Set your goals right if you want to reach them, says Zig Ziglar, popular motivator and self-improvement speaker. Whether you want to lose weight or reduce spending by the U.S. Department of Defense, DOD, the principles are identical. Compare your goals to examples of well-set goals of individuals, industries and national governments. The principles of goal setting will work for you the same way they work for billionaires and heads of state.
Personal
Set a date and a target and make your goals measurable, says Ziglar. Weight loss provides a simple and common example. Write down your target. Set a date and a time limit to accomplish it and name your obstacles. Write a detailed action plan and name the benefits you will harvest. For example, lose 37 pounds by next year, overcome your cravings and gain the support of friends to stop tempting you with treats, and promise yourself new wardrobe items bought with the money you do not spend on candy bars and ice cream. Ziglar says you should set your goals in measurable terms, such as pounds or inches of waistline, and set them publicly to make yourself accountable.
Business
Go to the U.S. Small Business Administration, SBA, for tested examples of goal setting for your money-making ventures. All examples of well-set goals are specific and measurable. SBA proposes you set benchmarks, measurable indicators of progress, which include action steps and scheduled progress reviews. One example focuses on improvement in the sales sector of your business. The sales department will increase gross sales by 12 percent--substitute any increase you deem reasonable--by 12 months from now, averaging 1 percent each month, and maintain each month's increase throughout the year. From this example, you can design matching examples for improvement in production, shipping and customer satisfaction.
Government
Track government efficiency by examining examples of goal setting. The United States Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, CGA, responded in 1995 to the 1993 Government Performance and Results Act, or GPRA, by establishing a system of goals and performance reviews. They, in turn, adopted best practices identified by the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Awards for success among nationally known private companies. CGA goals include benchmarks. The U.S. Department of Defense offers an example. The goal was to increase efficiency in transportation of defense materials by applying private industry benchmarks and best practices to the DOD Air Transport System. Details of the goal are lengthy and technical, but the bottom line is clear: DOD saved 80 million dollars annually beginning in 1995 based on this example of a well-made goal.
Education
Students improve academic performance when they adopt goal-setting practices set by U.S. President Barack Obama in his September 8, 2009 address to U.S. schoolchildren in grades 7 through 12. Take measurable steps on a clear timetable. An example describes progress toward college admission. A goal will include a specific grade improvement, for instance one letter grade, in each class by the end of the academic year, by completing 100 percent of homework assignments with one extra hour of homework each day, using tutorial services when needed.
References
- YouTube: A Formula for Setting Goals
- Small Business Administration: Planning and Goal Setting for Small Business
- Government Accounting Office: Report to Chairman, Committee on Governmental Affairs United States Senate
- U.S. Department of Education: President Obama's Address to Students Across America
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