How to set better goals
Establishing Goals
What is the definition of goal setting?
Ambitions are important to achieve success. Reaching a desired result requires breaking ambitions into manageable goals, which can then be accomplished one step at a time. By creating smaller achievable objectives that lead up your overall ambition – such as becoming a teacher, musician or physical therapist – you will likely reach your end goal faster and more efficiently than if attempting it all in one go!
Process, performance, and outcome goals are the three different types of goals.
- Process goals involve tasks and activities that a person has complete control over. For example, studying for two hours after dinner each night is an example of a process goal.
- Setting a performance target such as aiming for a 3.5 GPA is a type of personal goal that is largely in one’s control.
- Outcome goals are based around success, like getting the job of your dreams for a college student. However, these goals can be hard to accomplish due to factors beyond your control.
Effectively managing your process, performance and outcome goals provides a direct path to success. Achieving the targets of each goal creates an escalator effect that leads directly to achieving overall outcomes with greater efficiency.
Establish a consistent practice of setting goals.
Setting goals at work can be a tricky pursuit. It’s important to remember that professional ambitions should both reflect the company’s mission and fulfil individual needs – otherwise, goal-setting becomes nothing more than an empty exercise.
Company success is a result of collaboration and growth, so it’s important to align employee goals with corporate objectives. When working on goal sheets for the office, consider these ten essential components that drive productivity for maximum desired results.
1. Clarify the structure of your team.
To ensure a successful workplace, it is essential to understand how your team functions as one and discover the areas requiring improvement. Leveraging mutual support among all teams involved will enable you to designate concrete objectives that can easily be achieved for greater operational efficiency.
2. Approach your boss and ask what you can do to help make their workload lighter and provide positive results.
Make your boss’s life easier and take advantage of the opportunity to assist. Maintain clear communication with your manager by asking thoughtful questions – this will help you stay on track while delivering great results!
3. Concentrate on what you can influence and devise a plan for the rest.
To ensure success in reaching your workplace goals, take advantage of the controllable factors at play; create a plan to respond when uncontrollable elements become an obstacle.
In order to reduce the month-end close timeline by two business days, supervisors in the hospital’s accounting department must craft a strategic plan for collaboration with other departments. This will require an efficient agreement of deadlines and responsibilities between all parties involved that ensures timely delivery is met. Communication should be maintained throughout each step of this process as well to ensure tasks are completed on time and goals can be effectively achieved.
4. Consider what career you may want to pursue in the future.
As you look to your professional future, how can you ensure that the next step in your career is a successful one? What successes will set you apart and give employers confidence in their investment of hiring or promoting within? Consider aligning aspirations with qualifications and capabilities needed for success. When building upon these key points, craft a story about ambition containing all necessary skills and end goals; empowering yourself for positive results!
5. Think beyond the immediate tasks and strategize for the long run.
Professional success often requires more than simply meeting deadlines. To develop your career, build upon a range of skills and experiences while tapping into further learning opportunities like seminars to stay up-to-date on the latest trends. If you’re hoping for senior level roles, put yourself at an advantage by engaging in rotations across departments — having comprehensive knowledge about how various company components come together is essential if you want to stand out from other applicants!
6. Figure out what success looks like after achieving the goal.
Unlock the potential of your workplace by setting clear, measurable goals that are essential and achievable within a specified timeframe. Visualize what it would look like when you reach these objectives – could projects be completed with ease? Is greater collaboration on the horizon for teams? Achieving success starts with believing in yourself; stay motivated by picturing this brighter future!
7. Have regular meetings.
Staying on the same page with professional goals is essential for success. Regular discussions between supervisor and employee prove invaluable, allowing each party to modify objectives as realities change over time. Keep an open dialogue year-round, whether formally at quarter’s end or whenever necessary; this will ensure your plan remains useful throughout its lifetime.
8. If necessary, reach out for help.
With the help of a mentor or coach, superstar achievers have greater insight and resources to reach their goals at an accelerated pace. Take golf for example – having someone on hand with knowledge and experience can create instant improvements in your technique. The same applies when it comes to progressing within your career; by forming relationships both internally and externally you will amass invaluable advice that could potentially bring about lasting success further down the line.
9. Periodically evaluate your yearly goals in comparison to your tasks list.
Despite its obvious importance, it can be challenging staying true to our professional goals and commitments due to the unpredictable demands of work. Long-term success requires frequent self-development that is often hard to prioritise given tight timelines and unexpected tasks. If you’ve ever been in the position where a year’s worth of learning gets condensed into those last few weeks before renewal time hits – know you are not alone!
To make sure you are progressing in your career, take time to assess if the activities of day-to-day life align with long term goals. If not, speak to your superior and alter course appropriately.
10. Keep track of your accomplishments.
Despite your hard work and success, it can be tricky to recall all the impressive feats you’ve accomplished throughout a year. Fortunately, having an appreciative manager by your side can help ensure no minor detail is overlooked during resume-writing or evaluation processes!
Now that the year has come to a close, take time to pause and survey all your achievements. Create an accurate record of successes – no matter how small or grand they may be – so you can stay reminded just how far you have come! From meeting deadlines with ease, jumping in when unexpected research help is needed, dazzling clients with presentations – there’s lots more than meets the eye. So why not give yourself credit where it’s due?
To conclude
To achieve success and reach your professional goals, make sure to view goal-setting as a continuous dialogue. Ask questions such as why the assignment is important or what expectations there are so you can better understand how to approach it. Once complete, open up lines of communication for improvest feedback about areas that could use improvement or patterns worth further exploration – don’t be afraid of reviewing performance! With ongoing development grounded in clear communication channels between yourself and stakeholders, rapid career growth will come naturally.
“Updated 4/1/2023”
David Alssema is a Body Language Expert and Motivational Speaker. As a performer in the personal development industry in Australia he has introduced and created new ways to inspire, motivate and develop individuals.
David Alssema started his training career with companies such as Telstra and Optus Communications, and then developed Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) within workplace training as principal of Paramount Training & Development.
As an author/media consultant on body language and professional development David has influenced workplaces across Australia. He contributes to Media such as The West Australian, ABC Radio, Australian Magazines and other Australia Media Sources.
