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3 Major Goal-Setting Mistakes

Guest post by: Susan Bagyura

Article Overview: There are 3 major mistakes that people and corporations make when setting goals. Most people either have no goals or set such low ones that they aren't inspired to follow through and achieve them. Understand the common mistakes, fix them in your life, then follow the 4 keys to setting goals and prepare for great things.

3 Major Goal-Setting Mistakes

You might be thinking, 'No, not another article on goal setting!' or you don't have time for a simple concept. You set a goal and do what you have to in order to achieve it. However, do you have some goals that remain elusive and feel like they are just barely out of your reach Let's examine why goal setting doesn't always work as well as it should.

I'll bet you can think of examples of goals that you set with your organization that weren't accomplished on time or they were not as successful as you had planned. Some may have even failed and have been scrapped. Why do some people always reach their goals, and others experience hit-or-miss results?

Part of the answer is the way that goals are set and the way we approach the process of attaining them. In my experience, we've all been taught goal setting in one form or another. I remember the first time I saw Zig Zigler speak. Thousands of people were in attendance. I had pushed my way to the front. I didn't want to miss a thing. If you've ever seen Zig, you know that he gets down on one knee, holds out his arm, and looks right at you and says: 'You've got to have a goal.'

I felt like it was a one-on-one conversation between him and me. I stood there in the front row thinking, 'Yeah, yeah, but how do I get rich?

He was telling me, 'You have to have a goal!'

I thought, 'Yeah, okay, I understand that, but how do I get rich?' I never once thought that I should go home and write down some goals. I focused on the results I wanted and didn't consider the steps I needed to take. Zig was telling me what I needed to do, but I was locked in my own thoughts and viewpoint.

Most people think that they know about goal setting. You just decide what you want to accomplish and then figure out how to get it. One of the downfalls is that those you work with can't read your mind. They can't see what you see. I've found that in many cases if you ask people to write down all that they know about goal setting, they could only fill up the back space of a postage stamp. This is because most people don't realize that there is a huge difference between goal setting and goal achievement. I used to think the two were one and the same, and then I wondered why my idea of goal setting didn't always work. Goal setting took experience, enlightening myself with new thoughts and concepts, and then applying them.

We can't see ourselves except from our own point of view. I grew up in the Midwestern United States, and my grandpa used an expression, 'You can't see the forest for the trees.' It is an old expression and has become cliché, but it is true. We can't see the whole picture when we are in the middle of it. I'd like you to entertain a new idea with me. We're going to touch on something that will make your goal setting not just an exercise but an achievement.

I believe that there are three fundamental mistakes that people and organizations make when they set goals. Companies fail miserably at this, and you have probably worked for some of them.

THE FIRST MISTAKE

The first mistake is that companies think in reverse. They look at their results as a starting point. They allow the results that they are experiencing in their personal and professional lives to control what they think and what goal they choose. Results drive the behavior in both cases. For example, if a company is making a $1,000,000 in sales, they make a decision for the next year's goal. They announce to the employees, 'Based on our current results, we know that we can hit $1.1 million in sales next year.'

You may do this in your planning meetings, or you may have experienced it in other organizations. Company goals are too often based on what they know they can do. The problem with planning according to what you already know is easy to accomplish is that it's not inspiring. It's not even challenging. When you set a goal, the purpose of it is to do two things:

It should excite you and it should scare you.

Your goal is exciting because you want it so badly and scary because you're not sure of everything that you will need to do to accomplish it. When you set a goal, it should be a call to action. In order to achieve different results, you need to change your thought process and your actions. As we've discussed earlier, none of us like getting out of our comfort zones. Many of us don't like to do things we haven't experienced before. Meeting new people is difficult for some of us. Facing new challenges can be exciting for some and an obstacle to others. How can you overcome a situation that you've never faced before? You have to be inspired or driven by an adrenaline rush to get past it. We don't like feeling scared and will do what it takes to get out of it and back into a zone of safety.

If you are going to set goals based on what you know you can do, where is the growth? If you are going to set goals that are too low, when you reach the first obstacle that comes up, you will probably quit short of the payoff. Without inspiration and a belief in reaching your goal, what will keep you and your organization going?

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

~Albert Einstein

It is amazing how often we do the same thing we've always done and think that somehow, it will be different this time. We are then frustrated or disappointed when we keep getting the same old results and fall short of where we want to be.

THE SECOND MISTAKE

The second mistake is not that far from the first. Our goals have evolved a little beyond basic goal setting, and we've moved to what I call a 'midway position'. But, the goals are still coming out of reverse thinking. Management looks at the organization's current results first. Then, rather than setting goals on what they know they can do, they set goals based on what they think they can do.

Meetings are held and people set up all kinds of elaborate plans based on how they are going to achieve this goal. The thinking process looks something like this: if my current customers stay exactly where they are, or maybe if they spend an extra three percent, then I think I'll reach my goal. Next, we have been working on these three new accounts for the last six months, and if we can close one or two of them, then I think we can hit our goal.

The thinking process goes on to include other factors. If gas prices stay the same, then I think we can control our cash flow. If the housing bubble doesn't pop and interest rates don't go too high, then we think our plan will work. We find ourselves hoping that things go right in certain parts of the world because if they don't, that might throw more obstacles in our path. We spend weeks working out an elaborate plan that if everything goes accordingly, we will hit the goal.

The problem is that sometimes we forget the world is changing. Goals were set according to circumstances caught in a snapshot of time, but the world continues to move. The reality is that in the highly technical and instant information age we live in, conditions are in constant fluctuation. Gas prices do go up, sometimes five to ten percent in one day. The housing bubble does fluctuate. If General Motors lays off 60,000 workers one quarter, how many houses will go on the market? How does that affect the sales on the twenty houses you just built in that new community you invested in?

Regional conflicts and world unrest are not something a company can control. It is out of the sphere of influence for most of us. We can't always predict what is going to happen, but we can look at how we handle events and how we approach goal setting. We can't always know that our customers won't renew their business next year due to unforeseen financial problems that they have experienced. Some of the prospects that you have been working with may decide that they are going to buy from their cousin's sister's brother-in-law who also sells the same widget that you sell. Maybe your competition is selling its widget for 100 baisas cheaper, and some of your customers buy it from them, and now the plan doesn't work, so we surrender the objective. I want you to understand this so that you don't feel the need to surrender. Turn goal setting into goal achieving.

THE THIRD MISTAKE

The third big mistake people make is that they get hung up on the word 'how'. They will not move from their current results unless they know exactly how to get to the next level. We are so afraid to move and make the commitment. What if we make a mistake? What if we fail? What if we step out in the direction of our dream and we tell all of our friends and our family, and then fall short? We wonder, 'What will they think of me?'

Believe it or not, what other people think of you is none of your business. You have control of yourself and your feelings. Others have control of theirs. What you think of you is what matters. You see, the 'how' has never mattered. If you are going to set goals, but you are not moving in the direction of your goals unless you can achieve them, then stop right now and give up. It's never going to happen.

Don't get so stuck in the 'how', but keep working towards your goal. If you don't know the details yet, the knowledge will come. It is part of the process to keep moving in the direction of your goals. It is important to work through so that you can get the ultimate results you're after. Do you think Edison knew how he was going to illuminate the world with the light bulb at the beginning? No, but that didn't stop him from moving in the direction of his dream, did it? Do you think the Wright Brothers knew how they were going to introduce us to the age of flight?

I want to repeat this again because I think it is that important. In my own experiences, I've learned that the 'how' has never mattered! It sounded strange to me at first. I couldn't understand that the particulars or individual steps didn't matter. What did matter was my keeping focused and going step-by-step and believing in myself. Seeing myself successful is what really mattered. Working with others through this process has been a great experience, and I've seen it change people and businesses for the better. The process sounds elusive at first glance, but I know how to develop it into an applicable process that will change your life.

If our goal is big enough, and it needs to be, then we are certainly going to have to 'up the ante' in order to get there. Think about the solutions. Attract the solutions. Remember that the Law of Polarity provides an answer along with the problem or obstacle to your success. You may need additional education. That education can be in the form of classes or seminars. After we've taken stock of the current situation, we may be able to make improvements in our service to our clients. It may mean a big improvement in your systems. Whatever it is, don't limit yourself to small goals and become an underachiever. Create big goals and focus on them.

I am always amazed at how many companies never ask their clients or employees about their level of satisfaction. Many take the attitude if no one is complaining, then everything must be okay. How many times do we decide that if only some of them are complaining, then they must be the problem? No matter what a company is offering in terms of service or products, we are all in the service industry. Our greatest asset is our client base, and we must understand them and how we can best serve them. The most successful people I know spend an hour a day in solitude looking for ways that they can improve their service. This process is part of the solution to reaching our goals.

Becoming a visionary leader puts you into a different category than most CEOs and managers. You are in a position not only to change your business in which you have chosen to work, but also your life! When you choose to set a BIG goal, you will be excited. That excitement, that rush will motivate your actions to do everything you can to accomplish it. As a goal achiever, you will create your own future.

As a part of the process of goal setting and achieving, you get to have life your way, not the way someone else chooses for you. Success is part of your own personal empowerment. Remember to be specific when you choose your goal. How can you ever define or achieve a vague concept or idea? Focus! Don't get led away or distracted by other people or other things to do that may pull you away from the direction you need to be traveling in to achieve your goal.

In my experience, one of the best feelings is when you've reached a goal that you had to strive for. It wasn't easy, but you did it in spite of any resistance you experienced or obstacles you had to tackle. Every time you reach your goal, your own self-confidence soars. The next time you set a goal, you know you've done it before and you can do it again. Then it becomes a track record of successfully reaching your goals. You are not simply a planner; you are an achiever!

All of the most successful business people I know are focused and dedicated. They believe in themselves and their capabilities. They believe that when they need it, the materials, resources, and people will become available to complete the project. That is one of the reasons why it is so important to set clear, well-defined goals.

In the process of accomplishing your goals, remember that there may be some smaller goals or steps within that major achievement. Celebrate them all and stay focused. That is the way your business and lifetime goals will be achieved. Everyday you should be moving closer to the end product. Working towards that end gives you a perspective that shapes your decisions and your actions along the way.

I learned an amazing process which has helped me to be an achiever, not just someone who sets goals that may or may not happen. While I am giving you some general tips about goal setting and its importance in your business, there is much more to understand. The process is literally life-changing. Did you know that only three percent of people who set goals actually write their goals down? I suspect that is one reason why they don't accomplish their goals.

The experience is much like standing in a dark room with no windows and a solid door. You can't see anything. Sometimes we find ourselves in those places. We just don't recognize things around us that can help us succeed. Then, someone opens the door and turns on the light. You may blink a few times, but everything comes into focus. There are things available to you that were in your reach, but you didn't know they were there. That's what this program is like.

I want to touch on a few basics of goal setting that you may have heard before, but may have forgotten. This is like a peek into the room where you just spent some time in the dark.

1) Write your goal as a positive statement. We've discussed the effect of positive energy on your results. It extends to all aspects of your life. Use statements such as, 'I will achieve'; or 'I will earn'.

2) Be clear and precise about your goal. Use dates and times to be clear what your deadline is. With a clear vision of what your goal will look like when you reach it, you will know when you've completed the job. If there are materials or personnel you know you will need to assist you, and then write them down as part of your plan. However, remember that after clearly stating your goal you don't have to know everything about the 'how' part of the process at the beginning. Move towards your goal and the rest of the 'how' will take care of itself.

3) Prioritize your goals. I can't think of any organization that only has one thing activity or task going on at a time. I'm sure it is the same in your business. You have several goals that are works-in-progress, which can be overwhelming. That is why it is so important to prioritize them in the order of the attention they demand and how important they are to your bottom line.

4) Write your goals down on paper. When we write something down on a piece of paper, it is like making a contract with ourselves. We have cemented it in place. It is real.

After you have reached your goal, take time to experience the satisfaction and joy that it brings into your life. Look at the progress you've made. Then take a look at the experience from start to finish. You may have learned something that will lead you to make adjustments on other goals. The next time can become quicker and easier if you apply the lesson learned.

I want to say one more time that your goal must be something you truly want. Don't sit back and play it safe. We've already discussed some of the payoffs for taking risks and thinking BIG. Each goal achieved moves you toward the ultimate vision and realization of your dream. Think of gaining your heart's desire.

"We are at our very best and we are happiest when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we've established for ourselves. It gives meaning to our time off and comfort to our sleep. It makes everything else in life so wonderful, so worthwhile."

~Earl Nightingale

I want you to begin the change right now. Leave the past behind and look forward to the future you are creating. Then, embrace what you really want to do and go after it with every thought and action.

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Article Tags: basics of goal setting, goal achieving, goal setting, mistakes setting goals



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