10 Steps in Goal Setting
Start with some big questions!
10 Steps in Goal Setting
Start with some big questions!
Discover 10 steps in goal setting in just one minute!
What’s the most important goal setting activity we can do? Some might say it’s to think about what we really want to do in life. Use these 10 steps in goal setting to take a good look at yourself by asking some big questions.
Do you want to know how to set effective goals for your own development – in a minute? This is one of our Manage in a Minute pages, containing essential tips on fundamental management topics. No fuss or side-tracks, they get straight to the point.
Here, in a series of bullet points which can be read in a minute (ish!), are 8 essential steps in goal setting. Think about them, make notes and use them to set your goals and create a plan of action.
10 Steps in Goal Setting
1 Ask yourself: why am I here?
Well we did say big questions! If you find it too difficult to answer, try the following to give you some ideas:
- What is my sense of purpose?
- What is meaningful for me?
- What moves me?
- What am I passionate about?
- What do I care about?
- What need can I serve?
2 Ask yourself: where have I been?
- What past experience have I got?
- Where am I now?
- What kind of person / manager am I?
- What abilities do I possess?
- What am I good at?
- What are my strengths and weaknesses?
- What do I love doing?
3 Ask yourself: where do I want to get to?
- What kind of person / manager do I want to become?
- What abilities do I want to develop?
- What learning goals shall I set?
- What are the organisational goals in which I can make a difference?
- Which knowledge and skills areas do I need to focus on to deliver
- both my personal objectives and benefits for my organisation?
- What is my conscience directing me towards?
4 Ask yourself: how shall I get there?
- What learning and development actions do I need to undertake?
- What resources will I need to do perform them?
- How shall I overcome obstacles to my learning?
5 Ask yourself: how will I know if I have arrived?
- How do I measure achievement of goals?
- Is it money?
- Is it promotion?
- Is it another measure of success?
6 Ask yourself: what’s holding me back?
- What’s stopping me from doing what I want to do?
- List any specific barriers you can think of.
7 Ask yourself: who and what can help me?
- Who can teach me?
- From whom can I learn?
- What resources can I draw on to help me?
8 Decide
- Decide what your goals will be.
- Write them in SMART language. They should be:
- Specific (or perhaps simple; straightforward; stretching; significant; strategic)
- Measurable (or perhaps meaningful; motivating)
- Achievable (or perhaps agreed; aligned; actionable; ambitious)
- Relevant (of perhaps realistic; reasonable; resourced; rewarding; result-based)
- Time-bounded (or perhaps trackable; time-based; time-oriented, timely; time-sensitive; testable)
9 Plan
- Use the above information to create your action plan.
- Use a template such as this to help you.
10 Act
- Remember the longest journey begins with a single step.
- Take SHARP action to help you reach your goals. Think:
- Simple – keep your goals simple and straightforward as possible.
- How – you are are going to act to reach your goal.
- Action – the crucial part in any goal is to take action, then move onwards, step by step.
- Review – maintain motivation by regular reviews.
- Progress – plan your next steps by adjusting the action plan if needed.
Ensure you find some undisturbed time so you can really reflect on these questions. They’re not easy to answer and probably not things we tend to think about that often. But they will help you to identify and achieve your goals.
More goal setting resources
You can find more goal setting resources in our e-guide: SMART Goals, SHARP Goals to help you do just this. The guide contains 30 pages and 5 tools to help you to set SMART goals, then take SHARP action to achieve them.
Contents
- How do you define goal setting?
- What features of goal setting are important, if we want to ensure they are more likely to be successfully achieved?
- What kinds of goals are more likely to make us motivated to achieve them?
- How do you set SMART goals?
- Why do goals matter?
- What kind of goals should you pursue to be happier in what you do?
- How do you set team goals?
- What strategies can you apply to overcome barriers to setting goals?
- How do you develop SHARP plans of action that help you to achieve your goals?
- What techniques can you use to get things done?
- How do you set personal goals?
Tools:
Tool 1: Conventional goal setting
Tool 2: Setting SMART goals that motivate
Tool 3: The kind of goals that will make you happier
Tool 4: Taking SHARP action
Tool 5: Team goals flowchart
Tool 6: Eight personal goal setting questions
