Theory

A life without a goal is like a ship without a captain and compass. Goals give direction to life. However, below 5 % of the population set goals with a motive for achievement. The main reason as to why people are not successful is because they do not have goals. Goal setting starts with a burning desire to achieve something. Goal setting is a formal process in which one defines the agenda for personal, team or business achievement and success. Sometimes goals are referred to as dreams with a deadline. The goals that we set should be challenging, practical, realistic, measurable, achievable, positive and flexible and should also be time bound. Goals need to be documented. In fact, every business or team or individual should have short term, medium term and long term goals. We should also have goals in different domains of life. We should have health goals, financial goals, relationship goals, professional goals, development goals etc. All the major goals can be subdivided into sub goals. The major investment in the form of time as well as other resources for the realisation of goal should be considered while planning for achievement.

The SMART formula for setting goals is that, the goals that you set should be

Example of a goal statement:

By December 1st of 2025, I will have positioned myself to ask for an enhancement of salary by 15%, by cutting my department’s expenditure by 10% and increasing my department’s sales by 20%.

Find out for yourself if the goal statement is SMART.

Story

Florence Chadwick was the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions. She had managed to finish that swim in a record time, 16 hours and 22 minutes on August 8, 1950. Now, at age 34, her goal was to become the first woman to swim from Catalina Island to Palos Verde on the California coast. Hence, she decided to attempt the 26 mile swim between the California coastline and Catalina Island.

When Florence looked ahead after more than 15 hours into her swim a thick fog began to set in clouding Chadwick’s vision and confidence. Her mother happened to be in one of the boats at the time as Chadwick relayed to her team she didn’t think she could complete the swim. Yet she decided to move ahead, seeing nothing but a solid wall of fog.

She had been surrounded by support boats to give her encouragement and to keep away the sharks. On the morning of 4th of July, 1952 the sea was more like an ice bath and the fog was very dense. Against the frigid grip of the sea, she struggled on – hour after hour.

Alongside Florence in one of the boats, her mother and her trainer offered all the motivation they could. They told her it wasn’t much farther. But all she could see was fog. They urged her not to quit. She never had . . . until then. With only a half mile to go, she asked to be pulled out.

Still thawing her chilled body several hours later, she told a reporter, “Look, I’m not excusing myself, but if I could have seen land I might have made it.” It was not fatigue or even the cold water that defeated her. It was the fog. She was unable to see her goal.

Two months later, she tried again. This time, despite the same dense fog, she swam with her faith intact and her goal clearly pictured in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind that fog was land and this time she made it! Florence Chadwick became the first woman to swim the Catalina, eclipsing the men’s record by two hours!

Activity

1. Write down a long term professional goal of yours?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Write down a medium term financial goal of yours?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Give your short term goal statement on building relationships.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Quote

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see, when you take your eyes off your goal”- Henry Ford

Take Away

1. Goals give direction to life.

2. Goals are a must for building success.

3. Set goals which are SMART.

4. Have goals in different domains of life.