The things that matter
Setting goals and objectives that deliver results
You’ve decided you want to make a change in some aspect of your life. Whether it is personal, professional, for you or for others, the decision has been made – but how do you go about setting goals that will help bring about the change that you seek? There are three key aspects to setting realistic objectives and goals that you will then be motivated to achieve.
Step 1: What do I really want to change?
The first step to setting goals is to identify the root cause of the change you want to see. Be as specific as you can as it will help you to establish what goals to work towards. You want to work to address the cause rather than just a symptom otherwise you will have recurring issues.
As an example:
May, on deeper analysis be:
By looking deeper into the situation you will be able to identify the root cause and this will move you closer to taking effective action. In this example we can see that the two concerns are lack of knowledge and limited of experience both of which can be addressed.
It is imperative to identify the root causes and work to address them otherwise the same issues will arise over and over again.
Step 2: What direction is the change?
You’ve identified the things that you really want to address and now it’s time to clarify the change that you would like to see. This can be described as the direction of change that you want to see. 
From my experience it is best to clarify changes using positive language to give the sense of what you are progressing, moving towards or developing something rather than using negative language. It is best to avoid language that suggests that you are reverting back to or avoiding something as you want to focus on where you do want to be. In an article on TED Ideas Kelly McGonigal, a psychologist at Stanford University explains that framing goals positively is “basically just brain chemistry…Any sort of avoidance is going to trigger inhibition systems, whereas positive goals are going to trigger approach and reward motivation.”
Some examples include:
I do not want to be scared VS I want to improve my confidence
I want to waste less time VS I want to manage my time more efficiently
I do not want issues with staff performance VS I want to improve the performance of my staff
Create an objective of where you want to move to and it will help define where your energy needs to be applied.
Step 3: Create SMART goals
Once you have created some overall objectives it’s time to break them down into goals. These are the goals you must reach to achieve your objectives. Goals should be Specific, Measured, Achievable, Relevant and Timed (SMART).
Specific: Goals must specific, not vague.
Measured: Having a form of measurement in a goal makes it more specific and progress can be judged.
Achievable: Goals must be achievable given the resources and the time frame that will be given to them.
Relevant: A goal must be relevant to the objectives that have been set for you, your team or organisation.
Timed: Goals must have a predetermined completion time against which progress can be checked. For longer termed goals milestones or set points on the way should also be identified by date.
Once you have set your objectives and goals it can be daunting to know where to begin. An action list is a good place to start if you have quite a few steps to work through. If you are finding it too hard to get moving into action then your objectives may need to be broken down into smaller, more manageable items. You can use project management tools such as Flow Charts, Gantt Charts or Mind Maps.