After my article last week on my process for achieving goals, several people asked about my process for creating goals. So this week, I will outline my annual goal setting process.
I have written many times about how goals should be big. They should reflect a grand picture of the life you want to achieve. Yet, they must also be achievable. This requires perspective.
Every year I spend time looking at the bigger picture of my challenges. Most of the time I am working tactical issues to achieve my goals. But to set the right goals, I need to step back and evaluate my plans strategically.
I spend time thinking about the future using several different frameworks. These are the four specific steps I use.
1. Goals by category – In this first step, I capture my goals in different categories. I use the 12 areas outlined in John Maxwell’s book, Today Matters. They are attitude, priorities, health, family, thinking, commitment, finances, relationships, generosity, faith, values, and growth. These categories are effective for me because they are values I want to develop. These could seem too abstract. An alternative is to use these eight categories: career, money, health, friends and family, romance, personal growth, fun and recreation, physical environment.
2. Goals based on time – In the second step, I capture my goals based on a time frame. Usually I evaluate five years, ten years, and in my life time.
3. Goals based on my strengths – We are most successful when we able to put to use our personal strengths. In the third step, I capture my goals for developing and using my strengths. My top five strength areas (from Strengths Finder 2.0) are learner, strategic, intellection, analytical, and responsibility. So I think about how I can best utilize these skills.
4. Goals from the perspective of others – This final step recognizes how my goals affect other people. I try to capture the goals that would be most important to serve the people, teams, and organizations around me. I look for alignment in my plans with the needs of others.
This may seem overwhelming, but I usually only use this process once a year. It usually takes a few hours, and sometimes as much as an entire day. For me, it is an effective method to put the coming year into perspective.
If you are interested, here is a link to the form I use to guide me through this process. It is going to be a great year!
