The Mindset Of Setting Meaningful And Relevant Goals

Most of our clients acknowledge the value of setting goals and tracking progress. But some complain of not setting the 'right' goals OR say they have trouble achieving the goals.

We worked with a group of 6 firms on goal-setting and took a fresh approach, resulting in more meaningful, relevant, and attainable goals.

Here are 5 methods which may help other leaders with their goal-setting.

Method:
See yourself in the future

Rationale:

• What EXACTLY will things look like in the future when you have completely achieved your ambitious goals? How do you feel?
• It's OK to dream... and imagine the practical AND emotional outcomes of hitting these goals
• Get into detail because the more vivid your dreams, the more likely you are to get inspired and motivated
• Then write it down... for clarity and precision in your thinking

Examples

• "I will feel completely free of admin work"
• "I will no longer review basic work of junior Accountants"
• "I will increase income and comfortably fund our house renovation"

Method:
Establish milestones

Rationale:
Goals should not be seen in isolation. Consider:

• Giant, transformational goals. These could take ten years and put you in a fundamentally different place
• Foundational goals. These are the building blocks for the giant goals and may take 2 to 4 years to accomplish
• Tactical goals. These are the priorities which may take one year and enable you to achieve the foundational goals
• These are critical action steps which move you closer to longer term goals. They may take 30 to 90 days
• Milestones help the giant goals feel more achievable and clarify what you need to do next
• Milestones help you persevere when things get tough

Examples

• "My 5-year plan is to sell the business ('giant goal'). I'm working on reducing dependence now ('foundational goals')"
• "We'll develop our marketing plan in the next 30 days ('task') as a basis for our growth goal of 22% this year ('tactical goal')"

Method:
Clean up your environment

Rationale:

• It's tough to succeed when held back by limiting beliefs or highly unproductive relationships
• Remove obstacles, for example, end negative relationships, change behaviour on social media, set aside time to accomplish specific tasks without distraction or eliminate activities which get in the way of your task list
• Recognise that your environment has a big impact on outcomes

Examples

• "I'm in a bad habit of wasting time on YouTube..."
• "I'm taking a fresh approach to managing my calendar and inbox to free up time"
• "I'm re-calibrating a partner relationship which is stale"

Method:
Shift your mindset

Rationale:

• Is your mindset consistent with your goals?
• For example, if your goal is to "be an innovator in your industry" but you fundamentally believe you "lack creativity", something needs to change if you are to have a realistic shot at success
• Make a list of identities you want to embrace and ask others to affirm these identities
• Self-persuasion is powerful. We become who we identify as

Examples

• "I want the identity of a chairman, providing oversight, but not functionally involved"
• "I want to be a real advisor focused only on helping high-profile Clients"

Method:
Engage with accountability partners

Rationale:

• Even the most astute leaders need to be held accountable
• Coaches, mentors, mastermind groups, friends and family keep you on track or help you change course, if necessary
• External validation also accelerates results

Examples

• "Ultimately this is up to me... but frequent 'check-in' meetings with my peers keep me on track"

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.