Keep Goal Setting: Making Your Goals A Reality in 2023
We all know that a new year is a great time to reflect back and plan forward. We also know that human nature drives us both to set and forget goals. So how do we set goals effectively, given that a Harvard Business study revealed amazing statistics relating to goal setting and success?
The Harvard study found that only 14% of us have goals, but these 14% are 10 times more successful than those without goals. And the 3% with written goals are three times more successful than the 14% with unwritten goals.
So, how do you become part of the smallest by most successful group? Here are some suggestions.
1. Reflect On Last Year
What do you feel went well?
What do you feel needs improvement?
If you are unsure of where there are opportunities, use industry benchmarks to compare results.
2. Review Your “Why”
This could be your vision or mission statement. It should serve as your touch point to keep you on track and articulate why you do what you do.
If you don’t have something like this in place, it is a good place to start. Every business should have a statement the guides its decision-making, inspires its team and provides purpose.
3. Finalize New Goals
Taking the first two steps into consideration, list the new goals you have for the year.
Prioritize this list from most important to least, considering aspects such as return on investment, available resources, key players, etc.
Choose wisely, keeping in mind that you should only work on two goals maximum at a time. This is key - working on too many goals at once dilutes the effectiveness and nothing gets achieved.
Once you have achieved a goal or have the action steps consistently in place and consistently being followed, then you can begin working towards a new goal.
4. Create An Action Plan
What are the actions / behaviours that need to be put in place to reach the goal?
Clearly state the goal.
Determine the expectations.
Identify key players and gain commitment.
Collaborate with key players to fine-tune the plan and gain commitment (as the owner or leader of a group, you don’t have to have all the answers).
“The responsibility of leadership is not to come up with all the ideas. The responsibility of leadership is to create an environment in which great ideas can thrive.”
That is why you hire good people, invite their knowledge and welcome their insights. In addition, when key players contribute ideas, they will be more committed to ensuring that those ideas are successful if implemented. Be open to whoever supports the plan - a part-time team member who is passionate about a topic can be a valuable resource.
Be sure everyone understands the “why” behind the goal and what is in it for them, for the organization and for the consumer.
Agree on expectations.
Communicate the plan and check for understanding.
5. Identify Training & Coaching Needs
Training - List skills required to reach the goal, identify team members who require training, and make a training plan (this is included in the goal setting template I can provide).
Coaching - Be prepared to provide feedback and redirect if needed. Coaching helps employees work with more involvement and leads to greater job satisfaction (included in template).
6. Monitor Progress
Keep the plan alive - talk about it constantly and create excitement when you see effort and “wins.”
Keep it simple - be sure it is easy to monitor success.
Clients are at times anxious about tracking and reviewing metrics, as they may see it as some sort of scorecard on their performance. This is one way to look at it, but when goal-setting is done properly and includes actions steps, I encourage you to view the metrics as a sign of whether the behaviours or action steps you have put in place are working.
This helps evaluate and direct you.
If the metrics are trending up - this is a sign to do more of what is working, and to acknowledge and reinforce the positive behaviours with your staff so they continue on this track.
If the metrics are not moving - determine and remove obstacles.
Stop, look and listen - this will stop you from jumping to conclusions or giving up too quickly.
If concerns are expressed - ask for examples / proof that the problem exists. I often see staff apply the exception rather than the rule to situations. Be sure that something has occurred more than once before you label it as a problem.
Identify the sequence of events that has led to the problem and ask what conditions allowed it to occur.
Collaborate on solutions and communicate next steps.
Most importantly, stick to the goal.
7. Acknowledge & Celebrate Success
Acknowledge success and the team for their efforts, even if it is their job.
Remind the team of the steps you rook, and they will be more likely to get behind the next goal.
I hope this is helpful and gets your year off to a great start with clear direction. If you would like a copy of my goal-setting template, feel free to reach out.
Nancy Dewald is a business development professional, workshop facilitator and optical industry veteran who founded and is CEO of Lead Up Training & Consulting, a company specializing in identifying business gaps, implementing solutions and developing leaders.
Article as seen in Optical Prism