/? 190510" Goal Setting Formula
"The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define them, learn about them, or even seriously consider them as believable or achievable," said motivational speaker and productivity expert Denis Waitley. "Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them."
Get Personal
Managers cannot motivate employees on an ongoing basis, just like people or circumstances cannot keep you motivated. Research shows that when your goals are personal and mean something important to you, the following occurs:
1. Tasks are filtered through the goals. You do the activities aligned with your goals while you ignore irrelevant activities.
2. You work harder towards the end result. Effort becomes more effortless.
3. You use knowledge that otherwise goes unused to deal with difficulties.
4. Persistence is increased to endure challenges. /? 190510" Goal Setting Formula
There are several techniques to set and achieve goals that complement each other so you can use multiple techniques to increase the likelihood of achieving your goal, but one goal-setting technique that has been effective for me is SMART goals. SMART is an acronym with minor variations:
Specific. As discussed earlier, a good goal is specific. Make a goal as specific as possible so expectations are developed, clarity is formed, and the path towards success is evident. A specific goal gives you excellent awareness and understanding of the requirements to achieve it. Develop an exact long-term goal, then break it down into goals for one year, one month, one week, and day-to-day activities.
Measurable. Another common problem discussed earlier is people do not set measurable goals. How can your progress be tracked so you achieve the goal in a set time period? Do your best to quantify your goal. Let's say your goal is to overcome shyness. Set a measurable goal where you aim to meet and briefly converse with 10 new people next week. The number "10" within 1 week makes this goal measurable and specific. This makes it easy for you to track your progress in becoming a socially confident person. /? 190510" Goal Setting Formula