goal, plan, do, review and revise: an executive function ...achieving goals easier – and more...

GPDRR Job Search Guide Draft for Review – November 2017

Goal, Plan, Do, Review and Revise:

An Executive Function-Informed Goal Achievement Framework

JOB SEARCH FACILITATORS’ GUIDE


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PREFACE

ThedevelopmentofapproachesthatexplicitlyfocusonbuildingandsupportingexecutivefunctionskillsandcoreadultcapabilitiesinhumanserviceandjobsearchprogramslargelyhasgrownoutofeffortsbytheCenterontheDevelopingChildatHarvardUniversitytoelevatetheimportantrolethatadultsplayinproducingbreakthroughoutcomesforchildren.TheAnnieE.CaseyFoundation,wantingtoadvancethedevelopmentofthisframeworkforhelpingadultsbecomesuccessfulworkersandparents,hasfundedseveralinitiativesaimedatidentifyingwaysinwhichjobsearchandrelatedhumanserviceprogramscanuseexecutivefunctionandself-regulationprinciplesandconceptstoimproveoutcomesforparents.Inthatvein,theyhaveprovidedthefundingforthedevelopmentofthisguideforjobsearchfacilitators.Inthedevelopmentofthismanual,wehavedrawnontheworkofRichardGuare,neuropsychologistandappliedbehavioralanalystandPegDawson,educationalpsychologist,authorsoftheSmartButScatteredseries,PhilZelazo,aneuroscientistattheUniversityofMinnesota,LaurenKenworthy,aneuropsychologistandhercolleaguesatChildren’sNationalMedicalCenter(Goal,Plan,Do,Check),SarahWardandKristenJacobsen,speechandlanguagetherapistsatCognitiveConnections(Ready,Do,Done),SilviaBunge,aneuroscientistatBerkley,andGabrieleOettingen,psychologyprofessoratNewYorkUniversityandauthorofRethinkingPositiveThinking.


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Chapter1:Introduction

TABLEOFCONTENTS

Background ................................................................................................................. 1 The Purpose of this Guide ........................................................................................... 1 The Structure of this Guide .......................................................................................... 2 Preview: Goal, Plan, Do, Review and Revise ............................................................. 3 Tables Table 1.A: What GPDRR Components Look Like When Effective ............................... 4

Chapter2:Overview GPDRRandExecutiveFunctionSkills

Introduction ................................................................................................................. 5 Executive Function Skills: What They Are and Why They Matter ............................... 5 What are Executive Function Skills? ...................................................................... 6 The Relationship between Executive Function Skills and Goal Achievement ....... 8 Context Matters: How Living in Poverty Impacts Executive Function Skills ......... 9 Tools .......................................................................................................................... 10 Tables Table 2.A: Executive Skills Defined ............................................................................. 7 Table 2.B: The Relationship between Executive Skills and Goal Achievement .......... 9

Chapter3 Goal:LookingtotheFuture

Introduction .............................................................................................................. 11 Key Concepts for Effective Goal Setting ................................................................... 11 Key Steps for Effective Goal Setting ......................................................................... 12 Key to Supporting Change ........................................................................................ 14 Tools and Resources ................................................................................................. 15


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Chapter4 Plan:DetailsMatter(ALot!)

Introduction ............................................................................................................... 17 Key Steps for Effective Planning ............................................................................... 18 Backward Mapping: A Systematic Approach to Planning ....................................... 19 Create a Roadmap: Plan Backward ................................................................... 19 Make the Plan Actionable .................................................................................... 21 Identify Obstacles and Develop Responses to Them ......................................... 22 Strategies for Reducing the Planning Burden ........................................................... 22 Tools .......................................................................................................................... 24 Tips How to Model Planning on a Daily Basis .................................................................. 23

Chapter5 Do:PuttingthePlanintoAction

Introduction ................................................................................. 25 Strategies for Supporting Participants as They “Do” Their Plans 25 Tools .......................................................................................................................... 28

Chapter6 Review/Revise:SteppingBack,MovingForward

Introduction ............................................................................................................... 29 Review ....................................................................................................................... 29 Revise ........................................................................................................................ 30 Tools .......................................................................................................................... 31 Tips Modeling “Review” ................................................................................................... 30 Helping Participants Practice “Revise” .................................................................... 31 Resources Resources ................................................................................................................. 33


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INTRODUCTION

BackgroundRecentadvancesinourunderstandingofthecorecapabilitiesthatleadtoadultsuccesshaveencouragedthedevelopmentofnewapproachesfororganizinganddeliveringhumanserviceprograms.Keycomponentsofthesecorecapabilitiesareexecutivefunctionandself-regulationskills:foundationalskillsthathelpusfocus,makedecisions,setgoals,controlimpulses,makeandexecuteplansandreviseandadjustthemwhennecessary.Theseskillsbegindevelopingearlyinlife,butaremalleableintoadulthoodandevenintooldage.Livingwithoutenoughresourcestomakeendsmeetcancompromisetheseskillsandgrowingupinhighlystressfulenvironmentscanimpacttheirlong-termdevelopment.Thegoodnewsisthatwecandesignourprogramstocompensateforweakexecutivefunctionandself-regulationskillsandprovideopportunitiestobuildthemovertimethroughpractice,practiceandmorepractice. Thismanualtakespracticalsolutionsdevelopedbyexecutivefunctionexpertsforuseprimarilyinschoolsandadaptsthemforuseinjobsearchandhumanserviceprograms.Wehaveintegratedvariousapproachesintoonecomprehensiveadaptablefive-stepframework--Goal,Plan,Do,ReviewandRevise(GPDRR)thatmakesexplicitthestepsthatleadtosuccessfulgoalachievement.

ThePurposeofthisGuideThismanualprovidesguidanceforgroupjobsearchinstructorsandfacilitatorstointegratetheGPDRRframeworkintoexitstingjobsearchassistanceprograms.Thisguideisdesignedtoprovideinfromationonthecoreelementsthatcontributetosuccessfulgoalachievementandconcreteideasforhowtousethatinformationtoenhanceexistingprograms.Itisnotintendedtoreplacecurrentcurricula.Thestrategiespresentedherecanbeusedinsmallgroupsettingsorforindividualdiscussions.Althoughexplicitlydesignedwithgroupjobsearchprogramsinmind,alloftheinformationandstrategiespresentedherearerelevantforandeasilyadaptedforindividualworkwithprogramparticipants.GPDRRusesevidenceonthemosteffectiveapproachestogoalachievementtocreateagoal-achievmentframeworkthatcanbeemployedinemploymentandotherhumanserviceprograms,regardlessoftheirstructure.Indoingso,itprovidesasetofadaptablestrategiesandtoolstoguideparticipantsthroughastructuredprocessforsettingandachievinggoalsandprovidesexplicitwaysinwhichyoucansupportparticipantswhentheirfoundationalskillsareweak.Byintegratingtheprocessesandtoolsprovidedhereintoyourjobsearchprogram,youcanhelpmakeeffectivegoal-achievementahabitthattranslatesintoeveryaspectofparticipants’livesastheytoembarkonapathtothesuccessthattheyseek.TheGPDRRframeworkworksbestwhenusedinitsentirety,againandagain:setagoal,craftadetailedplan,puttheplanintoaction,reviewandrevise.Eachstepbuildsonthelastandleads


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tothenext.Formanyprograms,thisprocesswillseemfamiliar–anditis.Whatlikelywillbedifferentistheadherencetoanexpicitsequenceandstrategyforapprachingeachstepthatmaydeviatefromyourcurrentapproach.Inaddition,thedirectlinkwemakebetweeneachofthestepsoftheprocessandtheexecutivefunctionskillsthatoneusestocompletethemwillprovidegreaterinsightintostrategiesyoucanemploytoincreaseindividuals’chancesofsucceeding.Executivefunctionskillsarebuiltovertimethroughpracticeinthesettingsinwhichtheywillbeused,butwhentheyareweak,youcanmodifytasksortheenvironementandprovideadditionalsupporttoreducethelikelihoodthatweakskillswillgetinthewayofsuccess.Thismanualandtheactivitiesthataccompanyitprovidesuggestionsforwaysinwhichyoucanworktobuildskillswhilesimultaneoulsymakingmodificationstotasksandprocessestoincreasethechancesofsuccess.Wecannotstressenoughtheimportanceofestiablishingroutinesandbuildingpracticeintoyourprogram–executivefunctionskillsarebuiltovertimeandbyrepeatedpractice.

TheStructureofthisGuideThisguideisdesignedtoprovideyouwith:(1)backgroundinformationthatwillhelpyoutounderstandthelinkbetweengoalachievementandexecutivefunctionskills,(2)aspecific(butadaptable)approachtogoalachievementthatbuildsonwhatweknowaboutthefactorsthatincreasethelikelihoodthatindividualswillsuccessfullyachievetheirgoalsand(3)specifictoolsthatyoucanusetoimplementtheframeworkinyourprogram.Wehavedividedtheguideintotwoparts.ThispartprovidesanoverviewofGPDRRandtheexecutivefunctionskillsunderlyingitandthenintroduceseachofitscoreelements.ThecompanionActivityandResourceManualprovidesactivitiesyoucanusetointegrateGPDRRintoyourjobsearchprogramandtoolsforusebyprogramparticipants,eitherontheirownorwithguidancefromyou.

GPDRR and SMART Goals ForthoseprogramsthatcurrentlyuseSMART(Specific,Measurable,Achievable,RelevantandTime-Limited)goals,GPDRRoffersanenhancedapproachtogoalachievementthatiscompletelycompatiblewithSMARTgoals.SMARTgoalsfocusexplicitlyonhelpingindividualstoensurethattheyhavea“good”goal–onethatresearchshowswillincreasethechancesofsuccessfullyachievingthegoal.GPDRRgoesfurtherbyfocusingexplicitlyonwhathappensafteragoalisset,increasingthechancesofsuccessevenmore,especiallyforindividualswhosefoundationalskillsmaybeweakorcompromised.


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InChapter2,wepresentanoverviewoftheGPDRRframework,anintrodutiontoexecutivefunctionskillsandadesciptionofthelinkbetweengoalachievementandexecutivefunctionskills.Thischapterlaysthegroundworkforthemoredetailedpractice-orientedinformationthatispresentedinthenextfourchapters.Inchapters2-5,wedescribeeachpartoftheGPDRRframeworkindepthsoyoucanidentifythebestopportunitieswithinyourprogramtomodelthemandprovideopportunitiesforparticipantstopracticethemoverandoveragain.

• Chapter3focusesonhelpingparticipantssetmeaningfulgoalsthatarechallengingbutachievable.

• Chapter4delvesdeeplyinhowyoucanhelpparticipantsuse“backwardmapping”todevelopactionableplansthatwillincreasetheirchancesofsuccessfully“doing”theplan.

• Chapter5focusesonstrategiesyoucanusetosupportprogramparticipantsastheydotheirplanssothatweakfoundationalskillsdon’tgetinthewayofsuccess.

• Chapter6focusesontheimportanceofreviewingandrevisinggoalsandplansonaregularbasisandprovidesstrategiesfordoingso.

Preview:Goal,Plan,Do,ReviewandReviseGoal,Plan,Do,Review,andRevise(GPDRR)isafive-stepgoalachievementframeworkthat,ifpracticedregularlyandwithfidelity,willbuildexecutivefunctionskillsandmakesettingandachievinggoalseasier–andmoreeffective.Thefivestepsalwayshappeninthesameorder:

• Goal:Setagoal–somethinganindividualwantstoaccomplishandiswithintheirreach• Plan:Createaroadmapforhowtoachievethegoalandidentifyobstaclesandsolutions• Do:Puttheplanintoaction• Review:Assesswhatwasachievedandwhatwasn’t;assesstheneedforchange• Revise:Makeanewplan,modifyanexistinggoalorsetanewgoal

TableI.Ashowswhateachofthecomponentslooklikewhentheyareimplementedeffectively.Ourhopeisthatprogramparticipantswillhavetheopportunitytopracticethisroutineoverandovertosetandachievegoals–fromsmaller,routinegoalslikeshoppingforgroceriestobigger,long-termgoalslikegettingajobandkeepingitorenrollinginschoolandstickingwithituntilcompletion.YoucanencouragerepeatedpracticebymodelingGPDRRinworkshopsthatyoufacilitate,buildingguidedpracticeintoyourworkshopsessionsandencouragingasmuchindependentpracticeaspossible.ExamplesofhowyoucandothisareprovidedintheActivityandResourceManual.


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Table 1.A: What GPDRR Components Look Like When Effective Goal Characteristicsofgoalsthathavethegreatestchanceofsuccess:

• Meaningful• Challengingbutwithinreach• Specific

Yourroleasafacilitator:• Guideparticipantstogettoaheartfelt,achievablegoal• Guideparticipantstoimaginewhatsuccesslooksandfeelslike

Plan Characteristicsofaneffectiveplan:• Specific(e.g.,includingdate,time,location,etc.andwrittendown)• Brokendownintosmallsteps• Assimpleaspossible• Identifiesobstaclesandsolutionsforaddressingthem

Yourroleasafacilitator:• Modelandteachhowtodevelopaneffectiveplan• Helpparticipantstoidentifyobstaclesandsolutions• Developready-madeplansforcommontasks• Practiceplanningasoftenaspossible

Do Participantskillstosuccessfullyputaplanintoaction:• Rememberingwhatneedstogetdone• Gettingstartedandstickingwithituntilitsdone• Managingtimeandstayingorganized• Managingstress• Avoidingdistractionsandcompetingdemands

Yourroleasafacilitator:• Createrealisticexpectations;buildskillswheneverpossible• Simplifytaskstomakethemeasier• Provideremindersandsupportparticipantssetremindersforthemselves• Anticipateobstacles• Rehearsedifficultsituations;• Buildtimeforindependentpracticeintoprogramdesign

Review Learningbydoingrequires:• Assessingprogressregularly• Identifyingachievements• Identifyingwhatcouldbedonedifferently

Yourroleasafacilitator:• Encourageself-reflection• Buildintimetoregularlyassessprogress

Revise Embracingchangerequires:• Recognizingthatabandoninggoalsandrefiningplansisaregularandnecessarypart

ofthegoalachievementprocess• Flexibility–abilitytoletgoofgoalsandplansthataren’tworking

Yourroleasafacilitator:• Provideanenvironmentthatencouragesandsupportschange• Makechangingplansandrevisinggoalsroutine


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CHAPTER 2: THE GPDRR FOUNDATION GPDRR and Executive Function Skills IntroductionExecutivefunctionskillsareatthecoreofgoalachievement.Theyplayasignificantroleindeterminingwhetherwesucceedatschool,parentingandwork.Becausegoalachievementiseffortfulwork,itplacessignificantdemandsonourexecutivefunctionskills.Onewaytoreducethosedemandsistocreateroutines–likeGPDRR--thatwecanuseoverandoveragain.Throughrepeatedpractice,routinesrequirelessandlesseffort–andtheybuildskillsintheprocess.Structuredjobsearchprogramsprovideanidealsettingforbuildingroutinesbecauseofthefrequencywithwhichstaffinteractwithparticipantsandtheopportunitiestheyprovidetobuild,modelandpracticetheskillsparticiantsneedtosuccesfullyachievetheirgoals.GPDRRcanbeusedinindividualinteractionswithparticipants,butthosedon’ttendtooccurwiththesamefrequencyasgroupjobsearchinteractions–themoreGPDRRisused,thebetter.

ExecutiveFunctionSkills:WhatTheyAreandWhyTheyMatterAgrowingbodyofresearchhighlightstheimportantrolethatexecutivefunctionskillsplayinhelpingadultsachievesuccessintheworkplaceandathome.1Theyaretheskillsthathelpustocarryoutday-to-daytasksandachievelifegoalsthatareimportantandmeaningfultous.Theyaretheskillsthathelpusplan,controlourresponsestothingsandmonitorouractions.Theyalsoaretheskillsthatweusetorememberimportantinformationandfollowmulti-step

1 CenterontheDevelopingChildatHarvardUniversity(2016).BuildingCoreCapabilitiesforLife:TheScienceBehindtheSkillsAdultsNeedtoSucceedinParentingandtheWorkplace.Retrievedfromwww.developingchild.harvard.edu.


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processesorinstructions.Executivefunctionskillsbegindevelopinginearlychildhoodandtheirnaturaldevelopmentendsataboutthemid-20’s.However,theycanbeimprovedthroughpracticeandusethroughoutadulthood.Thisintroductionisintendedtohelpyouunderstandtheimportantrolethatexecutivefunctionskillsplayingoalachievement,butyoudonotneedtobecomeanexpertonexecutivefunctiontoeffectivelyuseGPDRR.ByimplementingGPDRR,youareencouragingtheuseofexecutivefunctionskills,creatinganenvironmentthatrecognizeshoweasilytheseskillsaretaxed,providingsupportwhentheyareweak,andbuildingthemthroughpractice. WhatareExecutiveFunctionSkills?Whilethereisn’tonestandarddefinitionofexecutivefunctions,mostresearchersagreetheyareasetofcognitiveskillsthathelpusorganizeandmanageourresourcesandsetandachievegoals,makingthemessentialskillsforadultsuccess.Asastartingpointforunderstandinghowwecoulduseexecutivefunctionconceptsandprinciplestoenhancetheworkofjobsearchandotherhumanserviceprograms,weconsultedwithDr.RichardGuare,aneuropsychologistandcertifiedbehavioranalystwhohaswrittennumerousbooksonexecutivefunctionwithhisco-author,PegDawson.(GuareandDawsonusetheterm“executiveskills”ratherthanexecutivefunctionskillsintheirwork.Becausewedrawsoheavilyontheirwork,weoftenusetheirterminologyinthisguide.)Theirworkdrawsonyearsofdevelopingandimplementingpracticalstrategiestohelpchildren,adolescentsandyoungadultswithexecutiveskillweaknessestosuccessfullysetandachievetheirgoals.

Broadlyspeaking,the12executiveskillsthatarethefocusofGuareandDawson’swork(seeTableI.A)fallintothreebroadcategories:

• Planning.Planning,organization,andtimemanagementareasetofrelatedskillsthathelpustocreatearoadmaptogetfromwherewearetowherewewanttogo.

• Self-control.Thereareanumberofdifferentexecutiveskillsthatwedrawupontodirectourbehaviortowardsthelong-termgoalswewanttoachieve.Whenwelackself-control,wetendtobeverypresent-oriented,focusingonlyonwhatisimmediatelyvyingforourattention.Individualswithlimitedresourceoftenarepresented-orientedbecauseittakesalloftheirattentionalresourcestomeettheirday-to-dayneeds.

• Monitoring.Regularlyassessingourbehavioriswhatallowsustolearnfromourexperiencesandtomakeadjustmentsifthingsarenotgoingthewaywewouldlike.

Onewaytobetterunderstandexecutiveskillsandtheimportantroletheyplayinouradultlivesistocompletetheexecutiveskillsprofiletounderstandyourownexecutiveskillsstrengthsandweaknesses–andtoconsiderhowyoumightusesuchinformationinyourprogram.Youcanfindanelectronicversionhere(withinstructionsandascoresheetincluded)andyoucanfindapapercopyintheActivityandResourceManual(Chapter6).


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TABLE2.AExecutiveSkillsDefined

Planning

Planning+

Prioritization

Decidingwhatstepstotake.Theabilitytocreatearoadmaptoreachagoalortocompleteatask.Italsoinvolvesbeingabletomakedecisionsaboutwhatisimportanttofocusonandwhatisnotimportant.

Organization

KnowingwhereIputthings.Theabilitytocreateandmaintainsystemstokeeptrackofinformationormaterials.

Time

Management

Knowabouthowlongataskwilltakeandwhatthedeadlineis.Thecapacitytoestimatehowmuchtimeonehas,howtoallocateit,andhowtostaywithintimelimitsanddeadlines.Italsoinvolvesasensethattimeisimportant.

Self-Control

TaskInitiationGettingstartedwithoutadelay.Theabilitytobeginprojectswithoutundueprocrastination,inanefficientortimelyfashion.

ResponseInhibition

SeeingtheconsequencebeforeIsayordosomething.Thecapacitytothinkbeforeyouact–thisabilitytoresisttheurgetosayordosomethingallowsusthetimetoevaluateasituationandhowourbehaviormightimpactit.

EmotionalControl

Keepingmycoolwhenfrustrated.Theabilitytomanageemotionsinordertoachievegoals,completetasks,orcontrolanddirectbehavior.

SustainedAttention

Payingattention,evenwhenIdon’tfeellikeit.Thecapacitytomaintainattentiontoasituationortaskinspiteofdistractibility,fatigue,orboredom.

StressTolerance

Managingyourstress.Theabilitytoworkinstressfulsituationsandtocopewithuncertainty,change,andperformancedemands.

Goal-Directed

Persistence

Stickingwithyourgoal.Thecapacitytohaveagoal,followthroughtothecompletionofthatgoal,andnotbeputoffordistractedbycompetinginterests.

Monitoring and Self-Reflection

WorkingMemory

RememberingwhatIdidandwhatIneedtodo.Theabilitytoholdinformationinmemorywhileperformingcomplextasks.Itincorporatestheabilitytodrawonpastlearningorexperiencetoapplytothesituationathandortoprojectintothefuture.

Metacognition

Evaluatinghowyou’redoing.Theabilitytostandbackandtakeabird'seyeviewofyourselfinasituation,toobservehowyouproblem-solve.Italsoincludesself-monitoringandself-evaluativeskills(e.g.,askingyourself"HowamIdoing?"or"HowdidIdo?")

Flexibility

Goingwiththeflow,acceptingchange.Theabilitytoreviseplansinthefaceofobstacles,setbacks,newinformation,ormistakes.Itrelatestoadaptabilitytochangingconditions.


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TheRelationshipbetweenExecutiveSkillsandGoalAchievement

Executiveskillsareimportantbecausetheyaretheskillsweneedtobefuture-oriented.Thus,theyplayacriticalroleinhelpingustosetandachieveourgoals.Successfulgoalachievementrequiresthatourbehaviorbepurposeful,whichiswhatmakesiteffortful.Bybetterunderstandingthelinkbetweenexecutiveskillsandgoalachievement,wecanbemoredirectedandmoreeffectiveinhowwedeliverservicesandprovidesupport.AsTableI.Bshows,theexecutiveskillsweusewhenwearesettingorreviewingandrevisingagoalaredifferentthantheskillsweusetodevelopaplanortoputtheplanintoaction.Below,wehighlighttheexecutiveskillsthatwedrawuponforeachcomponentofGPDRR.

• Goal:Whensettingagoal,weuseworkingmemorytorememberpastexperiencesandmetacognitiontoevaluatethoseexperiences.That’swhathelpsustocomeupwithgoalsthataremeaningful–weavoidthingsthatwedon’tlikeanddomoreofwhatmotivatesustomoveforward.

• Plan:Whendevelopingaplantoachieveagoal,wedrawonmultipleskills.Ourplanningandprrioritizationskillsarewhathelpustobreakagoaldownintothestepsweneedtotaketogetthere.Weuseourorganizationskillstogathertheresourcesweneedtocompleteataskandtokeeptheminaplacewherewecanfindthemwhenweneedthem.Weusetimemanagementskillstohelpusestimatehowlongataskwilltakeandtofigureoutwhenwewilldoit.Wedrawonworkingmemorytoidentifywhatelseweneedtodoandtorememberallthestepssowecanprioritizethem.

• Do:Executingaplandrawsonmanyexecutiveskills,buttheyallinvolveself-controlwhichiswhatittakestodirectourbehaviorinaverypurposefulway.Taskinitiationallowsustogetstartedonatask.Timemanagementallowsustowiselyusethetimewehaveavailable.Responseinhibitionallowsustoavoiddistractionsandstayfocusedonthetaskathand.Sustainedattentionhelpsustostickwithataskuntilitiscomplete.Goal-directedpersistencehelpsustocompleteeachstepalongthewayuntilwe’vereachedourgoalandtostickwiththegoalevenwhenthegoinggetsrough.Stressmanagementhelpsustonotgettoooverwhelmedwhenfacedwithcompetingdemandsandtoproactivelyidentifywaystoreducethestressinourlives.Emotionalcontrolhelpustokeepouremotionsincheck.Whenweencouterstumblingblocks,itiscognitiveflexibilitythatallowsustoproblem-solvetokeepusontrack.

• Review:Whenreviewingourprogresstowardsagoal,weareonceagaindrawingprimarilyonworkingmemoryandmetacognitionskillswhichhelpustorememberwhatwedid(ordidn’tdo)andwhyandassesswhatdidandddn’twork.

• Revise:Whenrevisingagoal,wedrawoncognitiveflexibilityasthatistheskillthatallowsustoabandongoalsthataretoohardornolongermeaningfultousandcomeupwithnewgoals–ortodevelopanewplanifthepreviousonedidn’tproducetheresultswehadhopedfor.Wealsodrawheavilyonmetacognitionbecausewearediggingdeeperintowhatmatterstousandusingittoplanforthefuture.


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Table 2.B: The Relationship between Executive Skills and Goal Achievement

Executive Skills

Goal Metacognition,workingmemory

Plan Planning/prioritization,timemanagement,workingmemory

Do Taskinitiation,responseinhibition,timemanagement,sustainedattention,workingmemory,flexibility,organization,persistence,stresstolerance,emotionalcontrol,cognitiveflexibility

Review Metacognition,workingmemory

Revise Flexibility,Metacognition

ContextMatters:HowLivinginPovertyImpactsExecutiveSkillsExecutiveskillsareinfluencedbythecontextinwhichweliveourlives.Theimpactofpovertyonadults’executiveskillsbeginsinearlychildhoodandcontinuesintoadulthood.Understandinghowpovertyimpactsthedevelopmentanduseofexecutiveskillsprovidesimportantinsightsintowhygoalachievementissochallengingformanyjobsearchparticipantsandhelpstoidentifywhyusinganexecutive-functioninformedapproachtogoalsettingmayleadtobetteroutcomes.Herearefourwaysinwhichpovertyimpactsexecutiveskills:

Exposuretohighlevelsofstressinchildhood.Livinginpovertyduringchildhoodcanhaveprofoundandlifelongconsequencesforchildren.Oneofthehallmarksoflivinginpovertyasachildisthatitexposeschildrentohighlevelsofstresscausedbynothavingenoughtoeat,nothavingastableplacetolive,orbeingexposedtoviolence,forexample.Whenchildrenexperiencetoomuchongoingstress–commonlyreferredtoastoxicstress—itchangestheirbrainarchitecturewhichimpairsthedevelopmentofexecutivefunctionskills.Thisinturncanhavealifelongimpactontheirhealthandeconomicoutcomesasadults.

Livingunderconditionsofscarcity--the“bandwidth”tax.Evenifanindividualdidnotgrowuppoor,livinginpovertyasanadultcanhaveaprofoundimpactontheirexecutivefunctionskills,Livingwithoutenoughresourcestomakeendsmeet–underconditionsofchronicscarcity—imposesa“bandwidthtax”whichreducesthecognitiveresourcesthatindividualshaveavailabletodevotetoactivitiesaimedatachievinglong-termgoals.SendilMullainathanandEldarShafir,authorsofScarcity:WhyHavingTooLittleMeansSoMuch,notethatwhenpeopleliveinastateofchronicscarcity,theyhaveatendencyto“tunnel”whichcausesthemtofocusonthehere


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andnow.Thisreducesindividuals’capacitytothinklogically,solvenovelproblems,andprocessinformation.Italsodiminishestheirabilitytoevaluateoptionstomakehighqualitydecisionsandimpairstheirself-controlwhichcancausethemtoactimpulsively.

IncreasedexposuretosituationsthatcompromiseEFskills.Livinginpovertyalsoputsindividualsatgreaterriskofexperiencingsituationalfactorsthatworkagainstthemexercisingtheexecutivefunctionss/heneedstofunctionathomeandintheworkplace.Someofthesefactorsincludestress,lackofexercise,lackofsleep,lackofsocialconnectionsandpoornutrition.

Addedcomplexityofaccomplishingcommonadulttasks.Finally,livinginpovertyplaceshighdemandsonindividuals’executiveskills.Limitedtransportationandchildcareoptions,constantlychangingworkhoursandschedules,andcomplicatedprocessesforobtainingandmaintainingpublicbenefitsallrequirehighlydevelopedexecutivefunctionskills.Ittakesmuchgreaterplanning,organizationandtimemanagementskillsifyouhavetogetyourkidstodaycareandyourselftoworkviapublictransportationthanviaacar,forexample.

Recognizingthetollpovertytakesonadults’executivefunctionandself-regulationskillsprovidesastartingpointforredesigningemploymentandhumanserviceprogramstoachievebetteroutcomes.Thereareanumberofstepsorganizationscantaketoredesigntheirapproachtoservicesdeliveryincluding:(1)settingrealisticexpectationsandmakingtaskseasier;(2)changingtheenvironmenttoreducethedemandonindividuals’executivefunctionskills;(3)addressingissuesthatimpairexecutivefunctionssuchasstress,lackofconnectionsandlackofexercise;(4)providingstructuresandsupportsthathelpindividualstosetgoals,andprioritizehowtodeploytheirattentionalresources;and(5)workonexplicitlybuildingexecutiveskillsbyprovidingregularopportunitiestotrainthem,challengethemandpracticetheminthecontextinwhichtheywillbeused.Organizationsalsocanreducethetollpovertytakesonindividuals’executivefunctionskillsbyreducingtheamountofscarcitywithwhichindividualsmustcontend.Providingincomesupportandtransportation,childcare,andhousingassistancecanallreducescarcity.

ToolsExecutiveSkillsProfile,Chapter6,ActivityandResourceManual(hardcopy);Executive Skills Profile, Electronic Version


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CHAPTER 2: Goal Looking to the Future

IntroductionGoalsettingisattheheartofmanyjobsearchandhumanserviceprograms.Itistheprocessofidentifyingsomethingwewanttoachievesothatouractionscanbedirectedtothataim.Settinggoalsanchorsustothefuture,buildingthemotivationthatgivesmeaningandpurposetoeachofthestepsweneedtotaketogofromwherewearetowherewewanttogo.Inshort,goalsarewhatgivedirectiontoouractions–andtoourlives.

Goalsettingisaskillthatcanbetaught.Thereisalotsciencebehindgoalsettingthatprovidesimportantinsightsintothebestapproachesforhelpingprogramparticipantssetgoalssotheymaximizetheirchancesofsuccessfullyachievingthem.Theapproachtogoalsettingthatislaidouthererecognizestheimportantroleworkingmemoryandmetacognitionplayinsettingagoal–thesearecriticalskillsthathelpustovisulaizethefutureandcontrastitwithourcurrentsituationtofigureoutwhatstepsweneedtotaketogettowherewewanttogoandtoplanaheadforwhatmightgetinthewayofoursuccess.ItdrawsheavilyonDr.GabrieleOettingen’sreseachwhichshowshowgoalsaresetmatters.2Below,wefirstprovidekeyconceptsforeffectivegoalsettingandthenlayoutthekeystepsinvolvedingoalsetting.InthecompanionActivityandResourceManual,weprovideexamplesofactivitiesthatyoucanusetomodelgoalsettingandencouragetheregularpracticeofgoalsetting.

KeyConceptsforEffectiveGoalSettingSettinggoalsisallaboutthinkingintothefuture:Whataremyhopesanddreamsforthefuture?Effectivegoal-settingisamixtureofbothscienceandart.Thesciencetellsusthecharacteristicsofgoalsthatwehavethegreatestchanceofachieving:theymustbemeaningfulandachievable.Italsoprovidesuswithguidanceonhowtohelppeoplegettoagoalthathasthosecharacteristics.But,everyindividualisdifferent.Helpingpeopletogettoameaningfulgoalthatischallenging,butfeasibleistheartofgoalsetting.Itisaboutfiguringouthowtohelpparticipantslookintothefutureandfindsomethingthatmattersenoughtomotivatethemtoputouttheeffortrequiredtoachieveit.Ifagoalisnotpersonallymeaningfultotheparticipant,

2 Oettingen,Gabriel,Ph.D.,RethinkingPositiveThinking:InsidetheNewScienceofMotivation.NewYork,NewYork:RandomHouse.2014.


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theyareunlikelytostickwithittotheend.Whensomethingmattersdeeplytous,thatiswhatprovidesthemotivationthatpropelsusforwardandhelpsustostayfocusedwhensomanyotherthingsarevyingforourattention.Hereisasummaryofthecharacteristicsofgoalsthathavethegreatestchanceofbeingachieved:

• Meaningfulandmotivating.Goalsneedtobepersonallymeaningful.Whenwecomeup

withourowngoals,wearemorelikelytobemotivatedtostickwiththemtotheend.Iftheyarenotmeaningfultous,wewillabandonthemwhenthegoinggetsrough.Buildingmotivationisaboutlookingintothefutureandthinkingaboutthe“why”ofthegoal–whyitmatterstomeandhowIwillfeelifIaccomplishit.

• Challenging,butfeasible.Effectivegoalsrequireustoputoutmorethanausualamountofeffort,buttheymuststillbewithinourreach.Ifgoalsaretooeasy,theyarenotmotivatingenoughforustostickwiththem.Iftheyaretoohard,weabandonthemoutoffrustration.Itisnotunsualforittotakesometimetogettoagoalthatisbothchallengingandfeasible(aswellasmeaningful).Settinggoals–andabandoningsomeofthemalongtheway—isallapartofself-discoveryandanormalpartoftheprocessoffiguringoutwherewewanttogoandwhatweneedtodotogetthere.

• Specific.Wearemorelikelytoachieveourgoalsiftheyarespecific,whichmeansthatwehaveacleartargetforwhichweareaiming.“Iwanttogetajob”isavaguegoal.“Iwanttogetajobatanursinghomewithin15minutesofmyhousebytheendofthemonth”isaspecificgoal.

KeyStepsforGettingtoEffectiveGoalSettingResearchprovidesthefollowinginsightintothemosteffectivestrategyforhelpingindividualstosetameaningfulgoalthatiscahllenging,butfeasible.

• Startwiththefuture.Employmentprogramsoftenstartthegoalsettingprocessby

havingparticipantsassesstheircurrentsituationorexaminetheirpastexperiences.Theresearchoneffectivegoalsettingsuggestsadifferentapproach–startwiththefuture.Startbyhavingparticipantsthinkaboutsomethingtheywanttoaccomplish--somethingthatmatterstothem,isalittlebitchallenging(notsomethingtheywouldalreadydoautomatically)andisfeasibleforthemtocompletewithinaspecifiedtimeframe.

• Startwitharealistic(short)timeframe.Programparticipantsoftenarestumpedwhenweaskthemwhattheiridealjobisorwherethey’dliketobefiveyearsfromnow.Amoreeffectivestrategyistoaskthemtosetagoaltheycanaccomplishinamuchshortertimehorizonandwithinaspecificcontext.Forexample:Whatwouldyouliketoaccomplishbytheendoftheweek?Whatwouldyouliketoaccomplishinthisworkshop?Whatwouldyouliketoaccomplishbythetimethisprogramendsinfourweeks?Youcanusetheprogramgoalstoanchoraparticipant’sgoalsandthetimeframeforcompletingthegoals.

• Startwithsmallergoals.Manyparticipantsarenotimmediatelyreadytoidentifyandtakeonbiggoalsortheymighttakeonagoalthatistoobigandfail.Onewaytoget


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participantsstartedonagoalachievementpathistostartsmall.Inadditiontostartingwithashorttimeframe,youcansetinitialexpectationsthatyouknowanindividualcanachieve.Thisisespeciallyimportantfortasksthatindividualsfindchallenging.Ifyoubuildupthetimeparticipantsspendonchallengingtasks,youcanhelpparticipantstoachievesomeearlysuccessesthatcanpreparethemtotacklemorechallengingorunpleasnttaskslater.Forexample,insteadofaskingparticipantstodo20hoursofjobsearchimmediatelyontheirown,youcouldaskthemtoapplyforjustonejobeachday.Youcouldalsobeginbydoingtheapplicationswiththem,thenhavethemdooneortwoontheirown.Ifanapplicationwilltakealongtimetocomplete,askparticipantstospendaspecifiedamountoftimeonit,notworryingabouthowmuchtheycomplete.

• VisualizetheOutcome.Itisnotenoughforpeopletosimplynameagoal–theyneedtovisualizeitsotheycanseeitandfeelit.Visualizingisimaginingthatthegoalhasalreadybeenachieved.Itiswhatcreatesalinkbetweenanindividual’spresentrealityandtheirfuture.Ithelpstomakethegoalfeelrealandbuildsmotivationtoachieveit.

• Writethegoaldownand/orshareit.Writingagoaldownhelpstofurtherembeditinourmindandincreasesthechanceswewillachieveit.Publiclysharingitfurtherincreasesourcommitmenttocompletingthegoal,butpeopleshouldbeinvited,notforcedtosharetheirgoal.Asafacilitator,sharingagoalofyourowncanhelpparticipantstorecognizethatsettinggoalsissomethingwealldo.

• Displaythegoalinaprominentplace.Youcanencourageparticipantstoposttheirendgoalinaprominentplaceasareminderof“why.”Ataskthatmustbeachievedtoreachthegoalmaygetlostifitdoesn’tseemthatimportant.Onewaytoincreasethesalienceofataskistofindwaystohaveparticipantslinkeachtasktothegoalforwhichtheyareaiming.Thiscanhelptobuildmotivationtocompletetasksthatdon’thaveanimmediatepayofforareunpleasant.

WhataboutSMARTGoals?Theconceptsandprocessoutlinedherearedifferent,butcompatiblewithSMARTgoals.SMARTgoalsserveasachecktoensurethatthegoalisa“good”goal.Butthatisonlythefirststepofaneffectivegoalsettingprocess.Oncesomeonehasidentifiedagoalthatischallenging,butfeasible,theyneedaplanforHOWtheywillachieveit.Thatisthesubjectofthefollowingchapters.


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Keys to Supporting Change Researchhasshownthatwhatmotivatespeopleisemotion,notinformation.That’swhyitissoimportanttoworkwithprogramparticipantstosettheirowngoalsandtohavethemvisualizetheoutcomes.Weoftenfloodpeoplewithinformation,butmuchofithasnomeaningbecauseitisnotconnectedtothingsthatmattertothem.TheHeathbrothers,authorsofthebookSwitchusetheanalogyofanelephantandarider(seetheillustrationbelow)toillustratewhatittakestobringaboutchange.Theelephantrepresentsemotionsandtheriderrepresentsinformationorourrationalside.Tobringaboutchange,youhavetoreachboththeriderandtheelephant–andyoualsohavetoclearthepath.TheHeathbrothershaveidentifiedthreekeyelementstosuccessfullybringaboutchange(i.e.,makea“switch”):1. Directtherider.Changeiseasierwhenyouknowthedestination–that’swhyitisimportantto

helppeopletoidentifygoalsthattheycareaboutandarewithintheirreach.It’salsoimportanttorememberthatsmallstepsmatter.Theyarewhatleadtotheendgoal.Startingsmallisbetterthannotstartingatall.

2. Motivatetheelephant.Knowingsomethingisn’tenoughtobringaboutchange.Feelingsarewhatleadtochange.Peopleneedtobeabletoimaginewhatitwillfeelliketoachievetheirgoal.Thefeelingiswhatmakestheprospectofchangerealandwhatmotivatespeopletostickwithagoaloverthelong-term–andwhenthegoinggetsrough.

3. Shapethepath.Thepathofdisadvantagedparentsoftenisfilledwithobstacles.Programscan

achievegreatersuccessiftheysmooththepathasmuchaspossible–andprovidesupporttohelpparentsidentifydetourswhentheyencounterpotholesthattheythinkareinsurmountable.

Adaptedfrom:Heath,ChipandDanHeath.Switch:HowtoChangeThingsWhenChangeisHard.BroadwayBooks,2010.Heathbrothers.com


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Tools FromthecompanionActivityandResourceManual:

• Worksheet:SetaGoal,Chapter1• Worksheet:GoalStorming,Chapter2


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CHAPTER 3: PLAN Planning and Prioritization: Details Matter (A Lot) IntroductionJobsearchfacilitatorsandcasemanagerscanplayamajorroleinprovidingsupportovertimetohelpparticipantsbecomereallygoodplanners–acriticalexecutivefunctionskillthatisatthecoreofsuccessfulgoalachievement.Thetaskofcreatingaroadmaptoreachagoal,makingdecisionsaboutwhatismostimportant,estimatinghowlongeachstepwilltake,thinkingaheadaboutwhatcouldgowrongrequiresalotofeffort.Weoftendon’tgivethiscriticalskillasmuchattentionasitdeserves.And,whileitmightseemlikeittakesalotoftime,itwillbetimewellspentasagoodplancansignificantlyreducethedemandonaparticipant’sexecutivefunctionskillstherebyincreasingthechancethattheywillfollowthroughwithcompletingtheplan.Awell-crafted,detailedplanalsoworksasaself-controldeviceasresearchshowsthatindividualsaremuchmorelikelytofollowthroughwithatask(whichoftenmeansignoringcompetingdemands)iftheyhavewrittendownthedetailsandhavethoughtthroughhowtheywillrespondtoobstaclesbeforetheyoccur.

Keytohelpingparticipantsdevelopstrongplanningskillsisdevelopingasystematicapproachtoplanningandusingitoverandoveragain.Participantswhoexperiencearepeatedprocessaremorelikelytouseitontheirown.Planningdrawsonseveralexecutivefunctionskills,includingorganization,timemanagement,workingmemory,andflexibility,allofwhicharesupportedintheplanningapproachoutlinedinthischapter.Developingawell-crafted,detailedplaninvolvesthreekeysteps:

1. Developaroadmaponhowtogetfromwhereyouaretowhereyouwanttogo.Thekeytodevelopinganeffectiveplanisbreakinggoalsdownintosmaller,manageablestepsthatprovidearoadmaptogetfromwherewearenowtowherewewanttogo.

2. Maketheplanactionable.Inorderforaplantobeeffective,itneedstobeveryspecific.Theroadmaplaysoutthebigpicture,butsuccessfulimplementationoftheplanrequireslayingoutthespecificdetailsofwhen,whereandhoweachstepwillbecompleted.Adetailed,writtenactionplangreatlyreducesthedemandonexecutive


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functionskills,especiallyworkingmemory.Itcanalsohelpwithtaskinitiation,sustainedattentionandgoal-directedpersistencewhicharecriticalforeffectively“doing”theplan.

3. Identifypotentialobstaclesandsolutionstothem.Itiseasyforthedemandsofourday-to-daylivestogetinthewayofachievingourgoals.Thus,planningaheadforobstaclesthatmightgetinthewayisakeycomponentofplanning.Whenweplanaheadforwhatwewilldowhenobstaclesoccur,theplanisalreadyembeddedinourminds,makingitmorelikelythatwewillactuallyrespondinthewaywehaveplanned.Theapproachwehavelaidouthereexplicitlylinkstheresolutionofbarrierstothegoalsanindividualwantstoachieveratherthanattemptingtoresolveallofthematonceinavacuum.Whenprogramsattempttohelpparticipantsresolvealloftheirbarriers,theparticipantandprogramstaffoftenbecomeoverwhelemedandmaynotmakemuchprogress.Tyingbarrierresolutiondirectlytohelpingaparticipantachievetheirgoalsdoestwokeythings:(1)prioritizesthebarriersthatneedtoberesolvedand(2)providesthemotivationfortakingstepstoresolvethem.

KeyTipsforEffectivePlanning• Breakbiggergoalsintosmallmanageablesteps.Achievinglong-termgoalscanseemlike

animpossibility.Onewaytomakethemnotseemsofaroffandcomplicatedtoachieveistobreakthemdownintosmall,concretesteps.

• Identifytheresourcesneededtocompletetheplan.Effectiveplansnotonlyidentifythestepsthatparticipantsneedtotake,butalsoidentifytheresourcestheyneedtocompletethesteps.Forexample,toapplyforsubsidizedchildcare,participantsusuallyneedacopyoftheirchild’sbirthcertificate.

• Writeplansdown.Individualsaremorelikelytofollowthroughwithplansiftheyarewrittendownandrehearsedbeforetheyareactedupon.

• Streamlineactionplanssotheyhaveasfewstepsaspossible--threestepsisideal,butmaynotalwaysbefeasible.

• Createready-madeplansforcommontaskstoreducetheplanningburdenonparticipants.Thisimmediatelyreducesthecognitivedemandsonaparticipant,freeinguplimitedresourcestocompletetasksthatcanhelptopropelthemforward.

• Helpparticipantstoidentifyobstaclesandstrategiesforovercomingthembeforetheobstaclesoccur.Ifwehavethoughtaboutobstaclesandcreatedaplanforwhattodoiftheyoccur,wearemuchmorelikelytoovercometheobstacle.Itismuchmoredifficulttodevelopastrategyforovercominganobstaclewhenitisdirectlyinfrontofyouandmostlikelycreatingstressforyou.

• Themoredetailedthebetter.Makesureplansaddressthefollowing:o WhatwillIdo?o WhenwillIdoit?o WhowillIdoitwith?o WherewillIdoitandhowwillIgetthere?


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o WhatresourceswillIneedtocompletethetask?o WhatobstaclesmightIencounterandwhatcanIdotoavoidthemoraddress

them?

BackwardMapping:ASystematicApproachtoPlanningOnesystematicapproachtoplanningisaprocesscalledbackwardmapping.Theprocesswedescribebelowisamodifiedversionofathree-stepprocessdevelopedbyexecutivefunctionexpertsSarahWardandKristenJacobsenwhichtheycall“Ready,Do,Done.”Theprocesscanbeusedfordevelopingaplanforanygoal–nomatterhowbigorhowsmall.Theprocessstartswherethelastchapterleftoff–withagoalthatischallenging,butfeasible. CreateaRoadmap:PlanBackward

1. IdentifyandvisualizetheGoal(MyGoal!)• Visualizeagoalthatischallengingbutfeasible.(Thegoalmightbetheendofmulti-

stepprocessoritcanbeaninterimgoalonthepathtoalonger-temgoal.• Identifyatargetdateforcompletion.)

2. IdentifytheStepstoGetThere• Thisisthecoreofplanning.• Manysmallstepscanseemoverwhelming,butitisimportanttostartbynamingall

thestepstoachievethegoal.Listingallthestepshelpstomakethepathtosuccessclearer.

3. GathertheResourcestoGetReady• Gatheringresourcesaheadoftimeensuresthattheparticipantispreparedto

successfullycompletethestepstoachievethegoal.


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Hereisavisualrepresentationoftheprocess:


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Hereisanexampleofusingthebackwardmappingframeworktodevelopaplanforgettingasocialsecuritycard.(ThereareblanktemplatesandactivitiestoteachbackwardmappingtoparticipantsintheActivitiesandResourceManual.)

Example:ObtainaSocialSecurityCard

MakethePlanActionableMakingaplanactionableinvolvescreatingadetailedactionplanforaspecifiedtimeperiod.

• Identifythetimeperiodfortheplanandselectthestepstobecompletedinthattimeperiod.Long-termgoalsofteninvolvelotsofstepsoveranextendedperiod.Anactionplantakespiecesofthebroadplanandmakesthemmorespecific.Youcanlineupthetimeperiodfortheactionplanwiththestructureofyourprogram–shortertimeframesarebetter.Timeframesshouldberealistic:longerforsome,shorterforthosewhomaybeoverwhelmedandhavenotsucceededwithpreviousplans.


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• Beclearaboutthefocusoftheactionplan.Theactionplanmayincludestepsfromseveralsimultaneousgoals(e.g.,arrangingchildcareandtransportation)oritcanfocusonjustonegoal.

• Adddetails:whenyouwilldoit,whereyouwilldoit,howyouwillgetthere,etc.• Makethestepstimebound.(e.g.,whatstepsyouwilltakeinthenextweek)• Payspecialattentiontotimemanagement.Effectivetimemanagementmeansnotonly

identifyingwhenaparticipantwillcompleteatask,butalsohowlongthetaskwilltake.Timemanagementisaskillthatcanbetaughtandisalreadyacommoncomponentofmanyjobsearchprograms.Ifyouteachtimemanagement,itmightworkbestifitprecedesaworkshoponplanning.

• Linkactionstoendgoals.Ataskthatdoesn’tseemthatimportantmaygetlost.Onewaytoincreasethesalienceofataskistofindwaystohaveparticipantslinkeachtasktothegoalforwhichtheyareaiming.Thiscanhelptobuildmotivationtocompletetasksthatdon’thaveanimmediatepayofforareunpleasant.

IdentifyObstaclesandStrategiesforAddressingThem AnimportantpartofdevelopinganeffectiveplanisanticipatingobstaclesanddevelopingcontingencyplanstoaddressthemThisputsrespondingtoobstacleson“autopilot”ratherthancrisisresponse.Therearemultiplewaystodevelopresponsestoobstacles.Twoexamplesare:

• DevelopanIf-Thenplan.Sometimesweknowthereareobstaclesthatmightgetinourway.Whenthatisthecase,itisimportanttoidentifywhatthoseobstaclesareandwhatafeasibleplanisforovercomingthem.Ifwethinkaboutaresponsetoanobstacleaheadoftime,itisquitelikelythattheresponsetotheobstaclewillhappenautomaticallybecausewe’vethoughtaboutitaheadoftime.

• DevelopandWriteDownaPlanB.Therearemanyreasonswhythebest-laidplansgoawry–kidsorfamilymemebersgetsick,carsbreakdown,workscheduleschange.Respondingtounanticipatedchangesrequiresflexibility.Akeystrategyforintegratingflexibilityintoaplanisconsideringwhatcouldgowrongandwhatanalternativeplanmightlooklike.Ifaparticipanthasworkedoutanalternativeplanaheadoftime,itwillbeeasiertoaccesswhenyou’refrustratedthatPlanAdidn’twork.

AnexampleofanactionplanformisinlcudedintheActivitiesandResourceManual.Youcanmodifyittofityourneeds.Ifit’spossible,youmightwanttoidentifywhatformsyoucurrentlyusethatcouldbereplacedwithadetailedactionform.

StrategiesforReducingthePlanningBurdenPlanningrequiresalotofeffort.Asafacilitator,youcanreducetheplanningburdenbydoingthefollowing:

• Developmodelplansforcommontasks.Therearesometasksthatmanyparticipantswillneedtocompletetoachievetheirgoals–arrangingchildcare;gettingatransportation


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stipend;enrollinginatrainingorGEDprogram;findingaworkexperiencesite,etc.Youcandeveloptheseplansaheadoftimesothatitrequireslesseffortonthepartofparticipants.Whenyouusetheplanswithparticipants,youshouldalwayswalkthemthroughtheplanbackwardssothattheyseeandexperienccehowtheplanwasdeveloped.Youcanpersonalizetheplansbygivingparticipantstheoptionsofwheretostartandfillinginthedetailsofwhen,whereandwithwhom.

• Makecommonprocessesthatyoucontrolsimpler.Simplifyprocessesthatyoucontroldowntoasfewstepsaspossible--3stepsisideal.Asyoudevelopmodelplans,youwillbegintoseewhichofyourprocessesarethemostcomplex.Thosecouldbeidealcandidatesforsimplification.

• Reducethenumberofstepsbycompletingsomestepstogether.Planswithmanystepscanoverwhelmparticipantssomuchthattheynevergetstarted.Onewaytoreducethenumberofstepsistocompleteasmanystepsaspossiblewiththeparticipants.Thiswillmakethemfeelliketheyaremakingprogressbeforetheyevenleaveyouroffice.Forinstance,inthesocialsecuritycardexample,youcanreducethenumberofstepsaparticipanthastotaketogetasocialsecuritycardbydoingthefollowing:(1)providingtheparticipantwithacopyoftheapplicationandhelpingthemcompleteitorhavingthemcompleteitbeforetheyleavetheoffice;(2)identifyingtheaddressoftheofficewheretheyneedtosubmittheapplicationandhelpingthemfigureouthowtheywillgetthere;and(3)helpingtheparticipanttocomeupwithatimewhentheycangototheofficetofiletheapplication.

How to Model Planning on a Daily Basis with Participants • Startthedaywithabackwardmappingvisualroadmapthatincludesthegoalforthe

day,thestepsthatyouwilltaketoachieveitandtheresourcesyouwilluseduringtheworkshoptocompletethesteps.

• Usegesturestophysicallywalkpeoplethroughtheplantogettothegoal,startingbypointingtothegoal,thenworkingbackwardstoshowthestepstogetthereandfinallytheresourcesyouwilluse.

• Asyoubegintoexecutetheplan,continuallyrefertothevisualrepresentationoftheplan.Forexample,asyouhandoutmaterialsthatyouwilluse,pointoutthatthesearerepresentedintheresourcestage.


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• Worksheet:BackwardMapping,Chapter1• Worksheet:MyActionPlan,Chapters1and3• Worksheet:MyShort-TermGoalAchievementPlan,Chapter1• Activity:BackwardMapping,Chapter3• Worksheet:MyRoapmap,Chapter3• Worksheet:Potholes&Detours,Chapter3• PracticingGPDRR:SettingShort-TermAchievableGoals,Chapter3• Worksheet:MilestonesBrainstormingMap,Chapter3


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CHAPTER 4: DO

Put the Plan in Action Introduction Byhelpingprogramparticipantssetgoalsthatarechallenging,meaningfulandfeasibleanddevelopingdetailedplanstoachievethem,youhavecreatedasolidfoundationforparticipantstoachievetheirgoals.But,thereismoreyoucandotoensuresuccessasparticipantsexecutetheirplans.Theresponsibilityfor“doing”theplanrestsprimarilywiththeparticipant,butyoucanstillhelptoincreasetheirchancesofsuccess.Doingtheplanisallaboutself-control–itisaboutdirectingone’sbehaviortomovetowardsonegoals–andthatmeansnotgettingderailedbyallthethingsthatcaneasilydistractusfromstayingfocusedonwhatwearetryingtoachieve.

Strategies for Supporting Participants as They “Do” Their Plan Below,weidentifyadditionalstrategiesthatyoucanusetohelpparticipants“do”theirplan.Someofthesestrategiesaimtoprovidedirectsupportwhileparticipantsaredoingtheirplanswhileotherssuggestadditionalwaysyoucanhelppreparepeopletosucceedinthe“do”phase.

• Walkthroughtheactionplanattheendoftheplanningsession.Itiseasytogetcaughtupinthedetailsofdevelopingaplan.Bywalkingthroughtheplanattheendofthesession,youcanmakesurethattheparticipantisclearaboutwhattheyneedtodoandyoucantakeonelastopportunitytoaddressanyconcernsand/oridentifystrategiestoremovebarriersthatmightgetintheway.Whenreviewingtheplan,youcanchecktomakesurethattheparticipanthasalltheresourcestheyneedtoexecutetheplan,theyknowhowtogetstarted,thetimecommitmentisreasonableandtheyfeelconfident


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theycancompletetheplan.Iftheparticipantisunclearaboutwhattheyneedtodoandworriedthattheycan’tcompletethetask,theywillhaveahardtimeinitiatingthetask.

• Helpparticipantsdeveloptheirownremindersystem.Ifparticipantsareoverwhelmedwithmeetingtheirday-to-dayneeds,theymaysimplyforgetabouttasksthatdon’thaveanimmediatepayoff.Reminderscanhelptokeepunpleasantortedioustasksonaparticipant’sradarscreen.Youcanhelpparticipantswithsmartphonestosetuparemindersystemusingtheirelectronicdevices.Forthosewithoutsmartphones,youcanhelpthemdevelopapenandpapersystem,usingacombinationofaweeklyormonthlycalendaranddailyto-dolists.Asapartofhelpingparticipantsdeveloparemindersystem,youcanalsoencouragethemtocreateato-dolisteveryeveningforthenextday.Doingachecklisteveryeveningforthenextdayhelpsanindividualtoknowwhatiscomingupsos/hecanplantheirtimeaccordingly.

• Provideregularreminders.Inadditiontoparticipants’ownremindersystems,youcansupportthembysendingreminders–throughphonecalls,textmessages,e-mailsorletters.Thiswillreducetheburdenontheparticipanttoremembereverythingtheyneedtodo.Sendingreminderswillalsosendasignalthatyouaretheretosupportthemastheyworktoachievetheirgoals.Itisimportanttodiscusswithparticipantsthekindsofremindersthatwillworkbestforthem.

• Encourageteamwork.Thelackofsocialconnectionstakesatollonaparticipants’abilitytousetheirexecutiveskillstoachievetheirgoals.Takinganactiveroleinencouragingparticipantstoworkinpairsorsmallgroupshasmanybenefits.Itcanreducesocialisolation.Itaddsapositivedimension(i.e.,spendingtimewithsomeonewhoisonasimilarpath)totasksthatmightbeunpleasantorchallengingtocomplete.Italsoprovidesabuilt-inpositivepeer-focusedaccountabilitysystem.

• Provideopportunitiestopractice.Practicewithsupportcanincreaseparticipants’confidenceaboutbeingabletocompleteatask.Oneexampleistohaveparticipantsconductanindependentjobsearchonedayaweek(ideallyonadayotherthanMondayorFriday)duringthestructuredportionofajobsearchprogram.Forexample,ina4-weekjobsearchprogram,youmightdedicateeveryThursdaytoindependentjobsearch.YoucouldthenuseWednesdaytohelpparticipantsdecidethedetailsofwhere,whenandwithwhomtheywillconducttheirjobsearchandthenuseFridaytoreviewhowtheydid.Repeatingthiseveryweekwillhelpparticipantstoanticipatethekindofproblemstheymightencounterwhentheyshifttolookingforjobsontheirownandtocomeupwithsolutionstoaddressthem.

• Modeland/orteacheffectivetimemanagement.Participantshavemanydemandsontheirtimesotimemanagementiscriticalforsuccessfullyexecutingplans.Aparticipantmayoverestimatehowlongataskwilltakewhichmayleadthemtonevergetstarted.Or,theymayhavedifficultyjugglingmultipledemandsornotseetheurgencyofcompletingaspecifictask.Onewaytohelpparticipantsbecomebetterattimemanagementistoexplicitlymodelitineverythingyoudo–andtoexplicitlyteachitifyouhavethetimetodoso.Modelingmeansassigningtimestotasksthatyoumaydoduringthedayandassessingalongthewaywhetheryouallocatedtoomuchortoolittletimetothetask.Therearemanystrategiesforteachingtimemanagementbutmostinvolve


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helpingparticipantscomeupwithasystemforkeepingtrackofcommitmentsandappointmentsthatworkforthem.

• Helpparticipantsdevelopasystemfororganizingtheirjobsearch.Conductingajobsearchrequiresasubstantialamountoforganization.Withoutasysteminplacetokeeptrackofthejobsaparticipanthasappliedforandwhatfollow-upactionstheyneedtotake,itiseasytolosetrackofwhatthey’vealreadydoneandtofeeloverwhelmediftheycan’teasilyidentifywhatactionstheyneedtotakenext.Youcansupportparticipantsbyprovidingthemwithapaperorelectronicsystemforkeepingtrackofjobsearchactivities.Mostjobsearchprogramsrequireparticipantstoturninalogoftheirjobsearchactivitiesweeklyormonthly.However,theseformsoftenaredesignedformonitoringpurposesratherthanforhelpingparticipantstomanagetheirjobsearch.Modificationstotheseformssothattheybothtrackcurrentactivitybutalsoidentifyfuturefollow-upactivitiesmayhelpparticipantswithorganizationalchallengestobettermanagetheirjobsearch.

• Provideparticipantswithanorganizationalaidsuchasaplasticaccordionfolderthattheycanusetoorganizetheirjobsearchmaterialsandotherimportantdocuments.Individualswithweakorganizationalskillsoftenstrugglewithkeepingtrackofmaterials.Theadvantageofanaccordionfolderisthatitprovidesaneasywaytokeepmultiplekindsofmaterials(e.g.,masterapplication,resumes,lettersofreferenceandjobsearchlogs)organizedinoneplace.

• Helpparticipantsthinkabouttheirenvironmenttoidentifywhatsupportstheminapositivewayandwhatderailsthem.Alargepartofsuccessfullydoingaplaninvolvesself-control.Onewaytohelpparticipantsachievebetterself-controlistohelpthemavoidsituationsthatmakeitdifficultforthemtoexertself-control,includingsocializingwithpeoplewhopushtheirbuttonsordon’tsupporttheireffortstoachievetheirgoals.Anotheristoencouragethemtoschedulethetaskstheymostwanttogetdoneatthepointinthedaywheretheyareleastlikelytobedistracted,forexample,immediatelyafterdroppingkidsoffatschool.

• Encourageparticipantstoposttheirgoalinaprominentplace.Whenindividualsarestrugglingtomakeendsmeet,itiseasytolosesightoflonger-termgoals.Onewaytokeepafocusonthosegoalsistoaskparticipantstoposttheminaprominentplace.Anotheristorevisitthemineveryinteractionyouhavewithaparticipant.

• Introduceparticipantstostressmanagementtechniques.Participantswhoareunemployedandlivingwithinadequateresourcesareunderextremeamountsofstresswhichhijackstheirattentionalresourcestofocusontheirgoals.Onewaytohelpparticipantsincreasetheirchancesofbeingabletofocusontheirgoalsistohelpthemcomeupwithstrategiestoreducestressintheirlives.Mindfulness,whichtakeslittletime,isoneeffectivestrategythatcanbeimplementedinjobsearchprogramsatlittletonocost.

• Providelotsofencouragementandfeedback.Jobsearchisinherentlyastressfulandoftendemoralizingtask.Itinvolveslotsofdrudgery,completingoneapplicationaftertheotherthataskforthesameinformationorsendingoutoneresumeaftertheother,aswellaslotsofsetbacks.Rejections,orsilence,whichisoftenevenworse,comefarmoreoftenthanjoboffers.Giventhenatureofjobsearch,itiscriticaltoprovidepositive


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encouragementandfeedbackasoftenaspossible.Recognitionforprogressorstickingwithajobsearchaftermultiplerejectionsarethekindsofsituationsthatareworthyofpositiverecognition.Ifresourcesallow,financialincentivescanbeprovided,butprogramparticipants(manyofwhomhaveexperiencedlotsoffailureandrejectionintheirlives)oftenrespondwelltobeingpraisedfortheefforttheyhaveputout.


• Worksheet:DothePlan,Chapter1• Worksheet:JobSearchTracking,Chapter4• UsefulAppstoKeepYouonTrack,Chapter4• Worksheet:WeeklyPlanningTemplate,Chapter4


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CHAPTER 5: REVIEW and REVISE Stepping Back, Moving Forward

IntroductionAchievinggoalsisaniterativeprocess.Itisnotuncommonforustosetoursightsonagoalandthendecideit’snottherightgoalafterall.Similarly,ourplansdon’talwaysworkaswellaswehopedtheywould.Itisfortheseveryreasonsthatreviewandreviseareincludedasexplicitstepsinthegoalachievementprocess.Byincludingthemfromthebeginning,changesbecomearegularpartoftheprocessandarelesslikelytobeviewedasfailures.Whenwetakeastepbacktoreviewourprogressandtothinkaboutwhatworkedwellandwhatwecoulddodifferently,wearebuildingworkingmemoryandmetacognitionskillswhicharecriticalskillsforsettinggoalsthatarechallenging,meaningfulandachievable.Whenwereflectonwhatweaccomplished(ordidn’t),wedevelopabetterunderstandingofourselveswhichallowsustobuildonourstrengthsanddevelopmoreeffectivestrategiesforovercomingourweaknesses.Itisnotenoughtosimplyreviewhowwedid,weneedtousewhatwelearnedtokeepmovingforwardtowardssomethingthatmattersdeeplytous.Themoreyouencourageparticipantstoreviewtheirprogressandmakechangeswhenneeded,themorelikelyitistobecomeaprocesstheydoregularlyontheirown.

ReviewAsafacilitator,theprimaryroleyoucanplayinhelpingprogramparticipantstoreviewtheirplansistoguidethemthroughareflectiveprocessthathelpsthemtoidentifywhatwentwellandwhattheycoulddodifferentlynexttime.Intheprocessofguidingthereflectiveconversation,youalsowanttoaskquestionsthatcangiveyouinsightintowhatgotinthewaysoyoucanprovidemoretargetedsupport.

Somequestionsthatcanhelpguidethatprocessinlcudethefollowing:

• Whatdidyouachievethisweekthatyouaremostproudof?Whatdoesthattellyouaboutyourstrengths?

• Whatdidnotgoasplanned?Whatgotintheway?o Didyouhavetroublegettingstarted?


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o Didyoufeeloverwhlemedwithwhatyouneededtodo?Whatdidyoudowhenyoufeltoverwhelmed?

o Didyouforgetwhatyouhadplannedtodo?o Didyouhavetoomanyotherthingstodo?o Didsomethingsyoudidtakelongerthanyouanticipated?

Tips for Modeling “Review”

Weoftendon’tfeelwehavethetimetopauseandreviewwhatwearedoingaswedo,butitiscriticaltoourowngrowth,andthegrowthofourclientswholearnfromwatchingus.So,setatimetoreviewhowthingsaregoing.General“review”questionsyoucanusewithaclient:• Howdoyouthinkthingsaregoingsofar?Howareyoufeelingabouttheprocess.

(Maybeprobewithwordslikeencouraged,discouraged,etc.)• Howwellwouldyousaywe’reaccomplishingwhatwesetouttodo?(Maybeprobe

withsomeclosedquestionssuchas:arewestillontrack?Isthisworkingforyou?)

Attheendofasession,itisalsoagoodideatohaveaconversationreviewingwhatyouaccomplished,askingforfeedbackonhowthingswentand,ifadditionalsessionswillfollow,makinganychangestothenextday’sschedulebasedonhowthedaywent.

ReviseTherevisestepiscriticalbecauseitprovidesanopportunitytousewhataparticipantlearnedtotakethenextstep.Dependingonwhatyouuncoverduringthereviewprocess,therevisestepcouldtakeoneofthreepaths:

• Developmentofupdatedactionsteps.Ifanindividualsuccessfullyexecutedtheiractionplan,youwanttohelpthemidentifythenextstepstheyneedtotaketomakeprogresstowardssuccessfullyachievingtheirgoal.Insomecases(e.g.,participatinginalong-termeducationortrainingprogram),thatmaysimplymeancontinuingtodowhattheyarecurrentlydoing.Inothercases,itmightmeanidentifyingwhatthenextstepsaretocontinuetomakeprogress.Inbothcases,youarebuildingoffofanexistingplanthatisworkingasintended.

• Developmentofanewplan.Ifanindividualwasn’tsuccessfulincompletingtheiractionplanbuttheywanttostickwiththeircurrentgoal,youwillwanttoworkwiththemonthedevelopmentofanewplan.Dotheyneedtotakeanalternativeapproach?Dothey


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needtobreaktasksdownintoevensmallersteps?Dotheyneedmoresupportoradifferentkindofsupport?

• Identificationofanewgoal.Throughthereview,aparticipantmayalsocometotherealizationthatthegoalistoochallenging,notmeaningfulenoughtothem,ornotfeasible.Inthiscase,youwanttoworkwiththemtocomeupwithanewgoal,thenredotheplanningprocesstodevelopanewplanandnewactionsteps.Aparticipantmayalsoreachtheirgoal.Inthatcase,youwanttoencouragethemtosetanewgoal,possiblyonethatmaybeabitmorechallenging.

Tips for Helping Clients Practice “Revise”

Guideparticipantsbyofferingthefollowingkindsofideasandquestions:• Takeaminutetorecallyourheartfeltgoals.Aswecreateandreviseplans,wealways

wanttokeepourheartandmindonourgoal!• Remember,therearemanyroadsthatleadtothesamedesiredend.Ifyourfirstplan

doesn’tquitegetyouthere,exploreotherwaystogetthere.• Givenwhatyou’velearnedalongtheway,howdoyouwanttoadjustyourplan?How

canIsupportyouinthat?Asafacilitator,youoftenreviseon-the-fly(i.e.younoticesomethingandmakeaquickadjustmenttoyourplan).Youmayalsoprotecttimetoreviseyourplanatkeypoints,basedonwhatyouarediscovering.Eitherway,wesuggestthatyoutellclientswhatyouarerevisingandwhy.Thisispowerfulforthemtolearnfromyourprocess.Thetimingmayneedtochangeandthepathtogettheremaychange,butthatisallpartoflivinginamessyworld!


• Worksheet:Review+Revise,Chapter1• Activity:ConstructaBuilding,Chapter5• Activity:AssessaRecentGoalorPlan,Chapter5


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REFERENCESCannon,Lynn,M.Ed.,LaurenKenworthy,Ph.D.,KatieC.Alexander,M.S.,OTR,MonicaAdlerWerner,andLauraGutemuthAnthony,Ph.D.UnstuckandonTarget.Baltimore,MD:BrookesPublishingCo.,2011.CenterontheDevelopingChildatHarvardUniversity(2016).BuildingCoreCapabilitiesforLife:TheScienceBehindtheSkillsAdultsNeedtoSucceedinParentingandtheWorkplace.Retrievedfromwww.developingchild.harvard.eduDawson,PegandRichardGuare.TheSmartbutScatteredGuidetoSuccess:HowtoUseYourBrain’sExecutiveSkillstoKeepUp,StayCalmandGetOrganizedatWorkandatHome.NewYork,NewYork:GuilfordPress,2016.Heath,ChipandDanHeath.Switch:HowtoChangeThingsWhenChangeisHard.BroadwayBooks,2010.Mullainathan,SendalandEldarShafir.Scarcity:TheNewScienceofHavingLess&HowitDefinesOurLives.NewYork,NewYork:MacMIllianPublishing.2014.Oettingen,Gabriel,Ph.D.,RethinkingPositiveThinking:InsidetheNewScienceofMotivation.NewYork,NewYork:RandomHouse.2014.Ward,SarahandKristenJacobsen.360ThinkingExecutiveFunctionProgram.PuttingItintoPractice.(Workshop)CognitiveConnections.www.efpractice.com.Natick,MA.April2017.Zelazo,PhilipDavid,Ph.D.ExecutiveFunctionPartOne:WhatIsExecutiveFunction?Retrievedfromaboutkidshealth.caonSeptember3,2017.

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