Do you want to outperform your peers? Elevate the performance of your team? Or become the leader you know you can be?

Effective goal setting is the number one habit that separates those who achieve and succeed from the average person.

Below is an introduction to Goal Attainment that will get you on your way!

Goal Setting (“What”)

Everyone has dreams, few attain them. The process for accelerated growth and realizing the life you want to lead – both personally and professionally – is rooted in effective goal setting. It is the building block upon which you erect your achievements. It gives you direction for your energy and focus so that you do not merely pass through life but actively work to impact your experience of it.

The most common structure for creating goals is based on the acronym S.M.A.R.T.

• Specific
• Measurable
• Actionable
• Realistic/Relevant
• Time-bound

Here are a few examples of what S.M.A.R.T. goals could look like: 

• “We will generate $20,000 in revenue from new clients before September 1, 2020.”
• “We will turn a profit of $50,000 from all business activities by the end of the year.”
• “We will hire a finance analyst and HR Manager that are great fits for our team by the end of the third quarter.”
• “I will create a meaningful and strategic relationship with this specific industry expert by the end of the quarter.”

The links below provide some great details on how to craft goals consistent with each of the S.M.A.R.T. elements. They are great reads to get some background and foundational info if you are not familiar with this approach. 

https://www.verywellmind.com/tips-for-goal-setting-self-improvement-4688587

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_90.htm

Linking Goals to a Purpose (“Why”)

Great! Now you know how to craft effective goals but creating S.M.A.R.T. goals is only part of the process. Studies have shown that effective goals are not only S.M.A.R.T., but are linked to a powerful purpose, a why, for obtaining the goal. It is sometimes useful to think of it this way – your goal is the “what you will do;” your purpose is the “why you do it;” and the action plan is the “how you will do it.” Let us examine an example of a goal and its corresponding purpose:

Goal: “I will provide leadership coaching to 10 clients by December 31, 2020.”

Purpose/Why: “I want to transform how people work so that both leaders and employees are empowered to unlock peak performance while loving what they do.”

By linking your goal to a powerful purpose, you are providing yourself with mental and emotional leverage to consistently take action in furtherance of it. This is crucial to overcoming obstacles and challenges that pop up. It is also unique to the individual.

You can leverage a simple exercise to uncover the purpose behind your goals. First, write down your goal. Then ask “Why is this important to me? Why do I want to obtain this goal?” Write down your thoughts. Now read the thoughts you wrote down out loud and repeat the questions. Repeat these steps 5 times and you will get to the emotion or belief driving your goal.

Creating Your Action Plans (“How”)

Creating an action plan is usually what takes the most amount of planning and structure. It is the road map for how you will accomplish the S.M.A.R.T. goals you have set for yourself. Let us apply this at a high level to my goal. An action plan may look something like this:

1. Identify people within my current network that are in a position of authority or leadership as an executive, business owner or entrepreneur by the end of the week.
2. Create and refine a service offering tailored to each group’s needs and challenges by the end of the month.
3. Create sales funnel and targeted marketing material for potential clients not within my existing network by the end of the month.

I hope you have noticed that each of these “steps” in my action plan also reflect the S.M.A.R.T. elements. It is also important to appreciate that each of these steps operates like a mini-goal and may require additional levels of action plans. 

While your goals and purpose remain relatively static, action plans do not always do so. It is always ok to modify action plans to adapt to unanticipated challenges or opportunities so long as it is still designed to get you to your goal.

This is a very high-level breakdown of this process. 59seconds leverages one-to-one calls with clients that are designed accelerate goal attainment by guiding you through the 3 components (What, Why, How). Most people believe that they need to have all the answers now or that they must stick rigidly to a plan. In reality, it is a constantly evolving process that will encounter obstacles routinely. We help identify what may be preventing progress and develop the tools needed for you to overcome them.

Take Action!

In the beginning, focus on 3 S.M.A.R.T. goals that you want to achieve professionally in the next 6-12 months. It helps to write them down. Then  connect them to a purpose (sometimes it is the same purpose and other times it is not – for example, I want to generate $10k/month in revenue by Dec. 31 and bring on 10 new clients because I want the freedom and autonomy of running my own company.)

59seconds specializes in guiding the goal setting process and then leverages years of experience to accelerate their achievement!

If you are looking to become a more effective leader… to elevate your game to the next level … or turn your organization into a team performing at world class levels…

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