Goal Setting Learning to Work Efficiently and Effectively

Introduction Goal setting is a formal process during which you define targets that you plan to achieve. When you set goals, you commit to outcomes that you can accomplish personally or through your team. Goal setting creates a long term vision for your chapter, and provides the motivation to get you there. It has the additional benefit of helping you decide how you want to focus your resources and spend your time.

Why Do We Set Goals By setting goals and measuring their achievement you can: –Focus on what is most important to accomplish on a daily,weekly, and annual basis –Provide a unified direction for your team –Achieve more and devote less energy to noncritical tasks –Motivate your team and boost its overall job satisfaction

Short Term and Long Term Goals Goals differ in terms of time frame and importance. Short-term goals are achievable within one or two months, long-term goals are achievable over the course of several months or even years. This topic focuses mainly on long term goals.

Types of Goals In terms of importance, goals generally fall into one of the following categories:  Critical – These goals are crucial to your chapter. They must be accomplished in order for your chapter to continue running successfully.  Solutions-Oriented – These goals create a more desirable condition or take advantage of a opportunity. They are important, but fill a long-term, rather than immediate need.  Nice to have – These goals make improvements that enhance your chapter. They usually relate to making activities faster or easier.

How Goals Are Set As a leader, you are responsible for setting chapter and individual goals. You also need to work with your team members to develop their individual goals. The two most common methods of goal setting are top-down and bottom-up.  Top-down goal setting: Leadership sets broad goals, and each subordinate sets goals to support those of the Leadership.  Bottom-up goal setting: Subordinate develop individual goals and the Leadership integrates them into larger goals.

Which Way Is Better? In either case, it works best when those responsible for achieving the goals are involved in the goal-setting process. This increases the buy-in and spreads the accountability.

What Makes Goals Effective? Goals are your roadmap, so they must be clear and easy to understand. Effective goals: Are written down in specific terms, have time frames, and are measurable. Yield a payoff that you value. You must buy into the goal; otherwise, you will lose your motivation when you hit obstacles. Are driven by organizational strategy and direction, and are important to the organization. Are achievable but challenging, and provide room for growth.

Steps for Setting Goals 1. Identify potential goals. 2. Prioritize and select your goals. 3. Write your goals down. 4. Plan how you will achieve your goals. 5. Pursue your goals, monitoring progress along the way. 6. Evaluate the goals.

Identify Potential Goals Once or twice a year, review your chapter’s diverse activities and your team’s roles, looking for possible high-value goals. Include relevant members, chapters, and advisors in the goal setting process. Do not worry about constraints or execution. Just brainstorm goal ideas. See article “What is Problem Solving”

Prioritize and select your goals Identify criteria for prioritizing your goals. For example, which goals will contribute the most growth? Review your list of goals and use your criteria to rank them as A-, B-, or C- level priority. Add the ranking to the goal.  Priority A: Those goals having high value and primary concern  Priority B: Those goals having medium value and secondary importance.  Priority C: Those goals having little value and little importance.

Prioritize and select your goals (Continued) Break your Priority B goals into Priority A or Priority C. They are either worth your time or not. The goals that are now on your Priority A list are your final goals. Review your Priority A goals separately and rank them according to importance. Goals on the Priority C list can either be delegated, put on the back burner, or discarded.

Write your goals down Create a detailed, written description of each goal, using the SMART criteria as a guideline. Specific. You can describe the details. Measurable. You can measure the goal using either quantitative or qualitative assessments. Achievable. You can achieve the goal. Realistic. The goal is realistic given existing constraints, such as time and resources. Timebound. You must achieve the goal within a specified time frame.

Plan how you will achieve your goals Identify the key projects that will help you achieve each goal. Determine which projects need to be completed sequentially, and put those in order. If there are projects that can be completed simultaneously, incorporate them into your plan accordingly. For each key project, describe measurable results or outcomes. Determine what resources (money, people, tools) are needed to carry out each project.

Plan how you will achieve your goals (Continued) Establish a time frame for the completion of each project. Include a start and finish date. Set up milestones along the way to review project completion and overall impact. Make sure to include what you expect to achieve by each milestone. Consider the potential obstacles that might confront each goal and its associated projects. Then, map out possible solutions for each obstacle.

Pursue your goals, monitoring progress along the way Work from your own daily and weekly schedules, and from your team’s overall work- plan. Make clear your expectations, level of input, and time frame for each project. As you reach milestones, reviewing upcoming projects and required resources. Check off completed projects as they occur. As you progress, update everyone involved in achieving goals.

Evaluate the goals Step back periodically and assess whether your goals are still realistic, timely, and relevant. If reaching any of the goals no longer creates value, revise it. However, be sure to get buy-in from your team and leadership. When you feel you have reached your goal, confirm that others agree that the goal has been accomplished and the impact achieved. Identify what was successful and what you would change in the future. Record both!

Evaluate the goals (Continued) Evaluate the payoff. If the payoff did not meet your expectations, determine whether you over estimated the goal’s impact. Identify issues you need to address in the future. Communicate your lessons learned to everyone involved.

Tips for Setting Goals Keep a running list of possible goals to consider when brainstorming your goal list. Make sure that your goals fit into your leadership’s and organization’s goals. Keep goals SMART! Write your goals down and keep the list visible. Combine tasks from different goals where possible.

Tools Goal Development Chart SMART Goal Checklist Goal and Task Chart Success Factors Chart Obstacles/Solutions Chart Goal Evaluation Checklist

Contacts Gary La Bruyere Assistance Executive Officer Idaho DeMolay PO BOX Idaho Falls, ID wk hm