6 Common Goal Setting Mistakes
7 Minute Read
Goal setting has positioned itself proudly at the forefront of self-development for a fair while now. It’s an important tool for any professional today, and most of us have probably engaged in a goal setting session at one stage or another.
The question is, to what extent is our process actually effective?
Goal setting is a tool that can allow us to lead a life by design, where we are consistently achieving bigger and bigger things that ultimately lead us to a life we’re looking for; rather than simply reacting to our environment without much thought as to where we want to go. To do that, though, we can't only set goals. We have to set goals effectively.
And, as so many New Years resolutions are written and forgotten, we find many goal setting sessions to be no more than simply that: A session.
I would identify the most common goal setting mistakes as follows:
1. Setting unrealistic goals
Sometimes we set a goal too big to make sense. What I mean by that is, we actually give ourselves a sneaky ‘out’, where we can say to ourselves at the end of the time frame ‘that one was a bit unrealistic anyway, I was never going to reach it’. We take the opportunity away to actually challenge ourselves because we have this statement to fall back on.
Goals – especially short term goals - should be challenging enough to drive us to the next level without being so unrealistic as to justify if we don’t. Your vision might be huge, and that’s great, but the way to get there is step by step – there’s no elevator to success, as they say.
Ask yourself: Can I realistically see myself achieving this goal? Is it possible?
2. Setting goals that aren’t challenging enough
This is the opposite to point 1. There’s no point setting a goal of selling 30 widgets if, on average, you sell 30 widgets. That’s more of a prediction than a goal. The purpose of goal setting is to improve results, not anticipate them.
Ask yourself: Is this goal sufficiently challenging? Or am I cutting myself short?
3. Setting goals where the ‘how’ is not habit-creating and specific
We know that the habits make the person. A goal is an outcome, and tied to that needs to be an action plan of how to make it happen.
The most valuable ‘how’ will be one that creates a success-facilitating habit. Then, once that goal is achieved, the habit continues to get to the next goal, and so on. For example, if I set a new sales goal for myself, one of my action points might be to call from X list every day from 10am to 11am. That then becomes a new habit that will facilitate success for me long after my target is achieved. For the next goal, I might add to that habit by putting in a plan to call from Y list every day from 11am-12pm. Through these action plans, I am building the habit of prospecting consistently and adding to my pipeline.
Goals alone don’t do much. Creating habits that will endure to create a more successful and satisfying life is really what we want to achieve – and hitting a goal is simply a sign that we’re doing that.
Notice also that this example is incredibly specific. If I want to lose weight and get healthy as a goal, it is not enough to simply say I will work out. How often? When? What kind of exercise? Perhaps I will go to a gym class every morning from 6am-7am. The more specific the habits, the better.
Ask yourself: What successful habits am I going to build on to achieve this goal?
4. Going in with a mindset that is too rigid
On occasion, we will not stick with our action plans as well as we would like to. We all know a smoker who has quit smoking for an extended period of time, only to end up having one on a social occasion, and declaring ‘oh well, I guess I’m back on it then.’
Of course, it’s ideal if we stick to our action plan perfectly. That said, don’t let hurdles and slips allow you to abandon your goals entirely. Flexibility is important, as is being kinder to ourselves. If you set a sales goal for the month and have a week where you aren’t on track, that’s okay. Look forward, don’t get stuck in your head, and dive back in to keep working towards the goal. Use it as motivation to continue and work even harder, rather than a reason to stop.
Tell yourself: If I fall off the horse, I will get straight back on again.
5. Waiting until the end of the time frame to check on the goal
Numbers matter. Tracking matters. If I set a goal for the month, I don’t only want to look at how I went at the end of the month. I need to be reviewing that goal every day. This process becomes another success-facilitating habit that will help me long after the goal is achieved.
Ask yourself in the morning: What will I do to make my goals happen today?
Ask yourself in the evening: What did I do towards my goals today? Was I effective? What am I proud of achieving? How can I do even better tomorrow?
As a side note, focus on what you can control here. It’s often most helpful to also track how well you’ve followed your processes and habits, rather than only how many widgets you sold or kilos you lost.
6. Not connecting goals to the bigger picture
This is the most important of all the points mentioned. Yes, we set goals. Yes, we’re told to. Yes, it’s nice to stick up a neat little plan at your desk for what you will achieve for the month, or the quarter, or the year.
But why?
Why am I setting these goals? Too often we don’t actually ask this question. The answer is the key to our success. We all have different intrinsic and extrinsic motivators; that is, internal drivers like variety, significance or certainty; and external drivers like a holiday, a new investment property, or being up for a promotion at work. Maybe I want to provide for my kids and send them to private school. Maybe I want to buy a house for my parents. Maybe I want to feel a sense of significance in my role; maybe I want to help others; maybe I want a sense of freedom and autonomy; maybe I want to become an expert in my field; maybe I want to make my family proud. Whatever it is, we need to identify it.
They say you have to ask ‘why’ three times to get to the real answer of a question. We need clarity around the bigger purpose of setting goals, and what that can do for our life and our business. Identifying what those drivers are, and connecting them to our goals, can help us to stay motivated and driven even if things aren’t going the way we want them to. The more clarity you have, the more easily you’ll be able to tap into this motivation.
Ask yourself: How does this goal connect to the bigger vision I have for my life? What will it do for me in the long term? How does it contribute to the picture of ‘future me’ that I want to create?
There are many theories out there on goal setting, and many people out there blindly making goals. Goal setting can be an incredibly efficient tool for helping us create the life we want. To do that, though, we need to set goals clearly and effectively. This means ensuring that the goal is realistic and still challenging; that is has a well thought out action plan with success-facilitating habits; it’s something we approach optimistically and with enough flexibility to endure; it’s revised daily; and, most importantly, it’s connected to a bigger vision.
How often do you engage in goal-setting? What have you found to be the most effective strategies for success?
Make today the day,
Sonia
This blog post was originally posted on my training website, Statusone.com.au, on June 25, 2018. I have since been moving some of my favourite blog posts from there over to here, as this is now my ‘content hub’ and I want you to have access to some of the cool stuff I’ve written about before. You can still check out the Status One site if you’re interested in corporate training if you want. Also, don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter below for updates and weekly exclusive content.