STAN J TONOSKI,
Entrepreneurial Coach
Making Business Better
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Are you setting goals or being asked to set goals? Should you be setting goals? Does the process leave you confused as to what a goal really is? Corporate trainers who wish to sell productivity programs, and companies wishing to get more from their employees have caused confusion through the misuse of the term “goal setting.”
Trainers and human resource departments have worked diligently to instill a culture of SMART goals. They say using this acronym; goals must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic or Relevant, and Timely or Time-trackable. Organizations require employees “goals” to be measured as part of their annual performance review. Typically, the “goals” must be completed in the time available between performance reviews. The strict timeframe set to achieve the desired results, and unseen shortfalls in the acronym, SMART, means that what is in fact being set is clearly not a Goal. It can only be considered to be an Objective. It is an Objective because; a) the desired outcome can be forcibly achieved through all-out effort, b) the outcome is made realistic or relevant so that it can be achieved in the timeframe allowed; and, c) it is timely or time-trackable so that the objective or steps towards the objective can be measured in terms of some imposed period of time. Goals are much greater than this and must be thought of as a bigger picture. Objectives can occur within the action of completing the Goal. For example, the Objective is to win the battle while the Goal is to win the war.
Does this mean that organizations should stop setting goals? No, not at all! Organizations and their employees will be most effective, if they set both Objectives and Goals. An annual objectives setting exercise for each employee, is a very effective way to accomplish specific projects or tasks and to improve employee productivity and performance through completion of training and skills development programs. This is a great way to get the everyday nitty-gritty stuff done. It can be as simple as a one-day customer service program or as complex as revising the corporate policies and procedures. Organizations and employees are best advised to also regularly engage in the higher-level task of goal setting. In this way each of them can move towards achieving the really big results that make a true difference in their success.
So what are Goals and how are they set? Goals are so much bigger than objectives. Goals are designed to stretch us and cause us to grow. They make us bigger by their achievement. Many times the greatest success comes from the process of moving towards the goal rather than its actual achievement. A timeframe is set for achieving the goal, however, the timeframe must be seen as a milepost, not as an end post. Persistence overrules timeliness. Many of the world's greatest breakthroughs have happened after the expected time to achieve the goal has past.
Goal Setting requires serious thought. Zig Ziglar stated that “A goal that is casually set and lightly taken is freely abandoned at the first obstacle” Goals are more challenging than objectives as they require continued persistence and more of the individual to achieve. Goals take time. The amount of time they take cannot be accurately determined. There is a Law of Gender that states that all seeds (ideas) have a gestation or incubation period before they manifest into form. We cannot control the gestation or incubation period. We can only guess how long it will take to manifest a Goal. Goals can take much longer than we expect. When the timeline we have set has past, we must not be discouraged. We simply extend the timeline and keep on going until the goal is achieved.
Goals are where we move our dreams into reality. Some say that goals need to be Big, Hairy and Audacious (BHAG). I would agree with that statement and add they need to be a BHAG Goal in relation to you. A BHAG goal may be completing your high school equivalency, buying a Lexus or creating a product that will affect all of humanity. It all depends on where you are in your life’s journey when you set the goal. At 88, Kathleen Cross Cooper of Wilmington, Delaware was the oldest member of University of Delaware’s Graduating Class of 2002. Going to college was one thing she wanted to do all her life. For her this was a big Goal. For Martin Luther King, a big Goal was to achieve equality and voting rights for African Americans. For a corporation it may be reaching their first billion dollars in annual sales.
What is a SMART Goal? A SMART Goal is Specific, Meaningful, Advancing, Reaching, and Thrilling.
Specific. Specific is determining the What and the When. The “What” must be clearly defined so you know the direction you are headed. As mentioned above the “When” is a guidepost. The guidepost is necessary to help you get involved and committed to act. The Wright brothers had a goal to build a powered flying machine that would carry a man.
Meaningful. The goal must be meaningful to you. You must have a positive emotional connection to the Goal. It does not matter if the goal is not meaningful to others. They may not be able to understand your dream, your vision. They may even be naysayers. Ignore them, pursue your dream. People believed it was humanly impossible for Edmond Hilary to climb Mt. Everest.
Advancing. The goal must advance or improve your life, yourself or humanity in some way. The purpose of a goal is to move forward. The airplane is something that has improved humanity in many ways. Ways in which the Wright brothers would never have envisioned.
Reaching. The goal must cause you to Reach, to stretch yourself or your organization beyond anything you have accomplished before. This is about raising the bar reaching to new heights. The goal may be scary for you. It is about stepping up, and it may be a big step. For the Wright brothers the possible risk of failure and even the risk of injury or death was great.
Thrilling. A Goal must be Thrilling. Not thrilling in the sense that you are overwhelmed by excitement and exuberance. It must be Thrilling in the sense that you are passionate and in awe of your Goal. It is Thrilling in that you are in love with the idea. Although they had no idea how the Goal would actually be achieved the Wright brothers were passionate and in love with the idea of manned flight.
There are three key steps to reaching your Goal. Goals can not be forced. Some say that goals require all out Action. Only Objectives can be completed with what most of us understand to be all out action. Goals need a specialized form of action. The power in a Goal is that you must first fall in love with your Goal. You must be able to see yourself as having that Goal. This is the first step in moving your Goal into form. Andrew Carnegie related to Napoleon Hill that “Any idea that is held in the mind, that is emphasized, that is FEARED or REVERED will begin AT ONCE to cloth itself in the most convenient and appropriate form that is available.” This initial step is action involving the mind, creating a clear picture of the Goal, seeing yourself as having that Goal, Now! It is being in love with the Goal, and committing the details of the Goal to paper and the TV screen of your mind.
Unlike an Objective, you may have little control over the chain of events necessary to complete the Goal. Once you have firmly committed to the goal in the first step, unexpectedly “coincidences” will occur that when acted upon will move you closer to the Goal. You will meet people, receive information, or experience chance encounters or happenings that at first glance may not seem to be related to your Goal. They may not seem related because they can initially appear to take you away from the path to the Goal. The second step is that you must act on those “coincidences” which occur and trust they will assist you in moving towards the Goal. Also act on the resources you are aware of when you first set the Goal. Alexander Fleming accidentally discovered Penicillin when he found a mold growing on some dishes that had not been cleaned.
Goals require risk. They require taking bigger risks that you have ever taken before. One of those risks is the risk of failure. Most life changing inventions and achievements in the world occurred by failing their way to success. Often the path is littered with failures. Corn Flakes was invented when boiled wheat that the Kellogg brothers were experimenting with was unintentionally left over night in a laboratory. The next day the wheat broke into little pieces when placed between two rollers. Each failure is an opportunity to learn and to see what did not work. Failure, especially repeated failure can cause one to want to quit. These steps will require you to do things you may not be in the habit of doing. It takes focused effort and self-discipline to create new habits. You will be tested many times. The third step is to maintain discipline and persistence. When you want to quit or give up, get into action. This step will ultimately overcome all barriers.
May your failures be inspiring. Best regards STAN J. TONOSKI "It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen." Claude M. Bristol
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