Year end thoughts with Gopalan

As we approach the end of a calendar year, many of us have the practice of looking back on the year that was, reflecting on the highs and lows of the year - and shape our dreams and aspirations for the coming year.At Software People Stories, we are running a special series of conversations with people on their own approaches as well as practices and stories of how their thinking has changed over the years.Today, I am in conversation with S Gopalan, my colleague from PM Power and an industry veteran. He prefers to be called Gopal.In this conversation he sharesThat reflections are goodHow his own perspective on annual cycles of appraisal [and feedback] have changed over timeThat he is not fond of setting goals such as losing weight within a fixed timeline, as effective, but rather prefers to take up things that would help make changes in his daily routinesHow taking micro goals per day, could possibly be accumulated and sometimes ‘binge’ completedThe benefit of making commitments publicHow his approaches are different when reflecting on two different contexts that he is actively associated with: a loosely structured team and a more structured team with tight timelinesWhat we, as coaches, need to think about differently - about tools to help us deliver more impactful engagementsThe value of reflections - to make one feel more secure and confident of the futureYou should have a plan, but be open to modifying that to adapt dynamically