terribly wrong. The first step to
avoiding this kind of reaction is to
examine your own thinking – what
do you blame your difficulties and
setbacks on?
Think about a time in the last six months when things went horribly wrong, and you found yourself
feeling extremely stressed, anxious, or depressed about it. What was it that made you feel this way?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What did you blame? (Check circles for all that apply)
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
I didn’t work hard enough.
I’m just not good at that sort of thing.
I’m not good at time management.
I’m a procrastinator.
I should have asked for more guidance.
I didn’t approach the problem the right way.
I’m not smart / creative/ innovative enough.
I’m not very good with people.
I didn’t anticipate what could go wrong.
Other people were to blame.
I was unlucky.
How confident and motivated you feel after a setback depends in large part on what you blame. Do
you think each of the explanations above would make you feel more or less confident and motivated?
(If you are in a group, share your thoughts with your group members).
3
Curabitur:
Pellentesque
Get Better Exercise #2: What Have You Learned?
Whether or not we consciously realize it, every opportunity to tackle something difficult or challenging
brings with it opportunities to grow and develop. We are always growing, though we don’t necessarily
think that’s what we are doing, because we’re so busy trying to prove ourselves.
Think about a challenging project you completed in the last month or two. What are two ways in
which that experienced caused you to grow? These could be…
-
new knowledge you acquired
new skills you developed, or existing skills you were able to hone
insights you had about yourself or others
1. _________________________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________________________
4
Get Better Exercise #3: Then vs. Now
Take a moment to think about three skills and abilities that
contribute to success in your particular role in your
organization, or in your organization more generally.
Something that fits into the sentence:
To be successful, it’s good to be (or have) ______________.
Now, think about how much of these skills or abilities you
have – NOT compared to others, but compared to how
much you had five years ago.
Compared to five years ago, my skill or ability is …
1
2
3
4
5
About
Noticeably
Significantly
the same
improved
improved
Use this scale to rate yourself compared to your performance five years ago for the three skills or
abilities you identified above.
Skill/Ability
Rating
________________________________________________
______
________________________________________________
______
________________________________________________
______
5
Get Better Trigger Words
Progress
Learn
Become
Improve
Grow
Develop
Get Better Exercise #4: Reframe Your Goals
Think of a goal you would like to achieve in 2014. Write it down as you normally would.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Now, rewrite your goal using the Get Better mindset triggering words: progress, learn, become, improve,
grow, develop:
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Name a goal you would like to achieve in the next three years. Write it down as you normally would.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Rewrite your goal using Get Better mindset triggering words: progress, learn, become, improve, grow,
develop:
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
6
Get Better Exercise #5:
Using Get Better Goals to
Support Be Good Goals
Goals that are measureable or quantitative can be
difficult to frame in Get Better language. But Get
Better goals can support these goals, making the
process still about getting better, even if the ultimate
goal is to achieve some specific level of “being
good.”
Goal (example): Increase sales by 30%
Get Better goals that support this goal:
-Focus on making steady progress toward my goal.
- Solicit more guidance from coworkers on how to improve my pitch.
- Develop and test new strategies for identifying promising leads.
Think of a quantitative or measureable goal you would like to achieve in 2014:
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
What are three Get Better goals that could support you in reaching your ultimate goal?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
7
If-Then Planning
To Do lists don’t really work, because most of us are too busy or distracted to seize
opportunities to cross things off the list when those opportunities present themselves.
Research shows you are much more likely to reach your goals if you identify the specific
steps you need to take in order to reach them, and then decide, in advance, where and
when you will take each step.
If-then plans look like this:
If (or When) X happens, then I will do Y.
Situation X = when and where
Behavior Y = action you need to take to reach your goal
8
If-Then Planning Exercise #1: What Will You Do?
Think of a goal you want to reach in the coming year.
GOAL:________________________________________________________________________________
Think of three steps – specific things you need to do – in order to reach this goal.
Step 1: ___________________________________________________________________________
When and where: ________________________________________________________________
Step 2: ___________________________________________________________________________
When and where: ________________________________________________________________
Step 3: ___________________________________________________________________________
When and where: ________________________________________________________________
Put the steps and situations together to make your if-then plans:
#1 IF (WHEN) ______________________________________________________________, THEN ___
______________________________________________________________________________________
#2 IF (WHEN) ______________________________________________________________, THEN ___
______________________________________________________________________________________
#3 IF (WHEN) ______________________________________________________________, THEN ___
______________________________________________________________________________________
9
If-Then Planning Exercise #2: What Will You Do INSTEAD?
To Break a Bad Habit/ Resist Temptation:
Think of a goal you want to reach in the coming year than involves resisting temptation or avoiding an
unwanted behavior:
GOAL: ____________________________________________________________________________
Think of 3 situations where you are most likely to give in to temptation or engage in the unwanted
behavior, and what you would ideally like to do instead:
# 1 Situation: ________________________________________________________________
Ideal Response:__________________________________________________________________________
# 2 Situation: ________________________________________________________________
Ideal Response:__________________________________________________________________________
# 3 Situation: ________________________________________________________________
Ideal Response:__________________________________________________________________________
Put the situations and responses together to make your if-then plans:
#1 IF ______________________________________________________________, THEN _________
______________________________________________________________________________________
#2 IF ______________________________________________________________, THEN _________
______________________________________________________________________________________
#3 IF ______________________________________________________________, THEN _________
______________________________________________________________________________________
10