Achieving Goals Whether you are setting club service goals, or club or district membership goals, you want to use the most effective ways to set goal so that you will achieve your goals.

Achieving Goals Create action plans Manage your goals Set goals Achieving goals can be a difficult task, however you can make it easier by using this three step process: First, you set your goals. Second, you create detailed action plans for each goal. Finally, you manage your goals so that nothing is forgotten and revisions can be made if needed. We will go through each of these steps in detail.

Achieving Goals Set goals Let’s begin by discussing how to set goals.

Define Goals “In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily acts of trivia.” Unknown One of the primary reasons goals are not achieved is that the goals are not clearly defined.

Setting Goals Conduct needs assessments Create effective goal statements Prioritize according to importance To create goals that are important, you begin by evaluating what is needed. Once you have assessed the needs, you can create goal statements. The last step is to review your goal statements and prioritize them according to importance. Let’s review these in more detail.

Conduct Needs Assessments Gather information about the needs Prioritize according to importance Select the most important needs to address in goals Talk with other Lions to gather information about what is needed to improve Lions clubs in your district. Summarize the needs and prioritize according to importance. You may not be able to address all the needs, so select the most important needs that you will address in goals.

Effective Goal Statements Specific Measurable Actionable Realistic Time bound After you have completed your assessment and determined one or more goals, you will need to clarify them by writing goal statements. Here is how you create of effective goal statements: Be specific-state what you will accomplish Quantify so you can measure your achievement, ex. Increase needs to include by how much? # or % It must be something you can take action on. Goals should be realistic, based on historical trends, but more than previous accomplishments. Goals should be time bound, each goal has a specific deadline or due date.

Example Goal Statement Organize a club for women by January 15, 2010 This example goal statement is highlighted in colors to show the specific action-”Organize a club”, the measurable result-”a club for women”, and the time bound deadline- “by January 15, 2010”. It is actionable for Lions to do this type of action, and we can assume it is realistic if Lions have previous experience in organizing clubs.

Sample Goal Statements Recruit 12 new club members by November 15 of this Lions year Train new club officers by August 15 of this Lions year Achieve publicity of three Lions club events by May 1 of this Lions year Here are some additional sample goal statements. Can you identify the parts that show that these goal statements are: Specific Measurable Actionable Realistic And Time bound

Prioritize Organize possible goals according to importance Determine number of goals to try to achieve during the year Organize your possible goals according to importance. Be realistic in determining the number of goals you will try to achieve in one year. When choosing your goals, be selective, volunteers are limited and you will have time constraints..

Achieving Goals Create action plans Set goals Now, let’s examine how to create action plans.

Create Action Plans Sequential actions Milestones for celebration Specific-what, who, when Sequential actions Milestones for celebration Once you have defined your goals, you are ready to create an action plan for each goal that specifies who will be involved, what they will do and when each action will be completed. The plan outlines action in the sequence it needs to be completed. Through the action plan, you will be able to see when major accomplishments or milestones should be celebrated. If a group is responsible for achieving a goal, they should be involved in creating the action plan. This increases ownership of the plan, and increases the likelihood of achieving the goal.

Sample Action Plan Content What action will be done Who will be involved or responsible and what resources are needed When action will be completed Results or how we know it is done Here is a summary of what content should be included in an action plan. Describe what action will be done Who is responsible for each action What resources are needed for each action When each action will be completed What are the results of each action or how we will know if the action is done

Sample Action Plan Format Goal statement: WHAT? (Action Steps) WHO? (Person responsible for action) RESOURCES? (Needed) WHEN? (Deadline for completion) HOW WILL WE KNOW? (How we will know the action step is accomplished)   Here is a sample of how an action plan format could look.

Achieving Goals Create action plans Manage your goals Set goals Finally, let’s explore how to manage your goals.

Manage Your Goals Delegate Reprioritize Review goals frequently Be flexible Visualize the results Reward yourself The final challenge in achieving goals is to manage your goals during the year so that you don’t overlook, forget or give up achieving a goal. Here are some things to remember: You may need to delegate or ask others to help with some actions to complete the goal by the deadline. Due to changes in the situation, you may need to re-prioritize. Instead of dropping a goal, you may change the deadline date to later. Review your goals frequently so nothing is forgotten and everything is accomplished. Posting goals in a visible location is sometimes helpful. Be flexible. You may achieve a goal using another method than you planned when the action plan was developed. Positive visualization of the results can be a source of motivation and encouragement.

Conclusion Remember to celebrate your success and give recognition for achievements Follow your plans to achieve your goals. However remember to celebrate success and recognize those responsible for achievements as the year progresses. When you achieve a milestone result, plan a reward. This could be simple such as having food or refreshments at the next group meeting. This will keep your group motivated to continue working toward your goals.

To review: Set goals that are based on needs and defined in goal statements Involve others in creating action plans Manage your goals to succeed Now let’s review how to achieve goals. Set clearly defined goals based on needs. Create a specific goal statement for each, and prioritize the goals so you know where to begin. Create action plans with the help of others who may be involved in achieving the goal. Sequence what needs to happen and who will do it, and record the results when it is done. Manage your goals by reviewing them frequently. Don’t try to do it all yourself-use delegation. Reprioritize or use an alternate method when necessary in order to succeed in achieving your goals.

Quote Volunteers are not paid -- not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless.. Remember this quote as you create goals and achieve them. The results you achieve and the resulting impact on your community, makes all your work worthwhile.