Susan B. Wilson - Goal Setting

The Goal. Describe the goal.

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S-M-A-R-T Test: Make sure the goal fits each element of SMART.

Specific ___________________________________________________________________________________

Measurable __________________________________________________________________________

Agreed to ___________________________________________________________________________________

Realistic ___________________________________________________________________________________

Time-specific ___________________________________________________________________________

Reason. Why do you want to achieve this particular goal?

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Power. What kind of power do you need to achieve your goal? What power do you currently lack? Develop a plan to improve your power to get it done.

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Assumptions. Things you believe about your situation, your plan, or your goal that you dont currently know for sure are true. (Example. My boss knows how hard I worked on the Glockenspiel deal. Are you sure? What makes you think so? Could the boss have noticed only some of your work?)

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Constraints. Things you cant do. Make sure you really cant do them. Is there another way to get the same desired result?

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List Action Steps/Develop Work Breakdown Structure. What do you have to do to accomplish the goal? If its a complex goal involving several departments, a simple list of action steps may not be enough to capture what needs to be done. Use a WBS instead.

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Develop Time Line and Budget. Use a calendar or Gantt chart to schedule the action steps. Identify the resources you have available and decide how best to use them.

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Prepare Risk Plan. What are the key risks? How could you eliminate them in advance? How will you respond to them?

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Verify Progress. Are you accomplishing what you set out to accomplish? What milestones or signposts show your progress most clearly?

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Celebrate Success. Reward yourself and the people who helped you succeed. Even if its an interim goal, celebrating your success today helps you move forward to another success tomorrow.

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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.

Take a moment to consider why writing down your goals makes such a significant difference in ultimate performance. Why do you think that writing down ones goals is so important?

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If your response included the idea that goal achievers record their goals so that they can read them, absorb them, and plan for them, then you are on the right track. People who achieve their goals take an active role in achieving them. They write them down, and then plan for their achievement. This chapter considers ten guidelines for evaluating and writing down your goals. If you follow these guidelines, you will establish your goals in a way that nearly guarantees your effort will be rewarded. Time and again, your reward is successful goal achievement.

Before learning the ten guidelines for effective goal setting, take a few minutes to identify two of your goalsthey can be anything as long as they are meaningful to youand write them down. Then, complete the self-audit, which identifies ten elements for effective goal setting. Evaluate the extent to which you use these ideas when developing your goals.

Your Goals