People claim to understand the importance of goal setting to improve their lives, but in fact, approximately 80 percent of them never set personal goals. This is especially true among people who are not involved in some sort of business or entrepreneurial endeavor that promotes goal setting.
More surprising, of the 20 percent of the population that does set goals, about 70 percent fail to achieve them. When you take into consideration the fact that many of these goal-setting people strive for easily attainable goals, it’s a wonder that anyone accomplishes anything remarkable at all in business or in life.
When it comes to goals, there are two categories: “be” goals and “do” goals. In other words, who do you want to be or what do you want to achieve? Within each category, there are four areas of goals: wealth, health, relationships and self-fulfillment. So any goal you set for yourself will fall into one of these areas. When a business sets goals, they tend to be either a wealth goal or a relationship goal. Goal achievement involves all four areas, and success means finding balance within them. In order to live a successful life, you need both “being” and “doing” goals in each area.
Before you rush out and set goals at random, you need to know what traps to avoid. What follows are the top 9 reasons why people fail at achieving their goals. Avoid these roadblocks and goal attainment will be yours. So here's a quick rundown of most of the things that keep one from achieving the success they seek. If you're not accomplishing your goals or not reaching them as easily or as quickly as you think you should, use this as a checklist to see where you might be coming up short.
- THOSE GOALS ARE NOT MY GOALS! Without a sense of “ownership” and making something theirs to work towards, employees will not likely attain goals set for them. Get your staff involved in setting goals and developing a company vision.
- I’VE GOT GOALS, BUT NO TIME TO GET THEM DONE. Goal setting can become an exercise in futility when employees are left with expectations to achieve something they will never have time to work on. After all, goal achievement should be the priority. Don’t let every urgent project get in the way, or you’ll find yourself empty handed at the end of the year.
- THE GOALS WEREN’T WRITTEN & TIME PHASED, JUST THOUGHTS, WISHES & ASPIRATIONS. Having something in writing helps you see what you’re working towards. With information overload at an all time high, having a set of goals with a BY WHEN date will go a long way in helping you make expectations a reality.
- THEY WERE NEVER REALISTIC IN THE FIRST PLACE. In an effort to project great strides, sometimes goals are set too high, and can actually discourage progress. Find a balance between the extremes.
- THE MANAGEMENT TEAM HAS NOT EFFECTIVELY MONITORED PROGRESS. Lack of facilitation and direction from management leaves employees feeling like they are on their own without any genuine interest from company leaders. Get involved in the progress – send e mail inquiries or lead discussion groups to talk about progress.
- WRONG FIT FOR THE CUSTOMER OR THE INDUSTRY. There was an old saying about sheep ranchers and cattle ranchers not mixing company. IF you have a salesperson assigned to a particular industry he/she can not identify nor has interest in, consider reassigning for a period of time, or ask the employee what area they have interest or prior experience in.
- MOTIVATION IS SEEN FROM OUTSIDE VS. INSIDE. Motivation truly comes from the inside. Even if external factors give one a boost, the decision to move ahead comes from within. Help encourage honest discussion about what motivates each member of your team. Don’t guess, just ask. Most of us know.
- INADEQUATE (OR NO) TRAINING. Developing a training program at hire is critical to setting your staff up to succeed. Have other members of your staff assist in creating a realistic plan that is specific, “By the end of DAY 1 we will have accomplished…” Do this daily, then weekly for (4) four weeks. Ask the new hire to write a synopsis of what they have learned, by category or department, and what areas they still feel inadequate in.
- THEY ARE INDIFFERENT/DON’T CARE ABOUT ACHIEVING THEIR GOALS IN THE FIRST PLACE. Unfortunately, some people are just not happy where they are. In fact, they may not even be happy with a reassignment. Have an honest conversation with this person. Ask them if they are happy in their position and ask them for specifics of why or why not. Be open to the feedback they offer. In truth, perhaps you as a leader can make positive changes to help affect change in your organization.
+ 1 --- They fail to adjust their goals as circumstances require by either their success or failure.
For more information about leadership and succession planning executive level coaching and implementation of change initiatives, e-mail Brandie@powerhouselearning.com or visit www.powerhouselearning.com.