Setting goals for success

What is Goal Setting?

• Here exists a wealth of research in the area of goal setting,
particularly within organizational settings. Initially, this
exploration began with the objective of ascertaining how the
level of intended achievement.
• Through the experience of success and the positive emotions that
accompany it, confidence and belief in our own abilities grow.
• The capacity to plan positively impacts our perceived control over
goal outcomes and our future.
 5 Key Principles of Goal Setting
1. Commitment – refers to the degree to which an individual is
attached to the goal and their determination to reach it –
even when faced with obstacles.
2. Clarity - Specific goals put you on a direct course. When a
goal is vague, it has limited motivational value.
 5 Key Principles of Goal Setting
3. Challenging - Goals must be challenging yet attainable. Challenging
goals can improve performance through increased self-satisfaction, and
the motivation to find suitable strategies to push our skills to the limit.
4. Task Complexity -Miner suggested that overly complex tasks
introduce demands that may mute goal-setting effects.
5. Feedback - Goal setting is more effective in the presence of
immediate feedback
 8 Interesting Facts on Goal Setting
1. Setting goals and reflecting upon them improves academic success. Around 25% of
students who enroll in 4-year university courses do not complete their studies – common
explanations for this include a lack of clear goals and motivation.
2. Goals are good for motivation and vice versa. Most definitions of motivation
incorporate goals and goal setting as an essential factor, for example, “Motivation is the
desire or want that energizes and directs goal-oriented behavior.”
3. Goal setting is associated with achieving the optimal conditions for flow state. Setting
clear goals that are both challenging yet within your skill level is a powerful contributor
to finding yourself in ‘the zone’.
 8 Interesting Facts on Goal Setting
4. An optimistic approach to goal setting can aid success. Research into goal-
setting among students indicates that factors such as hope and optimism have a
significant impact on how we manage our goals.
5. Goals that are both specific and difficult lead to overall improved
performance.
6. People with high efficacy are more likely to set challenging goals and commit
to them.
7. Social influences are a strong determinant In goal choice.
8. Goal setting is a more powerful motivator than monetary incentives alone.
• Goal setting in teams - The increasing prevalence of team-based structures in
the workplace encouraged research in goal setting within teams.
• Goals and academia - The setting of educational goals in academia ensures
learners have an unequivocal understanding of what is expected, which in turn
aids concentration on the attainment of their goals.
• Goal setting in virtual teams - Within virtual teams (workgroups in which
members collaborate remotely), designing interactions that encourage the
setting of goals leads to the achievement of shared mental models.
 What Skills Does it Require?
• Planning - The old adage ‘fail to plan, plan to fail’ is applicable to successful goal
achievement.
• Self - Motivation - Without the desire to achieve, our attempts at goal setting are
doomed to fail.
• Time Management - Time management is a useful skill across many facets of life
including goal setting.
• Flexibility - Inevitably, at some point, things aren’t going to go as planned.
• Self - regulation - An individual needs to regulate and manage their own emotions in
order to promote their own personal and social goals.
• Commitment and Focus - If we are not committed to our goals, goal setting will not
work.
 Different Areas Related to Goal Setting
• Time Goals - Goals can be categorized into short-term or long-term.
• Focus Goals - Focus goals are all about the big objectives, those
potentially life-changing achievements you’re aiming towards.
• Topic-Based Goals - These goals fit neatly into a specific area of your
life. Topic-based goals could relate to an aspect of your personal life, your
career, or your finances.
 Outline for Personal Goal Setting
• Set three goals - It might be tempting to approach goal setting with gusto,
and while enthusiasm is a good thing it is important not to rush into too much
too soon.
• Focus on short term goals - Initially, it is better to set short-term and more
realistic goals.
• Make your goals positive - Reframe negative goals such as “I want to stop
eating so much junk food” into more positive terms like “I want to feel
healthy and will change my diet in order to do so”.
 3 Descriptions of Goal Setting in Practice
1. Psychological Health - Goal setting is a robust method of support for
positive mental health.
2. Relationships - Suggested that goals contribute to the cycles of
responsiveness between people and improve relationship quality.
3. Financial - Money, or lack thereof, can massively influence our mental
health and well-being.
Acronym of S.M.A.R.T
 How Can We Best Achieve Goals We Have Set?
• Write down your goals - It may seem like an unnecessary additional effort, but
there is value in putting pen to paper.
• Put a plan into action and review it regularly - Consider the timescale in which
you wish to achieve your target.
• Keep it specific and review your progress often - How we articulate goals to
ourselves is integral to the outcome of our efforts.
• Reward yourself for your successes, but don’t punish yourself for failure - This
doesn’t mean rewarding yourself with chocolate when you attain a healthy eating
goal, rather an internal pat on the back. Acknowledge your success and revel in the
positive emotions that accompany it.
 7 Tips and Strategies
1. Brainstorm
2. Create a ‘Goal Tree
3. Be optimistic but realistic.
4. Evaluate your goals and reflect upon them.
5. Intermittent reinforcement involves interspersing easier, more
achievable goals among more challenging, difficult goal.
6. Tell others about your goals.
7. Believe in your abilities
 Thank You For
Listening
References
• https://positivepsychology.com/goal-setting/?
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