Have you ever read different approaches to get a given result and gotten confused – different steps, different order…sometimes even contradictory? Think of – recipes, diets, workouts…planning, strategy…and goals.
Over the last few years I’ve spent quite a bit of time studying and thinking about how to clarify mission & vision and set goals accordingly. There are so many approaches and opinions and, to be honest, I’m not sure there is a “perfect one” (even the ones I’ve proposed).
However, given the “goal setting season” (…new year’s resolutions, objective setting, etc.) what I’ve tried to do in this post is zoom out and distill for you the resounding themes most good approaches have in common (I love distillations since they save a lot of time looking at various sources).
From this perspective I consider the following to be a compilation of the “best of the best” bedrock principles for goal setting:
- Start from where you are: a sure-fire way to fail is to lack a clear understanding of your current situation and therefore miss critical action steps, or set goals that don’t connect to where you are today.
- Align to a big picture: if you don’t have a long term vision of where/what you want to be, you’ll struggle to define meaningful goals – they’ll be random and unfocussed. Take time to think about and visualize what success really looks like for you.
- Limit the number: when it comes to goals, less is more. It preserves focus and actually gives you a greater chance of getting them accomplished.
- Look for themes: whether they’re called themes, levers, lynch pins, character qualities, habits, skills, etc., look for goals that effect, or enable, multiple areas and create greater potential for success…the “domino effect.”
- Be specific: define your goals so that at the end of the time period you can know if they were accomplished. Here’s a good rule – SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-based.
- Prioritize: goals are not all created equal. Rank them according to importance and align them to your values. When there’s a tradeoff (there will be) you’ll have clarity for decision making.
- Create an action plan: it’s great to have a specific goal, but you must take the next step to outline exactly how you’re going to get there. You’d be surprised at how a good plan, that breaks the challenge into “bite-sized” chunks, suddenly makes a difficult goal seem attainable.
- Be accountable: tell someone else about your goals and ask them to check-in with you periodically…even better, do it for each other. “Knowing that someone knows” is a way to make peer pressure work to your advantage.
- Periodically review & recalibrate: you need at least 3 types of reviews that for different purposes – short term (ex. weekly) to review and define your day-to-day action plan; mid-term (ex. quarterly) – reassess if you’re on track and goals still make sense; long-term (ex. yearly) – zoom out and think about goals in the context of your life’s or organization’s mission.
- Feed your motivation: there’s a reason goals seem so appealing at the beginning of the year – it’s because you see the past and the desired outcome most clearly and really want change to happen. You need to consciously and routinely take action to “fall in love again” with the outcome to refuel your drive and be willing to work for it.
So, as you think of setting goals for 2014, I hope these guiding principles can serve as the foundation to defining your goals, or at least a “pre-flight checklist” to make sure you haven’t missed anything. Let me know if these principles are helpful, how you apply them, or if you’ve thought of any others I may have missed.
Picture: www.wire.wisc.edu
