setting goals
4 Principles for Setting Goals
By Chris Halward, Managing Director, True North
A chap by the name of Dr Edwin Locke did some research way back in the 1960s, which still holds true today. Specific and challenging goals lead to better performance than vague and easy goals.
Indeed few would argue that goal setting isn't the most successful motivation technique both to motivate oneself and others.
Listen to top achievers in any walk of life, sport, business, the arts, politics and they are likely to talk about the goals they have set for themselves and how important these goals have been in helping them to drive to be successful in their chosen field. They succeed on purpose, not by accident!
The setting of goals ensures that you focus your energy and your capabilities effectively and as a result are much more likely to achieve them.
There are 4 key principles for setting goals; what we call the c3e Model
Figure 1 c3e Goal Setting Model
Clarity
Most people have heard of SMART (although many struggle to remember what it stands for!). The first two letters stand for 'specific' and measurable' - in other words, clarity. Expectations are very clear when there is this clarity. So, rather than "Let's sell more", try "Let's sell 5% more than yesterday". A good test of clarity is whether you can tell when the goal is achieved. If the goal is to sell more, it will be difficult to know when 'more' has been achieved.
Challenge
People are motivated by challenge. It is a misnomer that people like an easy life. Stretching but achievable is perhaps a good definition of challenging. It is not helpful to set goals that overwhelm of course, and if the goals are challenging it is important to provide support. The type of support needed does depend on the situation.
Commitment
I like the old story of the pig and the chicken discussing their individual contributions to the farmer's breakfast. The pig tells the chicken that whilst he admires the chicken's contribution to the breakfast (eggs), it is he, the pig, who will be showing genuine commitment (bacon!).
Commitment reflects the importance of the goal. As we are told in the Expectancy Theory of Motivation, our motivation (commitment) is often driven by what we expect. If we believe the value of the goal is worth the effort required to achieve it then we are motivated, if we think that the effort is too great, or worse if we feel that the goal is too difficult to achieve then our level of commitment to it is compromised. It is of vital importance to consider this when setting goals for oneself or for others.
Execution
You may think that Execution comes after goals are set. Yes, that is true however it is important that goals are dynamic. As you work towards the goals you need to be considering their continuing relevance and value. It is OK for goals to be moved and modified if circumstances dictate. What is necessary is to closely monitor progress and ensure that you have good feedback that allows you to decide how goals need to be developed.
Techniques for Goals setting
There are many approaches for setting effective goals which True North explore in its workshops, including:
- Personal mission statements
- Visualisation
- Retro goal setting
Goal setting is the foundation of the coaching approach that is a central feature of True North learning with both individuals and groups, and one of the main reasons why our programmes have been so successful over the past 10 years that True North has been helping people to learn.
Chris Halward
Chris is a director of True North (www.truenorthgb.com) a leading training and coaching business, he can be contacted on 0845 130 5500, or at chrish@truenorthgb.com