2: GOAL-SETTING

2 3 1
All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except fair uses permitted under U.S. or applicable copyright law.

Where do you want

to be?

In my experience, a clear vision defined by detailed and documented goals is the one single
variable that most contributes to successful achievement. The problem usually is that people
have not decided in detail what exactly they want to achieve in business or in life. The secret is
to decide where you want to be. What is the end-game? Decide in detail what the end-game is
and then follow up this ambition with a concerted emphasis and focus on the processes
required to achieve it.
This is where having a vision, clearly visualising it and setting goals for it, comes into its own.
Each element is interrelated and equally important.
Setting goals is often a misunderstood discipline. Probably, we would all say that we regularly
set goals for ourselves. But, in reality, most of these ‘goals’ are nothing more than a series of
vague intentions. They have not been formulated properly, are rarely documented and do not
have a process in place for achieving them.
Remember that getting goals, not setting goals, is the order of the day. Like most things, this is
easier said than done and the actual process of implementation to achieve the goals requires
discipline, sometimes courage, and an unwavering focus.
The process requires strict management from someone who will hold you accountable. That
person is you. You must hold yourself accountable. This is why it is essential that you learn
how to kick your own ass. Do not accept anything less than a personal commitment to setting
and achieving your goals. This is the fine line between success and failure.

How to set goals

So how do we do this? How do we set effective and realisable goals for ourselves and our
Copyright 2011. NuBooks.

business? The following broad guidelines apply to setting effective goals:

EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 11/4/2020 3:49 AM via TORRENS UNIVERSITY AUSTRALIA LTD
AN: 1008505 ; Pearce Flannery.; Create Your Own Reality
Account: ns251549.main.ehost
 • Positive statement: Express your goals positively: ‘I am going to do this well the next
time round’ is a much better goal than ‘Don’t make this stupid mistake again’. It reflects
a better mindset, one of empowerment and achievement.
• Be precise: If you set a precise goal, putting in dates, times and amounts so that
achievement can be measured, then you know the exact goal to be achieved, and can
take satisfaction from having completely achieved it.
• Set priorities: Where you have several goals, give each a priority. This helps you to
avoid feeling overwhelmed by too many goals, and helps to direct your attention to the
most important ones.
• Write down your goals: Always write goals down to avoid confusion and give them
more force.
• Keep operational goals small: Operational goals are those goals or steps required to
achieve a greater goal. Make the greater goal or vision as large as you like but keep the
stepping-stone goals you are working towards immediately small and achievable. If an
operational goal is too large, then it can seem that you are not making progress towards
it.

People typically have several goals at the same time. My approach recommends having short-
term goals, medium-term goals, and long-term goals. In this situation, you can expect to attain
short-term goals fairly easily: they stand just slightly above your reach. At the other extreme,
long-term goals may appear very difficult, almost impossible to attain. I suggest you should
have great big STOMPing goals in this context. We will get to the STOMP technique later.
Using one goal as a stepping-stone to the next involves goal-sequencing. A person or group
starts by attaining the easy short-term goals, then steps up to the medium-term, then
eventually to the long-term goals.

Write them down

The three most important rules in goal-setting are:
• Write them down.
• Write them down.
• Write them down.

If you do not write down your goals on a regular basis, you will never achieve them!

The difference in people’s abilities to fully tap their personal resources is directly affected by their
goals. A study of the 1953 graduates of Yale University clearly demonstrates this point. The

EBSCOhost - printed on 11/4/2020 3:49 AM via TORRENS UNIVERSITY AUSTRALIA LTD. All use subject to https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use
 graduates interviewed were asked whether they had a clear, specific set of goals written down with
a plan for achieving those goals. Only 3% had written such goals. 20 years later in 1973, the
researchers went back and interviewed the surviving members of the 1953 graduating class. They
discovered that the 3% with written specific goals were worth more in financial terms than the
entire other 97% put together. Obviously, this study measures only people’s financial
development. However, the interviewers also discovered that the less measureable or more
subjective measures, such as the level of happiness and joy that the graduates felt, also seemed to
be superior in the 3% with written goals. This is the power of goal setting. (Tony Robbins,
Unlimited Power)

Setting performance-based goals, as opposed to outcome-based goals, is crucial to your

success. You should take care to set goals over which you have as much control as possible –
there is nothing as dispiriting as failing to achieve a personal goal for reasons beyond your
own control.
Goals based on outcomes are extremely vulnerable to failure because of things beyond your
control. If you base your goals on personal performance or skills or knowledge to be acquired,
then you can keep control over the achievement of your goals and draw satisfaction from
them. It is essential to keep control over the goal, otherwise it is probable that the goal may not
be achievable. Achievable goals must be set in the context of the environment in which you
operate.
The performance objectives below, in combination, form a performance scorecard for easily
tracking the performance improvements generated by this plan. The performance areas as
highlighted are simply for illustration. You can, and should, set your own performance
objectives, targets and deadlines. And, of course, you must kick your own ass to ensure you
achieve them.

Performance Area Performance measures Target Time-frame

Financial performance
Customer and market performance
Internal efficiency and effectiveness
Long-term development and innovation

EBSCOhost - printed on 11/4/2020 3:49 AM via TORRENS UNIVERSITY AUSTRALIA LTD. All use subject to https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use