Okay, that’s enough of the “deep and meaningful stuff”. A little bit of introspection and navel gazing can do you good, as long as you can translate that new understanding into some action. So let’s get down to the nitty gritty task of writing your goals.
Top Tip – from my experience as a manager, people become highly creative in the art of work avoidance when they are asked to do their goals. Like clearing out the attic or weeding the garden, the more chaos and mess there is, the less you want to do it! The only instruction I can give is to stop procrastinating and just do it! You’ll be glad you did!
Generally, their main concern was that the goals they had written were not “right”. There is no such thing as a “right” goal, only what is “right” and has meaning for you. A goal that is written 70% well is better than no goal at all. Give yourself permission to have a go, and worry about fine-tuning your goals later.
The world and his wife generally expect that goals should be SMART. This is stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound, and is a useful reminder of how to write a top quality goal.
Specific – a specific goal has the expected goal outcome stated as simply, concisely and explicitly as possible. This answers questions such as; how much, for whom, for what?
Measurable – a measurable goal has an outcome that is able to be assessed either on a sliding scale, or as a hit or miss.
Achievable – an achievable goal has an outcome that is realistic given your current situation, resources and time available. Goal achievement may be more of a “stretch” if the outcome is tough or you have a weak starting position.
Relevant – a relevant goal should help you on your mission or your “bigger” objectives.
Time-bound – a time-bound goal includes realistic timeframes.
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-bound
Top Tip - The number of goals should be limited to no more than 5 to 7, at any one time. It is difficult to focus your efforts and attention if you have any more. As you progress and complete goals, you may add new goals. If you are tending to have more than 7 goals, it is likely that you are writing mini-goals or tasks. Remember to keep your goals focussed on a major area of responsibility.
Next step.......next post......... how to write goals.......
