Module 5 : Goals

Goal setting is an important method of deciding what you want to achieve in your life.

Separating what's important from what's irrelevant or a distraction. Motivating yourself, building your self-confidence, based on successful achievement of goals.

Steps to goal achievement

Here is a step-by-step planning process, taken from a series of such sequences, which will help you to clarify and develop almost any goal, personal or organisational. First, there are three basic principles to be aware of. Your goals must be considered stretching but realistic (by you at least), written and positive, stating what you want, not what you don’t want.

1. What do you want to achieve? How will you know you have achieved this goal or outcome?

2. Why it matters, why it is important – what will having or achieving this goal do for you?

3. When – less important than you might think.

4. How – Be flexible on the ‘how’, not on achieving your goal.

SMART Goals for improved performance

SMART goals: Specific – Measurable – Attainable – Relevant – Time-bound

· SPECIFIC: make it clear and well-defined – what, why and how

· MEASURABLE: be precise so success is clear; monitor progress

· ATTAINABLE: consider resources, knowledge and time

· RELEVANT: sustain focus by linking to other goals

· TIME-BOUND: have a deadline and milestones to work towards

Goals – a few key points

· To achieve a goal or a vision, you must plan how to make it happen.

· You cannot 'do' a goal or a vision. Instead you must do the things that enable it - usually several things, in several steps.

· A goal without a plan remains just a goal - many people have visions, intentions, ideas, dreams which never happen, because they are not planned.