Is goal setting a waste of time?

As managers, partners, parents and business owners I believe we have an intrinsic responsibility to look forward. However, in our culture we often tie goal setting to success. And as a result, for many people, the process of goal setting can feel like a burden or a potential failure waiting to happen.

On the other side of the equation is the need to plan ahead in order to achieve our aspirations. As the old saying goes “take time to work on your business not just in it”.

I think both sides of the debate have merit, but the core factor is this… Goals are useless without a strategy to bring them to fruition. And in some cases can actually be demotivating for a team if not set within their context. Generally I would recommend that this type of goal setting should be incorporated as part of a specific business or team planning meeting, such as a quarterly strategic planning session. If you would like to schedule a quarterly planning session please get in touch.

Making it work...

What is much more important at a personal level is setting some intentions for the next year, defining the direction in which you feel drawn and what you want life to look like. At the end of each year I schedule some time to ‘reflect’ and ‘project’ (look back and also look forward). This is not a goal setting exercise and I think perhaps more effective. It allows you to hold your objectives lightly and also consider your areas of learning.

Reflection: A helpful way to phrase reflection is this… “What have been my spaces of joy and spaces of learning over the past year?”.

Projection: Projection for me always has two equally important components.

1) A life or personal challenge.

2) A business challenge.

Framing our objectives as challenges reflects the fact that if we are going to achieve them, enjoyment of and commitment to the process are as important as the outcome.

Whatever your objectives might be, our team looks forward to helping you exploring them and put effective strategies in place to make them a reality in 2016.

Ps. If you are looking for a personal challenge in the New Year you might want to consider the 2016 Masters Games in Dunedin 30th Jan - 7th Feb.