Some people are not interested in setting a goal. They tell me they do not want to write out their goals or talk about their goals. In case you are interested words that come to mind as the opposite of the word goal are: aimlessness, avoidance, heedlessness, negligence, purposelessness and thoughtlessness. There may be more words.
This entire line of thinking is amazing to me. How can you not have at least one single goal? How are you going to hit the target when you are not aiming at the target? In fact you are saying “the target does not even exist!”
Taking this one step further, how are you going to measure your productivity or measure if what you might be working on is getting the results you wish to achieve without a clearly written out goal? How would you be able to take corrective action in time without the ability to effectively measure ongoing performance?
Let’s reel this back into a daily activity to prove the value of a small goal. Let’s assume you know you are going to attend a networking event where there may be anywhere from fifty to one hundred attendees. During the days prior to the event by taking the time to conduct some research, you should be able to figure out who will be attending this event.
Where the goal comes into play, is to set the goal to meet and speak with a specific list of twelve people in order to connect with them, and then to follow up to meet with them again one on one. If instead no time was spent conducting research and no time was spent analyzing beforehand and setting up a goal, there would be no certainty of what contacts might be made at this event at all.
Intentional relationship building is my name for this effort. It is networking with purpose and thought. This is not to say you cannot meet someone randomly. You may do exactly that and this person may turn out to become one of your best clients or referral sources – you never know. The point is to at the very least start out with plan and then take it from there with experience and knowledge.
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Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford, CT.
Mitch, I agree with you 100% and once in a while run into those clients who are resistant to goal setting. I have to ask, how would I find out who attendees are the day before a conference? I love your tip and would like to implement it.
Mitch – I can’t imagine not having goals and love setting them and then measuring the outcome! Just love that you listed the opposites of the word goal: aimlessness, avoidance, heedlessness, negligence, purposelessness and thoughtlessness! Really brings it home!
Mitch, great article. I can’t imagine not having goals. I’ve been a HUGE proponent of goal-setting for years. I write them down as if they are or have already been achieved and refer to them throughout each week, every month throughout the year. It’s important to write down goals and make them measurable… otherwise, the likelihood you will get where you want to go is pretty low.