How to Train on Goal Setting
Setting goals is an important aspect of getting what we want out of life. Training on goal-setting can lead to quicker and higher levels of achievement through giving people improved focus on exactly what they need to do, and helping them to clarify how best to go about doing it. Goals can be personal or professional, secret or shared, team- or individually-focused. Effective training on goal-setting is a valuable way of motivating people to set new goals, or re-energizing them to revisit goals that they have previously attempted and failed to achieve.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Establish the importance of goals. There is a vast difference between a vague feeling of "knowing what I want" and having a specific goal. Shared goals, particularly in the workplace, need to be clear and commonly understood by everyone involved. A vague wish is not a goal. An unclear goal will, by definition, never be achieved because attainment will be impossible to recognize. The starting point for training in goal-setting is therefore establishing exactly what each individual or team wants to achieve.
-
2
Sharpen goals up by turning them into SMART goals. These are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-limited. Understanding the importance of each of these aspects is the most important aim of goal-setting training. Use plenty of examples to demonstrate and compare SMART and non-SMART goals, illustrating how they lead to different outcomes.
-
-
3
Visualize goals. Motivating people to want to achieve goals is another key part of goal-setting. Spend time on visualization techniques to help people clearly see and anticipate what they would feel like--and how things would change--when they achieve their goal. Always use the word "when" in referring to goal-setting; "if" implies that the goal may not be reached. Similarly, ban the word "try," which implies possible failure.
-
4
Identify barriers; be specific about the realistic challenges that may stand in the way of goal achievement. These will be different for each person, but the training should encourage individuals to clearly identify those things that they foresee may hinder their progress. Allow time for people to discuss this and think through the steps that they might take to prevent and overcome these challenges.
-
5
Encourage people to plan for and celebrate success. Build on the earlier visualization techniques by asking learners to clearly identify how, when and why they will feel that they have succeeded. Goals will never be achieved if they become subject to changing requirements over time. Acknowledging and celebrating achievement of the original goal is a great motivator for continuing to strive and do more.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Ask learners to look back and consider why they have achieved some goals and failed to achieve some others--experience is the best foundation to build on.
Encourage people to prioritize goals. Trying to do too much all at once often leads to failure.
Use examples of people who have achieved goals against all odds. This emphasizes how much we can all achieve if we really work at it.
When training a team in goal-setting, point out that people may have individual underlying goals that may act to sabotage the team effort.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit basketball image by Jeff Dalton from Fotolia.com
