GO FOR THE GOALS
BY KAREN LELAND
It’s amazing what WRITING DOWN a BUSINESS-related AMBITION can do for your career.
On average, Americans will spend more than 90,000 hours at work over the course of their lifetime. The question is, how will that time be spent? Many big name business gurus and best-selling authors seem to agree that a career filled with meaningful contributions, close relationships and accomplishments begins and ends with the ability to set and pursue goals.
Earl Nightingale, founder of Nightingale-Conant, (the world’s largest producer of audio programs) and a pioneer in the personal development industry says, “People with goals succeed because they know where they are going… It’s as simple as that.” And Napoleon Hill, author of the bestselling Th ink and Grow Rich, says, “There is one quality that one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.”
But despite what seems like common sense and top-notch business advice from some of the world’s best, most businesspeople still don’t take the art of goal-setting seriously.
Joseph Grenny, author of Influencer: The Power to Change Anything, says business-people may not realize the impact setting goals can have on their behavior. “Goal-setting, when done right, is a significant strategy for increasing your motivation and developing your abilities,” Grenny says.
He says the biggest mistake people make is creating vague goals.
To be eff ective, an objective must be made measurable, time-bound and achievable. “For example, if I have a client who wants to improve their presentation skills,” Grenny says, “I ask them to break this larger goal down into specific behaviors. These might include making more eye contact, using stories, integrating PowerPoint or injecting humor.”
And once the goal has been broken down into smaller, more achievable steps, the key to accomplishing them is to use influence strategies. In a recent survey, Grenny discovered that people who used at least four of the following six strategies were four times more likely to change their behavior and achieve their goals.
1. Deliberately practice: Determine what specific behaviors you want to change, and make a point to practice each one on a regular basis.
2. Create cues: Place reminders about the behaviors you want to change in highly visible places where you are likely to see them.
3. Give yourself incentives: Celebrate your small wins along the way by rewarding yourself when you achieve a part of the goal.
4. Find a coach: Create a relationship with someone you trust who can give you feedback on what you are doing right and specific suggestions for how you might improve.
5. Find encouragement: Join a support group or get a buddy who can prop you up during the rough times and join you in celebrating the wins.
6. Embody your values: Make sure the goals you choose are anchored in something that is important to you.
Dr. Mitch Kusy, a professor at Antioch University, agrees that individuals who set business goals grow, but points out documented, researched evidence that organizations that set goals profit in performance and productivity as well.
Kusy says that executives can take several actions to insure the eff ectiveness of organizational goals. Among them are to co-create goals wiThemployees, clarify expectations as to how each goal will translate into day-to-day behavior, make a connection between larger goals and the individual’s work, and conduct goal-setting activities with star performers.
“Leaders have a tendency to leave the high achievers alone to set their own goals,” Kusy says. “[Instead], they spend their time with the poor performers, trying to bring them up to speed.” This is a misstep, because it’s the high achievers who most crave attention. “If you leave these folks alone for too long, you run the risk of them becoming bored and leaving the organization,” he says.
But what if you set a goal, follow these strategies and still fall short of achieving your objective? Grenny says the individuals and organizations that use goals in an eff ective way see failure as a flaw in their plan, not in themselves, and become even more motivated to strategize the next steps and move forward.
It’s clear that setting goals gets results, so get out a pad and paper and write yours down. Your career and company will definitely soar.
HAVE A VISION, BUT BE SPECIFIC
When it comes to creating and implementing goals on a companywide scale, Josh Leibner, a partner with Quantum Performance, says there is a distinction between articulating an overall strategic vision and crafting specific objectives.
For example, Leibner says a company might have a vision to be “the best in the industry”—but what measurable results (such as owning 25% of the market share or reducing customer complaints by 50%) will that translate into?
“Goals have to address the key criteria that will allow you to say you have succeeded at the vision,” Leibner says. In his experience, the most important places to look for these key criteria are revenues, customer satisfaction, quality, employee satisfaction, innovation and technology.
When it comes to creating and implementing goals on a companywide scale, Josh Leibner, a founding partner with Quantum Performance Inc., says there is a distinction between articulating an overall strategic vision and crafting specific objectives.
For example, Leibner says a company might have a vision to be “the best in the industry”—but what measurable results (such as owning 25% of the market share or reducing customer complaints by 50%) will that translate into?