Having goals is a pain in the neck… living without them is a lot more fun, in the short run. It seems to me, though, that the people who get things done, who lead, who grow and who make an impact… those people have goals. Godin (2009)
Many of us are feeling both overwhelmed and drained. There are lots of tasks that we feel we should and need to get on with, but the scale of the challenge, the unfamiliar nature of some of the tasks, the strange world we are in and our own exhausted lack of motivation are combining to paralyze us. Some of us are stuck, unable to move forward because we don’t know where or how to start. A positive response to this paralysis could be to set some goals for yourself or with your colleagues. Research since the 1980s has clearly demonstrated that setting goals is a powerful motivator and driver of improved performance.
Simply put, we must decide what is beneficial to our own welfare and set goals to achieve it. Houston (2020).
A goal is simply the aim or purpose of a series of planned actions. The clue is in the definition – you have to have a plan and you have to act in accordance with that plan. Here are some tips for developing your goals.
Set goals that motivate you; if you don’t actually care about the goal you will not put the work in. Be honest – like Dawn and her Photoshop goal.
Good goal setting takes time so set aside time to reflect, explore, think and plan. Choose times of the day that you know are productive for you. Give yourself a few days to reflect on your ideas before committing. Live with the goal for a while.
Write your goals down; research shows that this increases the likelihood that you will succeed. Sharing them with those you trust helps too – they can help you to stay on track.Do not have too many goals. It is very seldom (if ever) that Susan and I have reviewed a business or development plan that is short on goals! If the goals are personal to you, three should be enough. If you are going to achieve them they have to become part of your everyday thinking. Less is more and clarity is vital.
It might be helpful to think about the type of goals you want to set, there are several kinds.
- Goals can be timed based such as short, medium or long term.
- Goals can be built out of outcomes/results, process/behaviours and performance/standards as in the above example. Once you have decided on the outcome focus on your process and performance goals.
- In a similar way think about the skills or knowledge that you might need to acquire to achieve a desired goal especially if the goal is very ambitious or in a complex area. You might need to focus on the learning first rather than the outcome goal.
You might find this framework helpful in defining and working with your goals:
Specific: the more specific you can be, the better your chances of reaching your goal.
Meaningful: your goal needs to be meaningful for you, otherwise you are likely to lose motivation and give up.
Achievable: you need to be able to achieve your goal, not easily or quickly, but you have to believe achievement is possible, especially in the current environment.
Relevant: a goal needs to be relevant to your life and in line with what you want and what you value. If a goal is in conflict with your values you will probably become frustrated and give up.
Time bound: you need deadlines both for the achievement of your goal and for the intermediate steps, otherwise it is just a wish not a goal.
Evaluate: you need to evaluate your goals regularly (that means daily or weekly not annually). This keeps them at the forefront of your mind and reinforces your commitment.
Reward: build in rewards when you achieve key milestones towards your goal so you can celebrate and build your motivation.
Re-adjust: be willing to adjust your approach to achieving your goal as time passes and you learn more about what works and what doesn’t.
Goal setting works well at the team and organisational levels but it is more complicated than for individuals as motivations may not be shared. Time for honest conversations is essential, together with a commitment to collective accountability.
Goal setting is a practice, and it takes practice to get good at it. Now, with the world full of change and a new year beckoning, is a great time to try and develop a new habit.
Susan and Dawn
Resources
- A good summary for those who want to explore this area further: Houston, E. (2020) What is goal setting and how to do it well.
- A straightforward ‘how to’ from Anxiety Canada
References
- Godin, Seth. (2009) The thing about goals.
- Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2006). New Directions in Goal-Setting Theory. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15(5), 265–268.