“Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.” — Fitzhugh Dodson

In any endeavour of life, and especially in business, it is important to have goals to determine the path one must take. The question then arises how does one set business goals and whether the attainment of that goal is measurable. A simple example to illustrate the point of whether a goal is measurable is a sales target versus a directive from the leader that people should exhibit more discipline. The sales target is an easily measurable goal but discipline is a nebulous concept, almost impossible to quantify.

Anand Noatay, Principal Consultant at HRCraft Business Consulting shares an interesting incident. “Recently a business leader shared his ‘Leadership Team Goals’ with me. For every employee there was a set of 10-15 goals. The goals included discipline, integrity, team work – these are all great virtues but are difficult to track & measure. He opines, “I believe that the thumb rule for goals is very simple: Can you plot progress on a graph? If not you are probably asking your people to exhibit desired behaviours instead of achieving business results.” Encouraging desired behaviours, though an important part of improving work culture, may not be an activity that can be measure and may not contribute to the overall performance of a business.

Principal Promoter at Perfect Placer, Ramachandran S shares 4 tips to set goals:

1. Set SMART Goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic,Time-bound
2. Goals should be written down and said aloud, to activate your auditory, visual & kinesthetic senses to ensure goal achievement
3. Make a complete goal-plan: Break the goals into actionable steps.Include details on the work involved, priorities, timelines etc.
4. Goal mastery is life mastery. You need to have goals for key aspects of both professional & personal life.

Anand concludes, “Next time you are setting goals for your team or yourself - ask a simple question. Can you plot the goals on a graph? If not, you probably need to rework the goal sheet.” Qualitative or quantitative, tangible goals help give direction to an organisation and can make the difference between success and mediocre performance.





Network with SMEs mentioned in this article by clicking on the 'Invite' button on their profile. Anand Noatay,  Ramachandran S