How and Why to Set Goals
To be successful, we must set goals because success means the achievement of a goal, and we can't achieve a goal we never set.
Advantages of Setting Goals
Setting goals has numerous advantages.
Setting goals creates the potential for success. As already noted, we cannot achieve a goal unless we set it, so the starting point of all achievements is goal setting.
Goals Unify People
Families, teams and organisations are composed of different types of people who may or may not like each other. Goals unify different types because the achievement of the goal benefits every member of the group.
Goals act as a common frame of reference and often form the bedrock of relationships that we have with other people. We may work with people we have not much in common with, other than they share the same goal as us, and on that basis, goals act as a unifying force between various types of people.
Goals Help Us to Prioritise
We prioritise goals according to how much they contribute to the goal we are trying to achieve.
If a task relates strongly to the achievement of a goal, then we prioritise it higher.
If a task does not add value to the goal, then we prioritise it lower.
Without goals, it's almost impossible to know how we should spend our time.
Goals Stop Us from Drifting
Many people are drifters; they drift through their days, without any sense of urgency, or a vision for a better future.
Consequently, they lack motivation, hope, or optimism.
They may be intelligent, educated, and charming people, but drifters do not achieve what they could achieve because they don't set goals.
A mind which has no goals is purposeless and will never fulfil its potential.
How to Set Goals
Write down the answers to the following eight questions, in full detail:
- In general terms, what goal do I want to achieve?
- How would I define the goal numerically?
- How do I define the goal in words?
- What feedback measures do I need to track, in order to tell me whether I am making progress towards the goal or not?
- What mental abilities (knowledge, skills, experience) do I need to develop, in order to achieve the goal?
- What physical resources (money, technology, tools, and people) do I need to assemble in order to achieve the goal?
- How much time should I give myself to achieve this goal?
- Using all the information I have so far collected, what is my best detailed written plan that I need to follow, in order to start making progress towards my goal?
Memorise these eight questions
Memorise and use these eight questions as a template for setting goals.
We need plausible answers for every question.
No question may be omitted; all questions must be answered.
When we have answers for every question, we are in a good position to start making progress towards our goals.
Continually re-ask the same questions and refine the answers, as new information becomes available and as situations develop.
The Questions Never Change
The greatest thing about these questions is they never change! They are universally applicable to every context and every person at all times, and once we know them, we know them forever.
The Questions Never Change, But the Answers Always Do
Every time you ask these questions, they generate a fresh set of answers, which you use to make continuous progress towards a brighter future.
New Year Goals
Now we are in January 2024, it is a great time for you to set goals using this method.
Leadership Training
Goal setting is an important part of leadership training, and if you want to know more about leadership or personal development training, then please check out our courses..
goal setting
Goal setting is the act of writing down a clear, measurable result with a set date and then using it to steer daily action. It must name the result, give numbers and a time frame, be written, and shape how you spend time and resources; if any part is missing, it is not true goal setting.
CG4D Definition
Context: Leadership and personal development
Genus: Process
- States the desired result in clear words and numbers
- Includes a specific time limit for achievement
- Is recorded in writing for review and tracking
- Directs daily choices, effort, and resource use
Article Summary
Goal setting turns loose hopes into action; clear written goals give your mind a target, guide daily choices, unite teams, and stop drift. Ask eight simple questions, track progress, adjust often, and you will move with purpose towards personal and work success.