Goal Setting Tools and Tips to Achieve Your Goals and Objectives

Jan 16, 2011
Jerry Lopper

Setting Goals and Objectives for Personal Growth - Steve Woods

Select the best goal setting tool to use to achieve your goals and objectives based on goal complexity, situation, and your strengths.

Effective personal and professional growth benefits from having an array of tools and tips for setting and achieving goals and objectives. One size does not fit all when it comes to goal setting tools. The goal setting tool you use should reflect the difficulty and complexity of your goals and objectives.

The ubiquitous to-do list is a simple tool for setting and achieving daily goals.

A Basic Goal Setting Tool–The To-do List

Simply writing the goal or goals on a list helps you to define and envision the completed goal, one of the fundamental components of effective goal achievement theory. Keeping the written list in front of you and crossing off items as completed contributes accountability and feedback, two more components of effective goal setting.

Prioritizing Goals for Goal Achievement

A further refinement of the basic to-do list is to rearrange the completed list, putting high priority goals at the top with a gap between the objectives which must be completed during the day and everything else. If interrupted while working on a high priority goal, immediately return to it when the interruption is completed. This goal refinement reinforces accountability and feedback.

The SMART Goal Setting Tool

For more complex and longer term goals and objectives, many people favor the SMART methodology, a standard of the business world. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-based.

The SMART acronym addresses each of the fundamental components of successful goal setting and achievement outlined in landmark goal setting theory by researchers Edwin Locke and Gary Latham.

Limitations of SMART

As practiced in business, SMART is often used in conjunction with annual performance planning and evaluations. In business applications, SMART may fall short of being fully effective in setting and achieving goals due to lack of commitment. Commitment to a goal is essential to its successful completion. The more difficult the goal, the more important commitment is to successful goal achievement. Goals and objectives set by management for subordinates, without full commitment by the subordinate, may fail to enlist sufficient commitment.

Individuals setting their own complex goals are, of course, more likely to be fully committed. However, managers can enlist strong commitment through careful planning and knowledge of a subordinate's career goals.

Another limitation of SMART is that it is essentially a tool for the left-brain oriented, logical, analytical thinker. Creative individuals, who depend more on their right-brain competencies of intuition, visualization, and big-picture thinking may have difficulty with the SMART methodology.

SAFE–a Goal Setting Tool for the Creative

In attempting to counter a limitation of SMART, this writer has developed a goal setting tool described by the acronym SAFE:

See It: See the goal as completed, visualizing the entirety of detail, color, emotion, and celebration. This addresses specificity as well as realism and achievability.
Accept It: Accept that the goal is achievable, allowing and acknowledging the self-efficacy to complete even difficult goals, addressing commitment and realism.
Feel It: Feel the emotions of the successfully completed goal, such as fulfillment, satisfaction, happiness, pride, and confidence. This addresses specificity, realism, and achievability
Express It: Express the completed goal in words and pictures. Tell others of it, write a press-release, or testimonial of the completed goal. This addresses accountability and commitment.

SAFE does not inherently require time-based goal setting. Essentially, it utilizes the Law of Attraction concept, which involves visualizing the goal as accomplished now, which provides powerful feedback of confidence, commitment, and self-efficacy.

Setting and Achieving Goals

To achieve your goals and objectives furthering both personal and professional growth, pick an appropriate goal setting tool or technique from those described in this article. The best goal setting tool to use will depend on goal complexity and your personal preferences for analytical or creative thinking. A handy goal setting tool incorporating these concepts is The Fundamentals of Effective Goal Setting.