The goal setting season coming round again? Impossible! But if that’s true, perhaps it’s a great time to review the whole area of goals. Let’s have a look at five aspects of goals:

i) Types of goals,
ii) What gets in the way of their achievement,
iii) What facilitates their successful accomplishment,
iv) Planning for goal getting and
v) Saying ‘No!’

i) TYPES OF GOALS.

There are many and we can divide them into lots of different
categories. The following list is by no means exhaustive but
contains many of the most important.

a) Needs-based.

Our needs are what we must have satisfied for us to be the best
we possibly can be. A common example is appreciation. For those
of us with that need, unmet it might manifest itself in the sharing
of our achievements at inappropriate moments or boasting.
Once recognized we can ensure the need is met by those who love
us. I sometimes draw a parallel between appetite and need. When
hungry I must eat, but once satisfied I never give my appetite
another thought until my stomach declares it’s used up all the
previous food.

b) Values-based.

Our values are the ethical standards, behaviors and activities
which represent who we are at our core, what matters most to us
and is most rewarding. If we were independently wealthy, I would
expect our lives to reflect our values… Staying
with the food analogy of the last paragraph, I draw a parallel
between my favorite recipes and values. They rarely change
regardless of whether my stomach if full or growling for attention.

c) Wants-based.

Some desires simply exist. You want this car, that vacation, this
house, that winter coat. But be careful! Unless your needs are
already met, you might find them masquerading as wants!

d) Integrity-based.

This is all about being who you are regardless of pressures to
conform to a different mould. On recognizing that you have strayed
from the ‘essential you’ it is these goals which will take you back
to the person you truly are.

e) Imposed goals.

These are set by somebody else and are typical of an environment
with an autocratic culture. Whose tune are you dancing to and how
comfortable are you about that?

f) Negotiated goals.

Typical of a more enlightened environment. Recognizes your past
performance, hears your input and hopefully is set exactly the right
distance ahead to bring out your best.

Why is it important to recognize the type of goal we are dealing
with? I believe it helps us to decide about the motivation which
will work best. Best of all I suggest is, if rather than being
driven forward by goals, we are drawn forward by a vision which
inspires us. My vision is ‘every business sustainable, every life
in balance.’ That gives me a lot of clarity about what to do when
opportunities arise or another innovative idea pops into my
head. What is your vision?

It seems to me that in the same way as we need life-balance, we
need goal balance too and that reaching goals in one area of our
lives facilitates reaching them in another.

ii) WHAT GETS IN THE WAY OF ACHIEVING OUR GOALS?

How about lack of clarity, shortage of time, uncertainty about
communicating the necessary message, conflicting priorities and
not knowing what to do as a preliminary list?

And the answer is to ask to what extent you are familiar with your
needs and values, to what extent your life, in whatever area this
goal has arisen, is centered around them. Where are you in terms
of life balance? What are your priorities at work and at home and
if you don’t know, this would be a really good time to give that
some thought. Even if the goal is perfectly aligned with your
values, it might not be the moment to address it, your time may
be better invested in a different project with a greater reward.

The answer may also involve figuring out where to go for information
or to seek advice. You may simply not want to pursue this goal and
this might lead to some difficulty if you are an employee.

We may be mired in a quagmire of ’shoulds’ and ‘oughts,’ thoughts
about what other people may be expecting of us. If ‘other people’
includes our boss, we better make it a priority to get on the same
page, and if necessary, do some negotiating. Otherwise, perhaps
the time has come to stop living the life which other people expect
of us and start living the life we really want.

iii) WHAT FACILITATES A GOAL’S ACHIEVEMENT?

Have you ever come across the ‘fishtank theory?’ Apparently, when
fish are transferred from one aquarium to another, the increment in
terms of tank-size is vital. Too large and the fish die, too small
and you’re buying a new one much sooner than anticipated. For
you, what is the right increment in formulating your next goal in
each area, or the next step towards each goal?

So when you review your current goals, where do they sit in these
terms? Are they doable or are they so huge that they are their
own deterrent in terms of getting started?

How are you motivated, positively by a reward of some sort or
negatively by the thought of avoiding some unpalatable consequence?
Do you need someone to whom to be accountable? Can you
encourage your people to pick goal-buddies, folk with whom they
meet regularly to discuss progress, to challenge and coach each
other? Does working with a coach produce the best results for you?

I find that part of the goal achievement progress is keeping in
mind the next step and ensuring that it is diarised. What works
best for you in that respect? Are you definitely high-tech and
inspired by using the best software available or are you low-tech,
preferring a series of hard-backed note books used in parallel with
a calendar? I don’t believe there is a universally right answer. I
do believe there’s an answer which is the right one for you.

iv) PLANNING FOR GOAL-GETTING.

I could show you a goal book my wife Nesta and I started using
over 10 years ago. It’s a great system. Divided into sections, each
one accommodates a different type of goal: the short term, medium
and long term. Each Sunday evening we looked at the book and
made the plan for the week ahead. Guess what? The goals we
worked on were achieved, the others were not. Why would this be
a surprise?

For some goals we didn’t know where to start. It wasn’t that in
itself that was important it was that we did nothing about it. What
are some solutions? Get in touch with our intuition. Write in a
journal. Spend time in creative day-dreaming. Read widely, not
just in the areas of our interest to seek cross-over ideas. Talk
with others who have come through similar situations. Remember
the inventors who never gave up: Edison, Bell and their
contemporaries today. Unless you take action, nothing, that is – nothing! – will happened.

My plan today is to make sure that each one is a goal I am
determined to pursue, one which complies with my values, is
consistent with my vision and that it is important enough for me
to assign the necessary time. The final part of the process is
the implementation, ensuring I have a plan, breaking it down into
steps of the right size for me, diarising them and making sure
they happen. If they are not happening, then I need to review
compliance with my values etc and decide whether I am going to
meet them faster working with someone like a coach.

v) SAYING ‘NO!’

I’ll bet there are a thousand distractions in your life and a hundred people competing for your time, throughout the day at work and at home too. If you don’t learn how to distinguish between what you – you, personally!- really want and what other want of you, and act accordingly in your own best interests, none of your goals are going to be reached any time soon.

So there’s your recipe! My challenge to you is to start and to start now – and you’ll be working with the most interesting person!

(c)Martin Sawdon, 19th August, 2002

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Martin Sawdon of Coaching-Works! has a passion for the creation of super-successful organizations – Sustainable Workplaces. As a coach he has been described as a velvet-gloved bulldozer and as a speaker, powerful, engaging, outstanding.

To learn more about Martin and Sustainable Workplaces, Sustainable Relationships, and the Sustainable You, visit his website ==>http://www.coachingworks.ca