How to Set - and Stick to - Your Goals

We’re all about goals around here. As anyone who’s achieved something they set out to do can tell you, setting goals is more a matter of constant evaluation and refreshing than it is a static list of to-dos.

Becoming a goal-oriented team is simpler than you might think. Here are our?four golden rules?for making and achieving your goals:

Be deliberate

Make sure you’re moving consistently toward your end goals by making the entire process deliberate. Set aside time in your schedule for setting and evaluating your goals. Emphasize collaborative behaviors, aiming to create goals—and strategies to achieve them—that are meaningful, fun, and interesting. When you set time aside, you automatically give yourself an excuse to celebrate when you achieve something and a chance to reflect when things aren’t going to plan.

Be realistic

Choose goals that are specific and achievable. Don’t overdo it. Remember: it’s satisfying to accomplish something. Set yourself and your team up for success by choosing exciting goals you can reach by completing a series of practical steps. If your goals are so outsized that they’re impossible to achieve within your given timeframe, it will be hard for your team to stay motivated.

Categorize

We’ve achieved a lot of success by categorizing our goals. We stick to the same categories we use for our yearly planning meetings:

• Growth. How can we invest in ourselves, add to our qualifications, and delight more clients in the coming year??
• People. What can we do this year to make sure our employees feel our commitment and passion for being an employer of choice??
• Philanthropy. How can we give back, express gratitude, and support women in business??

By categorizing, it’s easier to see what you’re striving to achieve in each area and to avoid setting goals that don’t align with your larger purpose.

Keep it visible

Goals shouldn’t live in a document that’s buried in your hard drive. They should be a living part of your daily tasks. Talk about your goals a lot. Keep them top of mind. Report to your team, your agency, and your audience often—to keep yourself accountable and to keep everyone in the loop.