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About Goal Setting
by Steve Gross
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Overview
Some people come by goal setting naturally, while others never come by it at all. If you are not a "natural" goal setter, you can learn to use goals as a way to take control of your life, at home and at work.
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Significance
Thinking and planning stand behind developing your goals. Commitment and action stand behind achieving them. The more thought you put into constructing your goals, the more targeted your goals become. The more targeted your goals, the more likely you will be to achieve them. At the same time, your goals must be realistic. You must have the ability to reach them.
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History
In the 1950s, Peter Drucker, a business school professor of management at New York University, interjected a humanistic element into the discipline of management. He argued that business should use qualitative as well as quantitative goals to measure employee performance. What Drucker introduced, commonly called "Management by Objective" (MOB), produced leaders instead of managers and self-empowered employees instead of timeservers.
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Five Elements
Every goal should have five elements. The first of these says what you want to achieve. Think of it as the "what' element. For example, "Make an A in Geometry."
Next is a "when" element. The "when" sets a deadline (Make an A in geometry this marking period). The "how" creates sub-objectives, way points you must reach to achieve your goal. You might want to "Make an A in geometry this marking period by studying for two hours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights," for example. The "why" element details the results you expect to achieve (the future state) if you meet your goal. Think of it as a "so that." You want to make an A in geometry "so that" you can collect the reward your father promised you. Understand that the "so that" element defines your "real" goal, not the "what" element. Finally, a separate "measurement statement" says how you will evaluate your progress (necessary to making mid-course adjustments). Write it as a sentence that follows your objective statement (for example, "Measure progress by tracking daily and weekly quiz scores.").
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Write Your Goals
Make a "Goals" outline. Write down your long-term goal and under that make a list of sub-goals, arranged in the order in which you will tackle them. If you need to take your outline deeper than two levels, do so. Keep breaking the goals down until you know the specific action you're going to take tomorrow.
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Mental Attitude
Your mental attitude has a lot to say about whether you will reach your goals (pain versus anticipated pleasure). Gene Donohue, writing on TopAchievement.com, makes two additional points about the mental aspects of goal setting: First, he says your goals must align with your core values (both at home and at work) and, second, your goals cannot contradict one another. Finally, you will not reach your goals simply by wishing for them. You must act. The point of taking the time to subdivide your goals isn't to delay getting to work, but to ensure you work on the "right" things. Don't get so hung up in planning that you neglect to act. Successful people do those things that others do not. Be successful.
