Goals - If You Don?t Know What You Want, Then How Are You Going to Get It?
Recently, I spoke with a client who wanted me to do a workshop at an upcoming conference. I offer a number of different talks, so I asked her what the focus of the meeting was in order to be able to suggest a relevant topic. She said that although the committee members had already picked several programs, they had not yet identified a focus for the conference. My first thought in response to this was, "If you don't know what you want, then how are you going to get it?" However, I am savvy enough not to insult people, so we spoke a little longer and we came up with a program that she wanted me to present.
It never ceases to amaze me that people do not identify outcomes they wish to achieve. While the above example is related to a conference, it is by no means limited to that area. Many people engage in activities in their careers and businesses, but they haven't defined what they want to attain. They are completing tasks, but they aren't focused on accomplishing clear-cut results.
When I was a human resources executive, I often worked with people to determine the appropriate jobs that were needed in their groups. Many department heads would complete job descriptions for key jobs, which described all of the tasks that the employees would be required to do. It took a great deal of effort for me to get these individuals to realize that employees in key positions are not paid to perform tasks, they are paid to produce results. Through much coaching on my part, we were able to identify the outcomes that the individuals were expected to achieve in the various positions.
Why is it so critical to determine outcomes for a job, a meeting, a department, or any other situation? Because if you don't know what your outcome is, the odds are that you will spend a lot of unnecessary time and money trying to reach a fuzzy target. And there is a very strong chance that the target will not even be reached. Outcomes let you know where you are going. They give you important information about how to use your resources ? time, money, and employees. When you know your outcome, you can continually make important decisions ? is this going to help me reach my goal or will this take me further away from my objective?
Clearly defined outcomes can also be very motivating. I worked with a coaching client who had an idea about a new business that she wanted to start. When she first got the idea, she was very excited about it, however, she never took action to get the business moving. She continually came up with excuses about why she wasn't doing anything to make the business a reality. I finally got her to sit down and write a detailed description of what the outcome was that she wanted to achieve with the business. That was the missing key. As soon as she wrote down the detailed outcome, she began to do the things that were necessary to get the business started. For her, defining the outcome spurred the action that is required in any business. Five years later, she has a very successful business that she absolutely loves.
Some people have a great deal of difficulty in trying to determine outcomes. It is because they are looking into a future that isn't certain and they can't identify what it is they want. An easy way to get around this is to imagine that the outcome has already been achieved and then to describe what it looks like. Going back to the situation with the meeting planner, the question that I asked her was, "Let's assume it is six months after the conference and you know that it was a huge success. What would have happened to let you know that it was successful?" People are much more able to describe the past then they are to identify an unknown future. By asking the question this way, I was able to find out that according to the planner, the criterion for a successful meeting was that the attendees would have the tools they needed to be able to more easily and effectively handle the many changes that were going on in their industry. When I discovered this outcome, I was able to suggest a program that would help the organization achieve this desired result.
Before you take action (small or large), you need to identify what your outcome is ? what do you want to achieve? When you do that, you will cut down your time, streamline your efforts, accelerate your progress, and reach your desired goal. When you know where you are going, there is a good chance that you will end up getting there.
Della Menechella is a speaker, author, and trainer who helps organizations achieve greater success by improving the performance of their people. She is a contributing author to Thriving in the Midst of Change and the author of the videotape The Twelve Commandments of Goal Setting. She can be reached at della@dellamenechella.com. Subscribe to free Peak Performance Pointers ezine - send blank e-mail to subscribe@dellamenechella.com.
 Google News Updated : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 06:55:22 GMT Obama "puzzled" by Iraq comment frenzy - Reuters
Reuters - By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent ST. LOUIS (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said on Saturday his plan to end the Iraq war was unchanged and he was puzzled by the sharp reaction to his statement this week that he ... Obama struggles to thread needle on Iraq Obama Refines the Blame on Iraq Miscue Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 05:08:23 GMT Analysis: McCain struggles to regain footing - The Associated Press
The Associated Press - WASHINGTON (AP) - John McCain calls himself an underdog. That may be an understatement. The GOP presidential candidate trails Democrat Barack Obama in polls, organization and money while trying to succeed a deeply unpopular fellow Republican in a year ... Rural voters lean to the GOP Neither Obama nor McCain meets Energy Party standard Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 04:40:55 GMT Argentine Lower House Passes Grain Export-Tax Plan (Update3) - Bloomberg
Bloomberg - By Eliana Raszewski July 5 (Bloomberg) -- Argentina's lower house of congress approved the government's plan to increase taxes on exports of grains and oilseeds, risking a resumption of three months of strikes by farmers. Export Tax That Angers Farmers Advances in Argentina Argentina lawmakers approve farm export tax hike Publ.Date : Sat, 05 Jul 2008 22:41:30 GMT McCain Battles a Nemesis, the Teleprompter - New York Times
New York Times - Mary Altaffer/AP By MARK LEIBOVICH LAS VEGAS —Senator John McCain was performing relatively smoothly as he unveiled his energy plan. McCain Campaign, in Relaunch, Seeks Tighter Message Focus McCain Campaign on Obama and Iraq Publ.Date : Sat, 05 Jul 2008 23:31:52 GMT Ore. man completes flight of fancy _ in lawn chair - The Associated Press
The Associated Press - CAMBRIDGE, Idaho (AP) - Using his trusty BB gun to help him return to Earth, a 48-year-old gas station owner flew a lawn chair rigged with helium-filled balloons more than 200 miles across the Oregon desert Saturday, landing in a field in Idaho. Video: Ore. Man Uses Balloons and a Lawn Chair to Fly Believe it or not, he's lounging on air Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 05:50:31 GMT Smallest planet shrinks in size - BBC News
BBC News - The smallest planet in the Solar System has become even smaller, studies by the Messenger spacecraft have shown. Data from a flyby of Mercury in January 2008 show the planet has contracted by more than one mile (1.5km) in diameter over its history. First Results From Messenger's Mercury Flyby Mercury is shrinking, NASA craft finds; a cool clue: 'lobate scarps' Publ.Date : Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:45:26 GMT Hippie Arrests Draw ACLU’s Attention - New York Times
New York Times - By AP CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union said on Saturday that it would investigate the actions of federal officers who had arrested five members of the Rainbow Family in western Wyoming during the group’s annual gathering. ACLU plans to investigate Rainbow Family treatment ACLU to investigate Rainbow Family treatment Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:40:38 GMT Work From Home |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... GOALS SHOULD BE QUANTIFIABLE: It should be possible to analyze... Read More "In any and every given moment of your life, you... Read More Would you like to be sure that your personal goals... Read More What is intrapersonal communication? It is communicating with yourself.Most people... Read More Many people go through their daily lives feeling overwhelmed. There... Read More We hear a lot about the steps we should take... Read More On Apollo 13, the crew staged the first strike in... Read More I cannot stress the importance of setting goals enough. Goals... Read More Did you start off the new year with goals and... Read More Have you ever heard the old saying If you want... Read More To some people it means driving a flash car and... Read More "The key to realizing a dream is to focus not... Read More I recently had the pleasure of motorcycle riding instruction from... Read More Do you have a dream? Is there something you want... Read More SO WHAT DOES GOAL SETTING OFFER? It closes the manager-employee... Read More Welcome to Weekly Wisdoms. Last week I found a new... Read More Don't let go of your dreams. If you have determination... Read More In many of his wonderful talks the motivational speaker Zig... Read More Benefits of Goal SettingGoal setting helps us determine our priorities,... Read More Much has been written about writing down goals and regularly... Read More Fortune will flow into your hands like a river flow... Read More "A man can be as great as he wants to... Read More What is this mysterious creature, this intangible element, this phantom... Read More I began enhancing my personal energy level three months shy... Read More Everything is in flow here in Northern Michigan. Buckets of... Read More
Adsense
websites
Setting Goals and Obtaining Results
Setting Goals for Success
The Importance of Aligning Your Personal Goals With Your Business Goals: Part 3 of a Series
Intrapersonal Communication
Creating Your Vision for Your Business, Career, and Life
Setting Goals ? Things to Think About
Lessons from the First Space Strike
Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals
Decide and Declare!
Get More Done!
Are You Working Towards Success?
To Realize your Dreams, Focus on Significance, not Success
Look Where Youre Going - And Keep An Eye On The Blind Spots!
Vocalized Goals + Action = Realized Dreams
Goal Setting Skills Ensure Success
Plant! -- And Accept The Consequences!
Dont Let Go Of Your Dreams
Living The Real Life Beyond Goal Setting
Requirements for Successful Goal Setting and Achievement
Taking Action is Essential for Self Improvement and Success
Focal Point Of Success
Get a Clear Mental Picture of the Goal Already Accomplished
Willpower: Who Needs It? Not Me
Great Goals Make You Stretch!
Lessons From the Creek
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
Set Your Mind To Win!
Have you ever heard someone say, I could do it... Read More
Discover the Key to Self-confidence
"One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key... Read More
Go Beyond Goals And Achieve Your Dream!
As important as goal setting is, goals alone do not... Read More
Got Purpose? Part 2
I guess I found some hot buttons last week eh?... Read More
Is it Focus or Tunnel Vision?
To achieve success you must narrow your vision on your... Read More
Define Success
Have you ever asked yourself why you want to succeed... Read More
Six Keys To Build Vision - Point Three
Six keys to keys to build vision - point three3.... Read More
Conquering Goals: The Battle Plan
"To accomplish great things we must not only act, but... Read More
7 Effective Ways To Set Your Goals In Motion Today
1. Stop seeking approval from people.You don't need anyone's permission... Read More
Ready, Fire, Aim
Does the sub-title to this edition of Footprints and Monuments... Read More
The Process of Developing Meaningful Goals
DEVELOPING A GOAL-SETTING CHECKPOINT: The process of developing meaningful goals... Read More
A Proper Mission Statement Can Drive Your Life Forward
Most people measure us by our accomplishments -- what we've... Read More
Achieve Your Goals By Doing Something About Them
The title of this article sounds simplistic but it is... Read More
Keeping the Dream Alive
Like the song by Linda Ronstadt, "a dream is a... Read More
Ten Reasons To Have an Inspired, World Changing Goal
In a nutshell, having an inspired, world-changing goal is the... Read More
Reach Your Goals- Set Clear Intentions
It is from intentions that all things manifest. To intend... Read More
Hearing and Seeing Your Destiny
As a child, I read an autobiography of Annie Sullivan.... Read More
The Most Powerful Knowledge Available To Man
In this article you will learn the most powerful knowledge... Read More
What is The Right Action That Leads To Your Ultimate Goals?
What is the right thing I need to do to... Read More
To Realize your Dreams, Focus on Significance, not Success
"The key to realizing a dream is to focus not... Read More
Achieving Elusive Goals
Everyone has something in their life that they would like... Read More
Creating the Best Year of Your Life
At the end of each year, and on their birthdays,... Read More
Perseverance and Success: Essential to Reaching Your Goals
"Most of the important things in the world have been... Read More
Do You Think You Could You Have Achieved More?
If you are anything like me, the end of the... Read More
Seven Deadly Enemies That Stop You From Reaching Your Goals
Everybody on this planet has enemies, rivals and foes. Call... Read More
Goal Setting |