Goal-Setting

Lisa J. Downs
American Society for Training & Development
The Purpose of Goals

• To act as a compass—point the way

• To help us prioritize activities

• To boost our sense of

accomplishment and satisfaction

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Types of Goals

• Critical goals: must be accomplished

to be successful
• Enabling goals: fulfill a long-term, but
not immediate, need
• Nice-to-have goals: improvements to
enhance your life or work, but not
crucial
Source: Roberto, Michael. Time Management. Boston, MA: Harvard
Business School Publishing, 2005.

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Types of Goals (cont’d.)

• Critical goal: Improve profitability

within two years.
• Enabling goal: Update marketing
materials to recruit new employees.
• Nice-to-have goal: Improve catering
choices for company events.

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Goal-Setting Tips

• Record goals in specific terms; avoid

being vague.
• Put a timeframe around goal
achievement.
• Decide how progress will be
measured.
• Align goals with important priorities
and strategies.
• Stretch yourself, but don’t overdo it. 5
Goal-Setting Steps
1. Create a list of major life roles or
categories, such as family, work,
self, finances, community, etc.
2. Next to each category, write down
what you see yourself doing in 10
years; these statements are your
long-term goals.
3. Break each goal down into smaller
pieces by recording two or three
specific actions next to each
statement. 6
Goal-Setting Steps (cont’d.)

4. Create smaller tasks from the

specific actions.
5. Schedule these tasks into your
planning system.
6. Review your goals and activities a
minimum of once a year; revise as
needed.

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An Example…
Category: Self
10 Years from Now: “I will have my
MBA degree.”
Specific Activities: Research MBA
programs
Decide timing.
Investigate funding.
What tasks should now be scheduled?
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Goal Alignment

• If working in an organization, goals

should cascade down.
• Department or team goals should
align with company goals.
• Individual goals should align with
department or team goals.

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Importance of Goals
• Effective time management starts
with having clearly defined goals.

• Goals give us purpose and a road

map to guide us.

• When goals are in writing,

opportunities follow.

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