Goals. What are they? How do they help us? Why do we need them? Why are they so hard?
If you’re reading this then, like me, you’re probably running up against a circumstance where you have to sit down and write a set of goals from scratch. Or perhaps you’re refining your goals, in preparation for submitting a business plan or grant. Perhaps you’ve read through some of the literature and seen the acronym “SMART,” and thought about what it truly means to make a goal:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic/Relevant
Timely & Trackable.
And perhaps, also like me, you’re staring at a blank screen trying to figure out the best words to capture those goals.
Let’s start from the beginning. Grab a scrap of paper, or a large whiteboard, or have someone take some notes on a computer. You can do this by yourself, or in a large group of people. Focus on the question: WHAT DO I/WE WANT?
Here’s the time for opening your brain and shutting off your inner critic. Limit yourself to one- or two-word phrases that answer that question. For example, when setting goals for my business I wrote:
Entertain
Coach/Mentor
FOCUS: Veterans
Challenge
Money
There were a couple of other keywords in the list, but you get the idea. This is the kernel of what I want. These are the seeds of my goals.
Chances are, the larger the group, the more discussion and wading and culling you will do during this goal-setting process. The thing to remember is, these are the words that are coming from you heart. This is what you want when you’re not overthinking it. These words will likely end up incorporated in the rest of your eventual business plan or organizational map, as well as your SEO optimization, future planning sessions, etc. Think of them as the focus and compass of your strategy (goals) that will inform your tactics (targeted measures to achieve those goals).
After you’ve got your goal keywords written out, then comes the next step–transforming WHAT you want into HOW to get it. It’s not a process that happens overnight. In fact, I recommend that any organization re-visit its goals and plan (the WHAT and HOW) on an annual basis to stay on track. Goals change as organizations grow and thrive, and what you might want when you’re starting out may change once you hit that measurable and trackable benchmark. Perhaps one goal is no longer relevant, or you find out you weren’t specific enough to use it to generate tactics.
Take a moment to think about what you want. Write down your keywords. Make them loud and proud, in the largest letters you can. And if you need someone to bounce some ideas off for the next step, hit me up at infamous_scribbler ~at~ yahoo.com.
Good luck!
