GOAL SETTING SECOND EDITION How to Create an Action Plan and Achieve Your Goals Susan B. Wilson and Michael S. Dobson Special discounts on bulk quantities of AMACOM books are available to corporations, professional associations, and other organizations. For details, contact Special Sales Department, AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Tel: 212-903-8316. Fax: 212-903-8083. E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.amacombooks.org/go/specialsales To view all AMACOM titles go to: www.amacombooks.org This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Wilson, Susan B. Goal setting : how to create an action plan and achieve your goals / Susan B. Wilson and Michael S. Dobson.—2nd ed. p. cm.—(WorkSmart) Includes index. ISBN 978-0-81440169-9 (pbk.) 1. Goal setting in personnel management. 2. Goal (Psychology) 3. Management—Psychological aspects. 4. Planning. I. Dobson, Michael Singer. II. Title. HF5549.5.G6W55 2008 650.1—dc22 2007039111 © 2008 American Management Association All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Printing number 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 CONTENTS Preface to the Second Edition Part I Setting Personal Goals Chapter 1 Getting Started Chapter 2 Potential Obstacles to Reaching Your Goals Chapter 3 Eleven Strategies to Optimize Reaching Your Goals Part II Effective Goal Setting and People Skills Chapter 4 Assertive Behavior Chapter 5 Changing People’s Behavior Part III Effective Goal Setting and Management Skills Chapter 6 Setting Priorities Chapter 7 Planning Chapter 8 Delegating Chapter 9 Time Management Part IV Achieving Your Goals Chapter 10 Getting Help in Reaching Your Goals Chapter 11 Getting the Power to Get Things Done Chapter 12 Project Management for Goal Achievers Appendix Goal Achievement Worksheet Index PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION When people find out I’ve written several books, the first response is often, “Gee, I’ve always wanted to write a book.” My first question is always the same, “Why?” People are often puzzled at the question, but it’s the most important question of all in setting and achieving your goals. You aren’t chasing this goal for the fun of it, but because you believe achieving the goal will satisfy some need, solve some problem, or provide some benefit. If you can’t clearly explain why you want to achieve the goal, there’s a good chance you may head off in the wrong direction. Let’s apply the question to this particular goal: Why would someone want to write a book? Well, there are many possible reasons. Here are some of the more common ones: (a) You want to make as much money as J. K. (Harry Potter) Rowling. (b) You want to appear on Oprah and be famous. (c) You want to impress people with your talent. (d) You have something really important you want to share with the world. (e) It’s your art. (f) It’s your therapy. For example, if your real goal is money, there are lots more reliable ways of getting it than by writing books. Yes, a few writers make an awful lot of money, but the vast majority of published authors make little or nothing. One writer I know devoted several years to writing a novel he knew would make a lot of money. He did well—achieving the Book of the Month Club, gaining foreign translations, and even selling the movie rights. But he wasn’t satisfied. He expected to make millions. So he gave up. If you want to succeed at a goal, you need to understand why you want it. This is critical. You have to do this process for any goal you set for yourself. Why do you want it? How does this goal relate to your other goals? What will be different for you when you succeed? Are there better ways to get there? What elements of the goal are the most valuable and the most important to you? You’ll learn in the pages of this book how to set a goal, how to make a plan, and how to acquire the resources and power necessary to achieve your goal. What you have to supply is the quality of your self-understanding. If you understand why, maybe you’ll pursue the same goal, or maybe you’ll change to a goal that actually relates more closely to what you hope to gain. Knowing why gives you strength and power. If your goals are challenging (and they should be), achieving them takes hard work and risk. If the goal isn’t really important to you or if you’ve picked a goal that won’t really satisfy the “why,” it’s awfully difficult to maintain the self-discipline to get the job done. A case in point: My best friend in college used to publish an amateur mimeographed magazine containing essays by a Pennsylvania schoolteacher who had sold a novel, quit his job, and let his wife support him. He was a good example of what not to do, or so I thought. For years, every time my friend and I got together and talked about old times, sooner or later one of us would ask, “What do you suppose ever happened to Dean Koontz?” You probably already know how this story turns out. Dean Koontz has managed the rare feat of having ten New York Times number one bestsellers, and is still going strong. (His wife, I’ve read, still works: She manages their business.) He knew what he wanted and why he wanted it, and so he was able to persist in the face of skepticism and rejection. Always ask, “Why?” The more reasons you have to pursue a goal, the better you’ll likely do in terms of achieving it. I write because I have a perspective on people and organizations that I want to share. But writing is not the only way to do that; I also teach seminars. I like the act of writing; I like seeing my books in bookstores. Why do you want to achieve your goals? The answer to that question has power. It’s what motivates you. It’s what shows you the right path to take. And it’s what opens the doors that lead to your success. —Michael S. Dobson PART I SETTING PERSONAL GOALS CHAPTER 1 GETTING STARTED Have you ever wondered why some people seem to have the ability to accomplish a lot? They know where they are headed and exude an enviable confidence. Effective goal setting is one of their keys to success. You may be working very hard at what you do, but without setting goals you’ll find that your hard work doesn’t yield meaningful results. Remember Alice in Wonderland? At one point in the story, Alice stops at the crossroads to ask the Cheshire Cat which road to take. He responds by asking where she wants to go. When she tells him that she “doesn’t much care where,” he replies, “then it doesn’t matter which way you go.” As a result, she wanders aimlessly in her travels. Like Alice, we often travel the road of life without a specific direction or goal. Few of us make goal setting a priority. In fact, studies have shown that most people either do not know what they want from life or, if they do, have no plans for realizing their dreams. Only a small percentage of people have specific, well-defined goals. And people who most frequently reach their goals are those who write them down and develop the plans to reach them. Take a moment to consider why writing down your goals makes such a significant difference in ultimate performance. Why do you think that writing down one’s goals is so important? ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ If your response included the idea that goal achievers record their goals so that they can read them, absorb them, and plan for them, then you are on the right track. People who achieve their goals take an active role in achieving them. They write them down, and then plan for their achievement. This chapter considers ten guidelines for evaluating and writing down your goals. If you follow these guidelines, you will establish your goals in a way that nearly guarantees your effort will be rewarded. Time and again, your reward is successful goal achievement. Before learning the ten guidelines for effective goal setting, take a few minutes to identify two of your goals—they can be anything as long as they are meaningful to you—and write them down. Then, complete the self-audit, which identifies ten elements for effective goal setting. Evaluate the extent to which you use these ideas when developing your goals. Your Goals 1.________________________________________________________________________________ 2.________________________________________________________________________________ Now complete the self-audit on page 5 by checking either “Nearly Always,” “Sometimes,” or “Rarely” for each statement. TEN GUIDELINES THAT REALLY WORK The questions you just answered identify ten guidelines for effective goal setting. Using these ideas ensures that you establish goals that can be accomplished. The ten guidelines are: 1. Effective goals are written. Many of us daydream about what we would like to accomplish. But how many of us pick up a pen and write down those things we most want to achieve? Once a dream is committed to paper, it becomes concrete. Your dream is given a sense of reality. Writing down your goals is a first step toward achieving them. SELF-AUDIT FOR GOAL SETTING Nearly Always Sometimes Rarely 1. When I set a goal, I write it down. ________ ________ ________ 2. I describe my goal in specific, ________ ________ ________ measurable terms. 3. I often visualize my goals. ________ ________ ________