How Goal Setting Can Go Wrong

Goal setting can go wrong for a number of reasons. When these things happen, it can be a great bit devastating to the self esteem and can make the idea of setting any new goals mute.

Before we can look into what we can do about solving these goals setting problems, let’s see what the problems can be. This section is really no more than a more detailed explanation of the above section, but I felt that it needed a section of its own to help you set your sights solely on how setting your goals can go wrong.

If it seems repetitious, it is because it is! But it is very necessary for this guide; especially for quick referencing later.

• Outcome goals can be set instead of performance goals because it forces you to focus on the end result immediately instead of taking your time to go through the steps of goals setting. When you set goals properly you will be doing it in a step by step manner. Where you are using outcome goals, and you fail to achieve the goal for reasons outside your control, this can be very dispiriting and can lead to loss of enthusiasm and feelings of failure. Always set performance goals instead as this will give you a higher chance of succeeding.

• Goals can be set unrealistically high. When a goal is perceived to be unreachable, no effort will be made to achieve it. Set realistic goals so that you can best decide how to go about achieving them.

• In retrospect to the above, goals can be set so low that you feel no challenge of benefit in achieving the goal. Setting goals has been a waste of time. Always set goals that are challenging enough to be worth the effort, but not out of reach.

• Goals can be so vague that they are useless. It is difficult to know whether vague goals have been achieved. If achievement can’t be measured against your expectations, then your self-confidence will not benefit from goal setting, nor can you observe progress towards a greater goal. Set precise and quantitative goals.

• Goal setting can be unsystematic, sporadic and disorganized. In this case certain goals will be forgotten, and the achievement of goals will not be measured and feedback will not occur into new goals. The major benefits of goal setting have been lost. Be organized and regular in the way that you use goal setting.

• Too many goals that aren’t given priority may be set, leading to a feeling of overload. Remember that you deserve time to relax and enjoy being alive and not solely focused on your goals and achievements.

Where goal setting does go wrong, not only are the benefits of goal setting lost, but the whole process of goal setting can fall into disrepute.

By avoiding these problems, and setting goals effectively as described in the previous section, you can achieve and maintain a strong forward leap into your future.

The 'Quantum Leap' Approach to Goal Setting

One approach to goal setting for yourself and other people is the 'Quantum Leap' approach. This tries to force intense activity by setting a goal that will need a 'quantum leap' in activity to achieve it.

This is a dangerous technique that should be used with a great deal of care. It is very easy for the whole process of goal setting to fall into problems where quantum leap goals are not met.

Similarly if you are really not convinced that a goal is attainable, you will not put effort into achieving it. Doesn’t all of this sound repetitious!

Business Managers using this approach should take care that they are not shot down by someone that is firmly requesting information on how a quantum leap goal should be achieved because then everybody suffers.

> Home > Setting Goals Main Page