Can you believe 2016 has already come to a close? 2016 was unique; namely because a dynamic shift took place in our political landscape, surprising many. How was your year? Would you call it successful? Or did you experience some challenges, either personally or professionally? No matter what you may have experienced that was last year. We can't change what happened, good or bad, but we can look forward with hope in 2017.
If we want things to happen in our favor, then goal setting is critical to our success. We may make a goal to eat healthier, pursue a new hobby, or even take a vacation because it's something we haven't been doing.
Then there's goal setting at the office. Setting goals in the workplace is essential for not only motivating staff, but also to see success.
The 10/90 rule in smart goal setting says that the first 10% of the time you spend developing absolute clarity about what is to be done will save you 90% of the time once you begin. It can also save you 90% of the mistakes, the costs and the time of other people involved.
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Achievable
R = Relevant
T = Time-bounded
S=Specific
When setting a goal, you must ask yourself, "What do I want to accomplish? What is my end goal? Who can help make this happen? What are the steps to accomplish the tasks along the way?" Also make sure to consider this: have those who can help implement your goals been involved in your goal setting process? A common problem in achieving a goal stems back to a lack of clarity in setting the goal in the first place. If you don't know/understand what you want, how can you get results?
M=Measurable
If you can't measure results, you don't have a realistic, attainable goal. Goals you can measure are often related to the financials, improving operations, broadening services or market penetration because you can measure your outcomes. The clearer the measures, the easier it is to focus and concentrate on achieving results.
Analyzing where you are now, also allows you to understand what you will need to do. If your goal is to increase market share by 5%, then you need to know your current market share in order to know how much you need to grow by.
A = Achievable
Is the goal realistic? Can it be accomplished within the constraints of time, money, the external environment, the economy, the skills and abilities of the team members and other constraints from both inside and outside the company?
One of the ways to make sure the goal is successful, is to have the people who will be involved in the goal's success become part of the decision.
It's also critical that you believe you can achieve your goal. If you start by doubting your possibilities, one thing will happen for sure: you will fail. It's been scientifically proven that a self-fulfilling prophecy, and what you expect will eventually manifest itself in your reality. On the contrary, if you really believe you can do it, you will start seeing all the possibilities to make it happen. This gives you more courage and energy to set a lofty goal.
In addition to the SMART model, goals need to be set with a desire to complete them.
R = Realistic
It is good to stretch yourself and your team members, but being realistic is critical to success. Is the goal within the bounds of reality, and is it something the staff can develop a high level of confidence in achieving? In goal setting, many goals are "merely aspirational" and do not reflect reality.
So what can you do to help you and your team believe you can achieve your lofty goals? Set the process up so there are attainable steps to reaching the goal, so everyone can see and enjoy the interim successes.
Be realistic about obstacles. I guarantee you will encounter difficulties on your way to achieving your desired outcomes. But, don't let that discourage you. Everybody who has achieved great success in his or her lives, had to overcome some kind of obstacle.
Think of what could be an obstacle. Knowing what the worst case scenario can be, allows you to be prepared. Therefore, if the obstacle does appear (though it doesn't always have to), you will know exactly what to do.
Brian gives a very interesting theory on obstacles. He uses a famous Pareto rule of 80/20 and explains it this way: 80% of all obstacles comes from within us, and only 20% are due to external factors. Keep this in mind as you steer the course towards reaching your goal!
T = Time-Bounded
If you have specific schedules for the attainment of each part of the goal, and the completion of each part of the task, it is much easier for people to achieve the goal on schedule. Another way of saying this, is that long range goals need to be set with milestones along the way.
The key to achieving your goal is persistence. No matter how much talent you have, if you don't persist you might just give up right before your big breakthrough. Don't let failures discourage you. You already know that obstacles will happen, and whatever those obstacles may be, work them out and keep moving forward. Once you decide you want to achieve a goal, make a decision to never give up.
When the goals are completed, celebrate the success! Everybody needs to be recognized for their individual accomplishments by the people around them, and especially above them. Since your team members are intrinsically motivated, it is the anticipation of the recognition they will receive for the completion of a task that motivates them internally to "go the extra mile."
A good tactic for motivating employees is to give positive recognition for an accomplishment, which raises a person's self-esteem, improves their self-image and motivates them to do even more in the future.
Interested in chatting more about goal setting? Contact Jeanne Reaves Consulting, and let us help you not only set your goals, but achieve them too.
