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Goals That Work

David Russell

I just talked with another person who had such a challenging 2009 that they did not set goals for 2010.  The focus of their work became survival rather than growth.  A lot of people were in that boat last year.

Whether you have 2010 goals or not, here are 5 quick tips to define clear, measurable objectives to pursue for the balance of the year:

Decide on the format of your goals

Absolutely required areas:  Goal Measurement (a TARGET - see below or SMART statement that is clear and measurable), Goal Description (steps to achieve the goal), Due Date and Weighting for importance.

Write the Goal Measurement as a TARGET statement and then drop the initial "to"

T      To (the preposition)
A     Action verb
RG     Realistic Goal to be achieved
E      Effectively measure whether the goal has been achieved
T      Time or date for the goal to be completed

Here is an example:  (To) Close $5 million in sales by December 31, 2010.

Assign only three goals for the company and individuals.

One relates to finance, another to customer satisfaction and the last to professional development.  You can list specific areas of measurement under the goal, such as:  Technicians are booking 78% billable time;  Achieve a 15% net profit margin; Managed services represent 55% of overall sales...

NOTE:  I did not know this when I came up with my idea to limit yourself to three goals, but Jim Collins (author of Good to Greatand other top selling books on leadership) once said, "If you have more than three priorities then you don't have any."

Have everyone's goals link through their boss to the company goals

Enough said.

Then Follow-up

Meeting Ideas

GOALS THAT WORK is a process of setting clear, measurable goals for your organization, yourself professionally and even yourself personally.

Consider asking your people these questions during your next one-on-one or team meeting:

  1. What are our company goals? How are they clear and measurable?

  2. What are your professional goals? How are they clear and measurable?

  3. How does each employees' goals link through their supervisor to our company objectives?

  4. How could we follow-up on our goals to better confirm we are on track to completing them?

  5. What do you need to achieve or exceed each of your goals this year?

Now, just for you:  Imagine what would happen to your career if everyone on your team achieved or exceeded their goals so you achieved or exceeded yours?  THAT IS WORTH an investment of your time to accomplish.