What do you think the dictionary definition of power is? It’s simply: the ability to act. So, if you have the ability to take action, then you have the power to achieve.
But are you achieving what you want in your life? Ask yourself: what drives my behavior, what is it that makes a difference in my performance? It all comes down to one thing: your goals. If you have the ability to act, you can achieve anything. All it takes is a direction for you to focus your actions, and your power into. Pick the direction, stake out your goals, and you can achieve anything. I’ll show you how.
This article is the first in a series of articles I’m planning about goal setting. I believe it to be a cornerstone of training. Think of it as the core workout for your mind during the training process. And the first sets of excerises are going to burn that extra fat out of your mind. We’re going to give some shape and focus to your life, by identifying just what it is you want to achieve—what your goals are—and the fun part: thinking about what achieving those goals is going to do for you.

If you’re onboard so far, then you’re ready for the first step. What I want you to think about here is two types of goals you’re going to set for yourself: the micro and the macro. All you have to do is generate a list of your micro goals, and another of your macro goals. Think big and small here. Nothing is too outlandish. If you dream it, you can achieve it. So when you write do it in the positive. For example don’t write: I will never eat chocolate cake! Write: I will eat healthy. Once you’ve laid out all your goals, you’ve already taken the first step in achieving them.

The fun part is thinking about what achieving those goals is going to do for you. Once you’ve generated your goals, try writing about what the outcomes of those achievements will be. Again write in the positive, and visualize exactly what it will feel like. It will help you with the next installment of my goal setting workshops.

If you establish performance goals during the annual performance
evaluation process and have often wondered where to start, here
is a little guidance. I work with many supervisors and employees
who see goal setting as the opportunity to list the classes the
employee will attend for the coming year. And, while learning
goals are appropriate, the goal setting process can be much more
meaningful. Here are four kinds of goals that you might consider
when setting annual performance goals.

1. Essence of the Job Goals – These are the goals that clearly
describe tasks that are required on the job. For example, an
accountant might have a goal to prepare and submit monthly
financial statements. A librarian might have a goal to catalogue
and reshelf returned books within 12 hours. A mail clerk might
have a goal that requires her to deliver all mail daily to all
work sites. Essence of the job goals make the expectations for
the job clearer than they are listed on the job description.
These goals personalize the job to the position and to the
individual employee.

2. Project Goals – Project goals are those activities that the
employee will pursue with a beginning and an end and may be
above and beyond the employee’s routine duties. Project goals
can be related to improving systems, developing new products,
creating new programs, or anything else that you can think of.

3. Professional Development Goals – Professional development
goals specify what the employee will learn for the coming year.
While attending a class to learn something new is noble, I
challenge you to find new ways to help employees develop their
skills while clearly linking the goal to the organization’s
needs. For example, “cross training in a new work area at least
one day per week” is a professional development goal. A better
goal would be to cross train in the accounting department at
least once per week and be able to reconcile bank statements by
October 31. Or, “attend a training class on PowerPoint and
develop a new slide show to be used in new employee orientation”
would be more challenging than just attending the class. Make
sure the professional development goals not only develop the
employee, but also help your organization.

4. Performance Improvement Goals – Performance improvement goals
should be saved for those times when you want to emphasize
clearly that an employee’s behavior must change. Performance
improvement goals include things like, “arrive to work ready to
serve customers at 8 a.m. every day” or “limit the number of
customer complaints you receive to three per quarter.”
Obviously, not all employees would need these kinds of goals.
However, they can be helpful in documenting your performance
expectations in a clear and measurable way.

Now, go out there and set some goals! Make your expectations
clear and everyone wins!

Set the bar for outstanding performance A follow-up to the top-selling Perfect Phrases for Performance Reviews, this book provides managers with phrases and goals that describe expected future performance from their direct reports. A timesaving job aid for any performance review or plan, the book: Makes it easy for managers to set high performance goals for executives, management, or non-managers employees Includes many categories of goals, from revenue and productivity goals to quality and personal development goals • Facilitates the goal-setting process across the organization Includes a guide to writing a performance plan for any employee Featuring hundreds of ready-to-use performance goals, this practical job aid makes it simple for managers to set the bar for outstanding future results.

From the Back Cover[BACK COVER] [HEADLINE] Set Effective Performance Goals for Your People–Just Look Up the Right Phrase! In their previously published, top-selling b (more…)