Is it worth the effort to create goals?

Creating goals takes effort and time. As a human resources professional with over 15 years of experience, I’ve heard my share of groans when it comes to managers and supervisors having to carve out the time to sit down with their team members for goal setting sessions. Why is goal setting necessary when you know what’s required to do your job on a day-to-day basis? We already have to set goals for work, so why do we need to have goals outside of work? Perhaps you can relate.

Goal setting is absolutely worth the energy and resources you invest - if you’re creating the right kind of goals. I’m not talking about pencil whipping a spreadsheet for the sake of checking the box on your organizational responsibilities. Those kinds of goals end up with a last minute sprint of desperation because they have usually been forgotten about until the performance appraisal comes around. The right kind of goals offer clarity and ongoing motivation to get to your desired outcome. The right goals include:

• Clear definitions of what success looks like, so you can be inspired by their personal meaning each time you read them

  • This is often why formatting goals to be SMART can be helpful

    • Specific

    • Measurable

    • Attainable

    • Relevant

    • Time-bound

• A sense of discomfort because you know you will need to adapt or increase your skills and effort to reach them

• Alignment with your core values (as well as your organization or team)

• Accountability that motivates you to stay on track and own your part in your success

Putting in the effort to create the right kind of goals becomes particularly helpful when:

• You have a difficult time prioritizing or focusing your efforts.

  If you’re like me and have a mind that runs at light speed with ideas that you want to accomplish, you may find yourself pinging all over the place if you cannot prioritize or focus your efforts. Does this sound familiar? I want to do this and that - Oh and this other thing, too… Squirrel!

  If I just had more information… If I just had more time… If I just had more hands… If I could just say no to people…

  The right goals help you to identify what’s most important. They simplify your decision-making by helping you keep your eyes on the prize.

• You are struggling to see past the day-to-day that has become so familiar.

  Complacency and blind spots settle in when you stay in the same place for too long. I’ve seen it many times - You and your team become stuck, you have difficulty navigating through challenges, your skills become irrelevant, and eventually your competition leaves you in the dust. Alternatively, you may be forced to make sweeping changes because something devastating occurs.

  If you’ve found yourself spending too much time in your comfort zone or being the nay-sayer when your team approaches you about ideas, it’s time to take a hard look at yourself before you experience these issues. Get honest feedback from others around you and ask yourself, “If I stay where I am today, how will that impact me a year or two from now?” Consider what changes you need to make to stay relevant, and invest in setting goals to help you successfully navigate those changes.

• You are not sure whether your efforts are paying off.

  Activity, productivity, and return on investment are not synonymous. You can be doing a lot of activities while not having any direction (in a sense - leaving your future to chaos and chance). You could be wasting precious time, energy, and resources. You can also be productive while missing out on the reward of accomplishment.

  The right goals will enable you to decide the best way to invest your time, energy, and resources, so you can experience the fruits of your labor.

• You have fears clouding your ability to see yourself and the world around you clearly.

  Emotions from past experiences may create a sense of fear or a limiting belief about your future. Labels, hurtful words and experiences, toxic relationships, being laid off or rejected for a position you wanted, and other disappointments can impact how you approach your life over time.

  The right kind of goals enable you to create new experiences that challenge your fears in a safe way, so you can be free to experience your full potential. They enable you to gain new perspectives to help you move forward.

• You are given a set of goals by your organization that you cannot seem to get on board.

  You want me to do what?! Sometimes goals given from the top can miss the mark by the time they trickle down to you, especially when leaders at the top lose sight of what’s really happening on the front line. When the goals your organization gives to you feel like a joke or seem impossible, you can still tweak them so they become right for you.

  Take a moment to reflect: What are some contributions you can make to move the needle on what the organization desires while enabling you to explore your own potential as well?

If you find yourself in any of these situations, consider setting aside some time for goal setting. If you’re not sure where to start, coaching can be a great way to explore your goals and identify the right strategy for you. Coaching is also a great resource for seasoned professionals and leaders that want to accelerate their development. You can also follow me on social media to catch more tips about goal setting.