One of the things which hinders your ability to achieve results, to maximise performance and to increase productivity, is a lack of clarity around goals.  Goals help you establish priorities and are the foundation for actions which lead to success.  But they aren’t enough on their own. In this article, I will share with you how to set goals which move you forward, and what else you need to do to make it all happen.

A well-known acronym – SMART – helps to make your goals more tangible.  Without this, it is simply a to-do item in a sea of competing items in your cluttered mind.  When you set well-defined goals, your unconscious mind is more able to organise itself into acting on them – you will have increased control, decreased stress and greater focus.  If you have seen it before it will serve as a useful reminder.

 

Goals should be SMART:

Specific – vague goals produce vague results
Measurable – how will you know you have achieved it?
Achievable – not based on hope but reality with a contingency built in to deal with the unexpected
Relevant – how applicable is it to your business, your life, now and in the long term?
Timebound – what time scale do you want to achieve it within?

A poorly defined goal would be “Launch product”.  A better goal would be “To create and execute a project plan for the January 5th product launch of Profit Serum to existing customers, our prospect database and industry media.”

Goal Considerations

1. It should be stated in the positive (what you want, not what you don’t want)
2. Identify the resources needed to achieve the goal – human, financial,  physical, etc
3. Consider whether you can genuinely start the goal and maintain it
4. Look at the wider consequences of the goal
   • Time and effort required
   • Do you have buy-in from stakeholders?
   • Whether anyone else is affected and how to deal with it if they are
   • Does this goal impact the achievement of other goals?  Which is more important?  What can be done to achieve both?
   • What you will have to give up in order to achieve it?
   • Are you willing to give this up in the pursuit of the goal?
5. Is the goal is in keeping with your values?  If not, can it be changed so that it does?  If not, why do you need/want it?

Making It Happen

Finally, a goal, in itself, is nothing without a plan of action. List the steps to achieving your goal and have a system to monitor your progress and to keep you on track or adjust your course as necessary.  Last, but by no means least, factor in a celebration when you have achieved it!

© Tricia Woolfrey 2012

About Tricia Woolfrey – click HERE to find out about the author.