Goals are a much talked about subject; in particular at this time of year, whether on a personal level or otherwise your discussions will be concentrated on wrestling with your New Year resolutions.  In your work situation; they’ll more than likely be discussed at your company appraisal.  Where ever you are discussing them; there is still the age old problem of why they are not being accomplished. What are the reasons you arrive at for them not being achieved?  Believe it or not, the reasons still remain the same, the following are typical examples:

• the goal is not personal
• the goal is not specific enough
• there is a lack of commitment
• the goal lacks clarity
• the goal doesn’t fit into the bigger picture

This invariably leads to paying lip service to the goal setting process, with behaviour such as:

• to please your life coach (that’s just crazy)
• sabotaging your progress because of your fear of success
• satisfy company policy (shareholders or management)

We have to be careful with our goal setting because there are many hidden dangers in the process; history is littered with examples of organisations and individuals who have tried to achieve poorly set goals and suffered the impending consequences.

“A poorly set goal, can do more damage than not setting a goal in the first place”

Have you set the right goal?

Are your goals relentlessly trying to achieve more of the same meaningless output?  If so, there’s a big chance you’re setting yourself up to fail, yet again.  Meaning, there is little chance of you becoming the all empowering person you desire.  If you’re serious about making those changes start by selecting a topic based on something that is needed.  Look, listen and take note of what is really needed, not what you enjoy providing or will give people a good impression of you.  Get real, make some big decisions about what you require for your future.  Studies show that we concentrate better, work longer, and do more if we set specific, measurable goals for ourselves.  A previous post identifies “goal setting tools“, you may want to read it.

I’m not for one minute suggesting that goal setting doesn’t work; quite the contrary, it’s just the application of the process that is sometimes miscued and with disastrous consequences.  One of the problems of goal setting, is it can been seen as a ‘one stop shop’ for all your troubles; whereas treating it more as a one of many resources in your personal development tool box is a more appropriate approach.  The process can lead you to think of crazy things and misguide your reality to the extent that you think you can achieve the impossible, with easy, just by setting a goal.

Goal setting isn’t a new concept; it has been around longer than all of us, back as far as the early philosophers.  It is only more recently that it has taken centre stage with the rise in popularity of personal development, self help and coaching.  There is no doubt about it goal setting has a remarkable effect on success rates when applied consistently and with clearly defined process.  What really does motivate you to achieve your goals?  There is no doubt about it; goals do have a positive affect on success.  People will achieve their goals if they are motivated to achieving them.

Try asking somebody to; “do their best” and see what kind of a response or result you get.  Do you mean their best or your best; are they likely to be the same?  I don’t think so!  They need to take on more responsibility for achievement of their goals; the idea of people being given a goal, whether in the workplace or at home simply doesn’t work.  How can they take the responsibility for something that has been given or forced upon them?  They will lack an awareness of what is truly required if the goal has come from an external force.  “Awareness and responsibility“, covered in a previous post, go hand in hand and are crucial in the management of people and allowing them to reach their potential.  How often are you assessed against your performance rather that your true potential?

A well structured goal setting process will include independent thinking rather than merely following a previously formatted plan.  “10 ways to develop independent thought“ has been covered previously; it is an important skill not to be overlooked and disregarded for an overrated and over simplified process.  In the workplace company goals are often passed down from senior managers in the desperate hope of motivating employees with their big ideas and encouraging them to increase output and become high level performers.  There is an argument that offering rewards for achievement of goals is a good idea; to some extent this will work but only if the reward is for achievement of the goal and not taking part in the process.  Does this really work?  Do you have any examples of it working?

If, for instance, you’re providing a public service and have a goal or target to provide a certain number of ‘widgets’ per day; what happens when you reach that number, what happens to your motivation.  My guess is there won’t be too much left; why, not because you have achieved your goal but because it was misdirected.  When you apply ‘numbers’ to your goals problems arise because of the oversimplification.  However, if your goal is based on the quality of the service you provide; your motivation will remain in tact for longer.  In the event that the standard of the service falls; feedback from clients will ensure you are quick to readdress any issues.  So is the fault really in your goals; to some extent yes, however there is more of a concern with the hierarchy of your own values.  The importance you place on each of your values.

How successful are you with achieving your goals?

Thank you for reading this post, please let me know what you think and share your experiences.  While you’re here please take the time to sign up for the newsletter or alternatively you may prefer to subscribe for regular updates in your favourite reader or by email.

photo credit: bonnie-brown

Related Posts

• Why is goal setting important?
• Goal setting tools
• 10 ways to achieve great results
• 10 great ways to create an income using your skills
• How to achieve great results from your personal development

        
        
        
        
       

Tags: apprasial, awareness and responsibility, Goal setting, goal setting tools, Goals, Independent thought, Life Coach, Personal Development, Technorati

This entry was posted on 10 January 2010 at 12:50 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Posted in Goals by Paul Worswick View Comments