Goal and Goal Setting What is a goal?
A goal can be very simply defined as an end towards which some efforts are directed. In a game of Soccer, each team tries to push the ball into the opponent’s goal post by a team effort.
Similarly, in Organizations the Goal is to achieve a predetermined target, by determining the objectives to achieve the desired results. A goal is not an objective or a mission statement. Very often Goals, Objectives and Missions are mixed up leading to confusion. Goals are specific and always measurable, missions are a statement of intent and objectives are of a strategic nature.
A goal should answer the following questions:
What?
Why?
Who?
Where?
When?
How?
Goals are to be set to establish a direction, identify expected results, Improve team work and a sense of purpose by setting targets and improving performance.
A goal should be defined and written down It should be achieved in a specific time frame It should be achieved at lowest possible costs Finally setting goals is not enough. The organization should be geared up to achieve it and implement action plan Monitor progress periodically Revise the objectives, tactics and strategy to achieve it without changing the goal. Assuming the goal is realistic it should never be changed. There could be cost and time overruns in achieving your goals due to various unforeseen hurdles in which case the goal could have been unrealistic.
However of late, I have come to the conclusion that setting uncomfortable goals has its own advantages. The target should be high enough but not so high as to be out of reach. Very few people are capable of setting such uncomfortable goals and attaining them.
Objectives are always of a strategic nature. The objectives have to be decided by individuals/organizations as they proceed towards their goal. The objectives can be likened to milestones on the path to your goals. Each halt will be your objectives. After you reach your objective number one, you still have other objectives to reach before you attain your goal.
This is an abridged version of our article published in January 1999.
© May 2007. www.madgopes.com. All rights reserved.
Goals and Goal Setting - To learn more about this author, visit Madhavan T Gopalachary's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 |
Related Articles |
|
 How to Set Goals
|
| |
Do thoughts of your future excite you? Or fill you with fear and stress?
Picture a mouse inside a wheel – running, and getting no-where.
If this describes your life there’s a strong chance you haven’t set any goa...
|
|
Goals and Goal Setting
|
| |
How to go about goal setting
|
|
The \"Sales Goals Motivate\" Myth
|
| |
Many sales professionals, through a lack of experience at setting appropriate sales objectives, set unrealistic goals, which in turn assures their failure long before they even start to execute their plans for achie...
|
|
Reaching Your Goals
|
| |
Why do so many business owners and managers fail to meet the goals they have in mind?
|
|
Steps to Reach Your Goal!
|
| |
Clearly not everything stands in your way towards success. By identifying the one or two issues which are obstacles, you begin the process of eliminating or reducing the bottlenecks and impediments to your progress....
|
|
|
Madhavan T Gopalachary
(Visit Madhavan's Website)
Madhavan Gopalachary, nick name "madgopes"
(g pronounced as in go) given by IIT
classmates, is a Mechanical Engineer and
an alumnus of Indian Institute of
Technology, Madras having passed out
specializing in IC Engines &
Thermodynamics.
He has nearly 35 years of experience in
the Corporate World. He started off as a
trainee and handled sales, marketing,
manufacturing, product management, profit
center management, strategic planning and
corporate development including R & D in
various organizations and at various
levels before becoming a CEO. His last two
professional assignments were at CEO level
before embarking to start management
consultancy business on January 01, 1998.
He has worked for British, Swedish MNCs as
well as very large Indian business houses.
He has spent a large portion of his time
from June 1998 till date in East African
Countries practicing as an independent
Management Consultant.
More details can be obtained at the
following web sites:
mmg.name/
mtg.html
mmgconsu
lting.biz/
Madhavan's articles can be accessed at www.madgopes.com
.
|
|
 |
|
|
Madhavan T Gopalachary's
Complete
List Of
Management
Articles
|
|
|
If you enjoyed this article, get Madhavan T Gopalachary's Complete List of Management Articles For FREE!
|
| |
|
|
|
![[Get Copyright Permissions]](http://license.icopyright.net/images/icopy-w.gif){kind=small}
