Goal-Setting
Lisa J. Downs
American Society for Training & Development
The Purpose of Goals
• To act as a compass—point the way
• To help us prioritize activities • To boost our sense of accomplishment
and satisfaction
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Types of Goals
• Critical goals: must be accomplished to be
successful • Enabling goals: fulfill a long-term, but not immediate, need • Nice-to-have goals: improvements to enhance your life or work, but not crucial
Source: Roberto, Michael. Time Management. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing, 2005.
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Types of Goals (cont’d.)
• Critical goal: Improve profitability within
two years. • Enabling goal: Update marketing materials to recruit new employees. • Nice-to-have goal: Improve catering choices for company events.
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Goal-Setting Tips
• Record goals in specific terms; avoid being
vague. • Put a timeframe around goal achievement. • Decide how progress will be measured. • Align goals with important priorities and strategies. • Stretch yourself, but don’t overdo it.
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Goal-Setting Steps
1. Create a list of major life roles or categories, such as family, work, self, finances, community, etc. 2. Next to each category, write down what you see yourself doing in 10 years; these statements are your long-term goals. 3. Break each goal down into smaller pieces by recording two or three specific actions next to each statement.
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Goal-Setting Steps (cont’d.)
4. Create smaller tasks from the specific actions. 5. Schedule these tasks into your planning system. 6. Review your goals and activities a minimum of once a year; revise as needed.
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An Example…
Category: Self 10 Years from Now: “I will have my MBA degree.” Specific Activities: Research MBA programs Decide timing. Investigate funding. What tasks should now be scheduled?
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Goal Alignment
• If working in an organization, goals should
cascade down. • Department or team goals should align with company goals. • Individual goals should align with department or team goals.
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Importance of Goals
• Effective time management starts with
having clearly defined goals.
• Goals give us purpose and a road map to
guide us.
• When goals are in writing, opportunities
follow.
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