Define Your Goals Effectively

Goals are precise and measurable objectives with exact time frames and targets. Goals are short-term steps toward our long-term vision. Goals are specific points along our journey to higher performance. They could be organization or team improvement objectives such as targets for cycle time, customer satisfaction, error or defect rates, new products or services, costs, or revenues. Personal goals could include targets such as income level or financial position, new home, car or other item, an academic or technical qualification, business we want to start, or position we want to reach.

Clear and powerful goals set priorities. They narrow the wide field of options and choices to those few activities that leverage our limited time and attention. They keep us focused on finding the shortest, most direct route to our destination. That means goals point out where not to go and what not to do as much as where we should go and what we should do. So clear goals lead to faster, clearer decisions, which move us more quickly toward our dreams.

Long-term goal setting has always been vaguely unsatisfying for me. I lean more naturally toward visioning. Part of the reason I am uncomfortable with long-term goal setting is because goals are shallow. Goals define what you want to have, not what you want to become. They are a means, not an end.

Another reason goal setting has been less satisfying is because I've never been very good at it. Most of the time frames on my projections, forecasts, and predictions are wrong. I suppose I should ask for a refund on my cloudy crystal ball. But through persistence and staying true to my course, I've eventually reached and then reset many of my visions. I've generally got to where I wanted to go and became the person I wanted to become. But it was always through a different route than I first expected to take. I guess that's called learning.

So there's the paradox of goals. I believe in personal, team, and organization goal setting. I continue to set goals. And I continue to help leaders set goals and objectives for themselves, their teams, and their organization. Goals are targets that help us immensely in moving from a general vision to a specific set of priorities and actions.