Plan for Success in 2012

Simple, Effective Steps for Goal Setting in 2012

Goals inspire the plan, the plan sets the action, the action gets the results and the results achieve the success. And it all starts with one word, goal.

Robert H. Schuller describes four kinds of people:

·    First come the opt-outs. These people wing it. They set no goals.

·    Second are the hold-outs. They have a dream, but uncertainty makes them afraid to respond to its challenge.

·   The dropouts are third. They start to make their dream come true, but when the going gets tough, they quit.

·    Finally, there are the all-outs. These brave souls know where they’re headed and do what it takes to get there.

Goal setting is not rocket science (like most things). It’s just that many people do it in a half-hearted manner or don’t do it at all.  Winners make goals, others make excuses.

Goals can motivate a workforce, an individual employee, or even a manager, as long as they’re well thought out and not too complicated.

There are several methods for setting goals. Here's one that can be used for simple individual goals or complex organizational goals. The example provided is goal setting for an employee.

Get real. Choose specific goals that apply directly to the employee’s performance—nothing too vague or overwhelming. If you’re not sure whether a possible goal is clear enough, ask, “How will we know when you’ve succeeded?”

Narrow your focus. Select one goal at a time to work on. You don’t want your employee to be balancing too many tasks at once.

Define your objective. What results do you hope to achieve? These should be measurable and concrete to eliminate any ambiguity about what the employee is working toward.

Draw up an action plan. List the steps necessary to reach the goal. You and the employee may have to break the goal down into segments if your list of steps grows too long. But you need to know exactly what’s required so the project doesn’t bog down as you try to move forward.

Set a deadline. Open-ended goals aren’t very motivational. Identify a due date that’s realistic but ambitious so the employee has a sense of urgency about completing the tasks involved.

Schedule the steps. Work with the employee on deciding when specific actions will take place: “Jan 15. 1, recruit designers for new product . . . Jan. 25, present first prototype . . .” and so on. This will help the employee stay on course and help you to monitor progress.

Check out our 30 Ideas for Goal 'Getting' in 2012 post by clicking:  http://is.gd/GH6rN7

Happy New Year!

PM in the PM


For more information about creating organizational, team, and individual success in 2012 contact us at smartdevelopment@aol.com and smartdevelopmentinc.com