Zap the Gap for Success
In any walk of life, we need to set goals if we want to move forward. In today’s world especially where the speed of change and development is getting quicker by the day, setting business goals is an essential process otherwise you’ll just stagnate and get left behind.
I’ll share the SPECIFY model of goal setting shortly, but outside the process of goal setting, there are some wider frames that need to be considered first. So let’s first ask the question, what is a goal?
A goal is an outcome you want, the place you want to be, a desired destination. Achieving a goal is more. It’s the process of getting from A to Z. So there are three things you need to know to get from A to Z.
Z – Destination. You gotta know what you want in detailed terms. What will the outcome look, sound and feel like when you get there? Pretty obvious I know, and the part most people are ok with sorting out.
A – Where are you now? This bit is sometimes overlooked or not thoroughly considered. If you were sedated, transported to the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night, and then woken up and told, “ok, make your way back home”… you couldn’t because you don’t know where you’re starting from. In goal setting for business, this is where something like a SWAT analysis can be useful. You need to know your starting point.
P – What is the Process to get there? This is the most neglected part! And where people fall down most. The key is to focus mainly on the process and not the result/destination. Focussing on the joy of the result just makes you realise that you ‘don’t have it yet’. And that can be disheartening. So key to achieving goals is to love the process for its own sake.
A model of goal setting that encompasses the result and some of the process is SPECIFY. As an executive coach, I use a much more dynamic model but SPECIFY is a very useful tool.
- S – Sensory specific. What will the outcome look, sound and feel like when you get there? In real world terms, nothing vague or ambiguous – not states like, “I want to be happy/successful”, etc.
- P – Positively phrased. What you want, rather than what you don’t want. Not, “I don’t want to lose customers”, but I want to retain/get more customers”.
- E – Ecological. Ecology is all about consequences, so is your outcome healthy? Will it have positive or detrimental effects anywhere else in your life?
- C – Compelling. Is it meaningful? Is it something you hunger for? If it’s not, as soon as things get hard, you’ll give up.
- I – Initiated / maintained by you. You gotta own it. Nobody will do it for you. You have to put the work in. So, will you? Can you?
- F – First step. It can be overwhelming to think of the big outcome compared to where you are now, so what’s your first achievable step? Then the next, and the next, etc.
- Y – Your resources. There are two kinds of resources that help achieve goals; external like money, people/contacts, a phone, computer, behavioural skills you have, etc. And internal, your confidence, determination, resilience, follow through, ‘grit’. External resources are easy, it’s the internal ones most people fall down over. That’s where I come in with coaching; external resources are limited; internal ones are potentially limitless!
If achieving a goal is the process of getting from A to Z, then the real key is enjoying the process. You gotta love the experience. So, set a goal and enjoy the process!
For more on executive coaching or personal resilience training email me, alan@optimum-mind.com