“It’s important to set your own goals and work hard to achieve them.”
Yuichiro Miura
Entrepreneurship is arguably a territory for smart minds. As such entrepreneurs do not just shoot in the air, they fire at specific targets. These targets don’t just exist from nowhere, they set them.
Goal setting seems easy but it is very difficult. The majority think they would have set goals but they would have done something different.
Entrepreneurship is one area that calls for meticulous clarity in the goals set to maintain the much-needed difference. Bill Copeland once said, “The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.”
We all know that goals need to be SMART. It is suicidal for an entrepreneur’s goals to miss this SMART criterion.
It is equally important to narrow down the goal-setting process as I have received several questions on the subject of goal-setting, especially the how part.
1. Write Down Your Goals
Your goals should test the beauty of ink and paper.
Start the process by generating a list of potential goals. In the end, what is it that you want to achieve? Writing down goals makes them tangible and gives them more force. You are in a position to continuously refer to them as you progress. Written goals remind you of the direction you must take in pursuit of those goals.
2. Determine How To Measure Goal Achievement.
Set goals that can be measured. You should at least know when you have achieved that set goal so measurability is a characteristic of a meaningful goal. Depending on the goal, there might be several measures that can be used to evaluate achievement. Select those that are most appropriate.
3. Time Your Goals
Determining the amount of time needed to reach the goal and setting a deadline help to create a realistic sense of urgency and provide the motivation necessary to attain the goal. Successful entrepreneurs are good at managing their time thus meeting their performance deadlines.
4. Identify Distractors To Achieving The Goals
Obstacles to goal achievement can come in the form of people, expectations, knowledge, skills, or resources. For example, it may be difficult to reach goals because others will stand in your way (people), you don’t have the existing capability to reach the goal (knowledge/skill), you don’t have the time to reach the goal or the funding to make it possible (resources).
5. Identify How To Overcome Obstacles
Once you have identified and listed the obstacles that may prevent you from achieving the goals, create a plan to address these obstacles.
You have to come up with plans to avert the effects of these obstacles. If it’s a knowledge issue, engage in training and if it’s a resource issue, find the best way of getting them at a reasonable cost.
6. Walk Through The List
After you’ve completed the worksheet, review all the goals for reasonability. Check on the worthiness of the goals by asking yourself questions that speak to their fulfillment and when such goals are achieved, the feasibility of the goals set. This forms a good way of possibly eliminating some that don’t appeal to your questions.
7. Monitor Progress And Continue To Set Goals
To determine whether the goal has been reached, measure progress toward the goal. Use the measures that have been identified to track progress to determine if you are falling behind or are on target with deadlines.
I am addressing entrepreneurs but this goal-setting process is standard for anyone to apply.
In conclusion, goal setting sets entrepreneurs apart.
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