In last month’s newsletter I wrote about the goals that Bill Gates had set for Microsoft. I found them interesting for 2 reasons. Firstly we are all in some way affected by the direction of Microsoft and secondly because I thought it was a great example of goal setting from the most successful business man of our generation.

Interestingly it generated some email from other business owners. One of those was Nicole Bachmann of Brook and Mann. Nicole is a client of ours who runs a successful executive coaching business. As this is Nicole’s area of expertise she has contributed this month’s newsletter on goal setting.

If you wish to contact Nicole for facilitation or coaching in your business you can find out more about Nicole Bachmann and Brook & Mann at the end of this newsletter.

Goal Setting beyond SMART – The Big Picture

Nicole Bachmann
Brook & Mann

In business – especially if we’re running our own - it is vital that we achieve what we set out to achieve. – This is why we create a vision, concentrate on a mission and set goals & targets.

So, how come that very often we find ourselves wide off the mark? We find ourselves spending too much time doing things that need to be done, but don’t necessarily contribute to the success of our business and/or the achievement of the set vision & goals?

There are many reasons why we don’t get on with what really matters. – Quite a few of which have to do with procrastination and old patterns that we are reluctant to let go of – but that’s subject for another article. Today we are concerned with goal setting and how to be more effective in it to ensure we actually achieve the goals we set ourselves.

There are many models around to help us with goal setting. One of the most popular is focused on how we define our goals, and establishes that we need to set SMART goals to be successful in achieving them.

SMART goals are:

Specific
Measurable
Achievable/appropriate/actionable
Relevant/realistic/result
Timed

This is an excellent model and setting SMART goals is definitely a good place to start.

However, in our work around helping people to stop procrastinating and getting on with what really matters, we have found that what keeps people from achieving their goals has to do with whether and how they use their emotional intelligence and how they manage their emotions.

Looking at it from that angle, it becomes clear that something is missing in the SMART goal setting model. - We need to involve our emotional intelligence. This way we set ourselves up for success, rather than getting discouraged half way.

Therefore, in the Big Picture, we take our emotions into account, which enables you to set goals that you will achieve – and enjoy achieving:

Identify your goals and list them. Check whether they are SMART. Then go through the process below for each separate goal.

There are 4 important questions to ask yourself at the goal setting stage, and in that order:

Is this goal in MY best interest (rather than what my partner/parents/siblings/peers think is my best interest)?
What specifically do I want to change/achieve?
Why is now the right time to change/take on this goal?
Am I emotionally committed to this goal?

Question 4 is the ‘killer question’ or ACID test – if you are NOT committed to the particular goal you are going through the process for, choose one of the following two options:

Abandon the goal
If you don’t want to take action a), ask yourself, ‘What do I have to change about this goal that will make me commit to it emotionally?’

If you attempt to achieve a goal you are not committed to, it is highly likely that you will not get there, because you lack purpose. Purpose gets you emotional commitment, and only emotional commitment gets you action.

And not just any emotional commitment will do either.–

Therefore, once you have whittled down your list of SMART goals to those that you are emotionally committed to – your Big Picture goals - we need to test your commitment to them, to assess your chances of success:

For each of your Big Picture goals, ask yourself the following question:

‘On a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being not committed at all, and 10 being 100% committed, how committed am I to this goal?’

Write down the figure between 1 and 10 that comes to your mind next to each goal.

Our experience has shown, that those goals for which the figure is less than 7, you won’t achieve (or even start…) – because your emotional commitment is not strong enough.

Again, you have two options for those goals:

Abandon the goal
Ask yourself, ‘What do I have to change about this goal to make my commitment a 10?’

Your Big Picture goals that you have committed to with a 10 are the ones to tackle first. – They are the ones that you are most likely to achieve. And once you are learning that you can achieve goals, it becomes easier to achieve some more. – What do they say? – Success breeds success.

Nicole Bachmann

Beat Procrastination
tel: 0845 4562 398
E-mail: nicole@beatprocrastination.com
web: www.beatprocrastination.com

Nicole Bachmann is a masterful coach and facilitator with strategic business background and a law degree. Nicole specialises in the personal development of high flying business people, facilitating learning of individuals and groups, as well as training business people in personal development, business communication and leadership skills.

Nicole is a Co-Founder of www.beatprocrastination.com, a lecturer at the University of Essex, a Fellow of the Institute for Independent Business, a Founding Member of the International Association of Coaches, and an active member of various networking organisations.

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