Why Goal Setting Often Doesn’t Work

Moving beyond the “New Year’s resolution” cycle

Goal setting often fails because of simple mistakes. The most common of these is setting a goal too casually. Consider, for example, the classic New Year’s resolution: On the last day of the year, someone announces their intention to get in shape, lose weight, stop smoking, make more cold calls, or engage in some other activity that sounds praiseworthy.  The problem is that the person making the resolution has done little or no self-analysis, and typically doesn’t even believe it is possible to achieve the goal! Talking about the resolution makes them feel good in the moment, but it’s never really taken seriously. And for goal setting to work, it has to be serious business.
 

Another common mistake people make is not putting their goals down in writing. Writing takes the wish or the dream and makes it instantly serious. And making it serious is a critical step to turning it into reality.

There are two other important best practices when it comes to goal setting that most people don’t follow. First, the goal must be specific. It’s not specific to want to make “more” cold calls. How many more? By when? Second, there must be a written plan to achieve the goal. For example, say your goal is to go to the gym four days a week to get into shape. What does your plan look like? Break it down! Perhaps your plan is to prepay for six months of gym membership, schedule 90 minutes in your calendar for the entire six months, and start a log to track both your attendance and your progress along the way.

Once you have put your goals and plans into writing, the next most important step to take to ensure success is to have an accountability partner. Most people don’t do this. You want someone who will hold your feet to the fire when you feel like quitting, or don’t feel like taking action. Consider the person who commits to going to the gym four days a week. If instead of doing that alone, what if he were to ask his best friend to join him? Suppose he were to tell his friend that if he misses more than one day, the friend has permission to come to his house and “drag” him to the gym? The extra accountability adds social pressure for him to follow through.

Accountability partners work in business also. I spend a half hour or so every Tuesday morning with my accountability partner. I make commitments to him about what I’m going to do during the coming week. That might involve making cold calls, closing sales, hiring a new employee, or writing specific reports. Usually, I also include things I’m going to accomplish in my personal life. When we talk the following week, he usually starts by  saying, “Did you do what you said you would do about so-and-so, and if not, why the heck not?” Of course, I act as his accountability partner as well. We have only one agreement between us, and that is that we will never lie to each other. The truth may hurt, and sometimes I don’t do everything I said,  but, he keeps me on track and doesn’t let me fall behind – and I do the same for him.

When it comes to salespeople and business owners, we tend to make another big mistake. We usually start with our business goals, for example: close more sales, make more money, earn a bigger bonus, get that promotion. Some of us even have these goals given to us in the form of targets or quotas.

The problem is that given the day-to-day drudgery of work, these kinds of goals usually are not very motivating all on their own. It is a much better idea to start with your personal goals!

What do you want your personal life to look like a year from now, five years from now, and in retirement? Be specific, and include areas of your life in addition to finances. Example areas to set personal goals include: family, health and fitness, education, house, travel, hobby, social, and yes, even spiritual goals can be on the list.

Once you’ve taken the time to set your personal goals, you can figure out what you need to do in your work life to achieve these goals. That's where the true motivation comes from!

As a certified Sandler trainer, Kevin Shulman has helped individuals, companies, and professional organizations set and attain important goals for almost 30 years. He is the President of Sandler Training/ Shulman & Associates and specializes in helping business owners, sales leaders, and salespeople grow their base of business and reach their full potential. Visit Goal-Setting Boot Camp Connect Kevin Shulman