Here are 6 simple but effective goal setting techniques that can be used to set individual, corporate, project or organizational goals.
What is a Goal?
A goal articulates an aspect of an organizations long term vision. It provides a signpost for the business to look at and enables it to measure progress
What is a Strategy?
A strategy takes the goal and builds an action map of how the organization will achieve the goals. It is a summary of the actions required to achieve the overall goals.
So simply put, goals can be said to be WHAT we want to achieve while the strategy is HOW we will achieve them.
No 1 - The C.O.R.E Model
The CORE model is an effective tool in setting the direction which you or your organization want to go.
C - Get a CRYSTAL-CLEAR picture of the future. What do you want to achieve? Make it simple, clear, avoid any reason for people to assume,
O - What are the current OPERATIONAL REALITIES? What is your current situation? As an individual or as a group or organization. Do a SWOT and analysis, what strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats do you have? What resources are at your disposal?
R - What are the REQUIREMENTS that will get you from where you are now, to your desired goal? What more resources do you need and how will you get them?
E - Now you have sorted all the above out, what is your EXECUTION plan? What tactics, strategy or roadmap will you adopt to bring your desired goal into reality?
No 2 - The W.O.O.P Model
Just like CORE, WOOP can be applied to set personal or business goals.
W - What do you WANT or WISH for?
O - What would be the OUTCOME if you achieved the goal you set in W above? What will be your definition of success?
O - What OBSTACLES are hindering you from achieving the goal set in W above?
P - What PLAN will you put in place to overcome the OBSTACLES?
No 3 - The D.O.O.R Model
The DOOR Model is very similar to the ones mentioned above, it follows the same pattern and can be used for both personal and business goal setting objectives.
D - What do you DESIRE or what is your DREAM? For example, I desire to lose weight.
O - What would the OUTCOME of your goal be? The outcome could be that I would be slimmer and healthier and be able to wear more fitted clothes.
O - What are the OBSTACLES that prevent you from achieving your goal, and how will you overcome them?
On obstacle could be the difficulty in keeping a regular exercise regime, or the inability to stop eating junk food. You could plan to overcome this by getting an exercise coach who will hold you accountable and get you to exercise every day. You could also commit to not buying and stocking junk food at home, so you won't be tempted to eat it.
R - What ROADMAP will you put in place to achieve your goals? The roadmap could be your detailed exercise and diet plans, or a detailed lifestyle change and how you intend to implement it to reach your goal. It will also include milestones and details of how you will measure and determine success.
No 4 - The G.R.O.W.T.H Model
This model is often used by coaches to help their clients achieve transformation, but it can also be applied to any goal setting activity that requires specific results. The model helps you think through the problem to arrive at a specific line of action that will deliver on the goal.
G - GOAL, what is the goal that you want to achieve?
R - What is your current REALITY? As explained earlier here you can do a SWOT analysis to assess your current situation. Also consider what other resources you have and what extra things you need in order to achieve your objectives.
O - What are the OPTIONS? What different lines of action can you think of or develop to reach your goal? For example, if my goal is to lose 10kg of weight in 6 months and become a size 10, I could have the following options;
Exercise regularly
Change my diet and eat healthier foods
Do bypass surgery
Do Liposuction
You can break these options down further - e.g.
Exercising regularly: what type of exercise would be most suitable? Areobics? Jogging? Long walks? Would it be at home or in the gym? These are all various options as relates to exercise.
Changing your diet: Which diet should be adopted? Keto? Mediterranean? Vegetarian?
So, we can see that there can be several options or lines of action that can be taken in achieving the goal. Your assignment at this point is to identify all of them.
W - After considering all the options, you then have to decide which line of action you WILL take. Narrow it down to the best option(s) based on your overall requirements, resources and what will best enable you to achieve the goal.
T - What TACTICS will you adopt in executing your decided line of action? Going back to our example of losing weight, let's assume we have agreed to do a vegetarian diet with exercise. One tactic could be to join a gym 2 days a week and do 3 days exercise at home. This could be because this is a cost-effective alternative to doing 5 days at the gym. In addition, combining exercise with a healthy diet would get better and faster results.
H - HABITS, once we have achieved our goals, what habits will we need to adopt to sustain the change? Going back to our example, we could agree that eating healthy and maintaining a regular exercise routine would ensure that the weight stays off and we remain healthy.
No 5 - The S.M.A.R.T Model
I am sure we are all familiar with this goal setting model. This model provides us with a framework of what should be considered when setting goals.
S - SPECIFIC, as I stated earlier your goals need to be clear. be specific, do not leave room for ambiguity or assumptions. Everyone in your team should be on the same page and have a clear understanding of what is required.
M - MEASUREABLE - How will you measure success? What is the final expected outcome? How will you know when you are done? Have timelines and milestones where expected outcomes can be measured against the actual.
A - ACHIEVEABLE - While I encourage you to set goals beyond your comfort zone, do not go to the extreme and set goals that are not realistic or achievable.
R - REALISITC - As stated able, aim high, dream big, but set the goal that is realistic.
T - TIME BOUND - Finally, have a time frame for achievement. Don't leave it open ended. There must be a starting point and an end point.
No 6 - The S.M.A.R.T.E.R Model
This is an extension of the SMART model and has only two extra elements added to it.
What has been added is
E - EVALUATE - Here don't just evaluate the outcome of your goal but evaluate your entire goal setting, and execution process. How effective was it? Do this over a period of time, if you find yourself easily achieving all your goals then maybe you want to increase the level so you can push yourself a bit more to be more productive. If on the other hand you always miss the mark by a wide margin, then that may be an indication that you are setting unrealistic or unachievable goals.
R - REVIEW AND RE-ADJUST - after you have evaluated the process, review and make the necessary adjustments.
These are the 6 simple models that can be applied to practically any type of planning or goal setting activity. Use them and increase your productivity.
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Written by Lady Shayo Imologome
Business Growth Strategist, Management Consultant, and Keynote Speaker
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Thank you lady Shayo,
This is soo educative.
God bless you