The Power of the Almighty Goal

We all know it.

We talk about the importance of doing it.

Yet so many of us never set goals and write them down. Let’s look at some convincing facts.

• People who set goals are 43% more likely to achieve them.
• Setting challenging but achievable goals leads to a 90% better performance.
• People who set goals are more than 14 times more likely to be inspired by the work related to those goals.
• People who create weekly accountability reports achieve 40% more than those who don’t.

Why Defining Goals Leads to Better Performance

When you set challenging goals, you push yourself (and your team) to go beyond your normal way of operating which leads to greater performance. You are driven to enhance your skill set to meet the challenges of your goals.

But make sure you are very specific with your challenging goals, so you know exactly what you need to do to get there.

Setting the right level of difficulty is important too. Too easy and it’s not challenging enough. Too hard and it can seem impossible. This is a balancing act.

Writing Down Goals Creates a Much Better Success Rate

When you write down goals you store them in your brain through a process called “encoding.” Writing down your goals improves this encoding process. Plus, if we have created an idea, versus simply read about it, THEN we write it down, it makes a much bigger impact on our ability to remember the goal and work through it in our brains. You transform your intentions into a reminder.

Another important component of writing down your goals is that you contextually have to think through your goals to put them on paper. As you document, you’ll analyze more and refine your goals and plans to get there.

We’ve all done this. As we start writing, we think of new ideas, new approaches and more ways to achieve our goals. So starting writing!

I prefer the good old pencil and paper when I am trying to be creative. It does work and frees areas of our brain we might neglect.

Weekly Accountability Reports Attributes to a 40% Better Success Rate

Weekly accountability creates a routine and encourages analysis of your progress. Looking back and then looking forward are powerful techniques to improve your approach! Sharing your reports with colleagues can provide you with valuable insights you can use to increase performance. Plus you have a track record of your success that you can go back and analyze for further improvements.

It’s Never Too Late to be a Goal Setter

Since setting goals clearly increases the likelihood of success, it’s never too late to get started, right? Having clear objectives provides focus and shines a bright light on where you need to go and how you should get there.

So fire up your goal setting brain and jump in with both feet. Just remember to be specific and dial in your goals to be challenging but not unreasonable.

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