Michael S. Dobson - Goal Setting: How to Create an Action Plan and Achieve Your Goals

SECOND EDITION

How to Create an Action Plan and
Achieve Your Goals

Susan B. Wilson
and Michael S. Dobson

Special discounts on bulk quantities of AMACOM books are available to corporations, professional associations, and other organizations. For details, contact Special Sales Department, AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.
Tel: 212-903-8316. Fax: 212-903-8083.
E-mail: specialsls@amanet.org
Website: www.amacombooks.org/go/specialsales
To view all AMACOM titles go to:
www.amacombooks.org

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Wilson, Susan B.
Goal setting : how to create an action plan and achieve your goals / Susan B. Wilson and Michael S. Dobson.2nd ed.
p. cm.(WorkSmart)
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-8144-0169-9 (pbk.)
1. Goal setting in personnel management. 2. Goal (Psychology) 3. ManagementPsychological aspects. 4. Planning. I. Dobson, Michael Singer. II. Title.

HF5549.5.G6W55 2008
650.1dc22

2007039111

2008 American Management Association
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.

This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

Printing number

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

When people find out Ive written several books, the first response is often, Gee, Ive always wanted to write a book.

My first question is always the same, Why?

People are often puzzled at the question, but its the most important question of all in setting and achieving your goals. You arent chasing this goal for the fun of it, but because you believe achieving the goal will satisfy some need, solve some problem, or provide some benefit. If you cant clearly explain why you want to achieve the goal, theres a good chance you may head off in the wrong direction.

Lets apply the question to this particular goal: Why would someone want to write a book? Well, there are many possible reasons. Here are some of the more common ones:

(a) You want to make as much money as J. K. (Harry Potter) Rowling.

(b) You want to appear on Oprah and be famous.

(c) You want to impress people with your talent.

(d) You have something really important you want to share with the world.

(e) Its your art.

(f) Its your therapy.

For example, if your real goal is money, there are lots more reliable ways of getting it than by writing books. Yes, a few writers make an awful lot of money, but the vast majority of published authors make little or nothing. One writer I know devoted several years to writing a novel he knew would make a lot of money. He did wellachieving the Book of the Month Club, gaining foreign translations, and even selling the movie rights. But he wasnt satisfied. He expected to make millions. So he gave up. If you want to succeed at a goal, you need to understand why you want it. This is critical.

You have to do this process for any goal you set for yourself. Why do you want it? How does this goal relate to your other goals? What will be different for you when you succeed? Are there better ways to get there? What elements of the goal are the most valuable and the most important to you?

Youll learn in the pages of this book how to set a goal, how to make a plan, and how to acquire the resources and power necessary to achieve your goal. What you have to supply is the quality of your self-understanding. If you understand why, maybe youll pursue the same goal, or maybe youll change to a goal that actually relates more closely to what you hope to gain.

Knowing why gives you strength and power. If your goals are challenging (and they should be), achieving them takes hard work and risk. If the goal isnt really important to you or if youve picked a goal that wont really satisfy the why, its awfully difficult to maintain the self-discipline to get the job done.

A case in point: My best friend in college used to publish an amateur mimeographed magazine containing essays by a Pennsylvania schoolteacher who had sold a novel, quit his job, and let his wife support him. He was a good example of what not to do, or so I thought. For years, every time my friend and I got together and talked about old times, sooner or later one of us would ask, What do you suppose ever happened to Dean Koontz?

You probably already know how this story turns out. Dean Koontz has managed the rare feat of having ten New York Times number one bestsellers, and is still going strong. (His wife, Ive read, still works: She manages their business.)

He knew what he wanted and why he wanted it, and so he was able to persist in the face of skepticism and rejection.

Always ask, Why? The more reasons you have to pursue a goal, the better youll likely do in terms of achieving it. I write because I have a perspective on people and organizations that I want to share. But writing is not the only way to do that; I also teach seminars. I like the act of writing; I like seeing my books in bookstores.

Why do you want to achieve your goals? The answer to that question has power. Its what motivates you. Its what shows you the right path to take. And its what opens the doors that lead to your success.

Michael S. Dobson

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to have the ability to accomplish a lot? They know where they are headed and exude an enviable confidence. Effective goal setting is one of their keys to success. You may be working very hard at what you do, but without setting goals youll find that your hard work doesnt yield meaningful results.

Remember Alice in Wonderland? At one point in the story, Alice stops at the crossroads to ask the Cheshire Cat which road to take. He responds by asking where she wants to go. When she tells him that she doesnt much care where, he replies, then it doesnt matter which way you go. As a result, she wanders aimlessly in her travels.

Like Alice, we often travel the road of life without a specific direction or goal. Few of us make goal setting a priority. In fact, studies have shown that most people either do not know what they want from life or, if they do, have no plans for realizing their dreams. Only a small percentage of people have specific, well-defined goals. And people who most frequently reach their goals are those who write them down and develop the plans to reach them.