Setting and Achieving Goals as a Change Agent

SETTING AND ACHIEVING GOALS

I. Goal Achievement and Organization

• These go hand in hand. There is much that can be said about goal orientation. It has to do with attitude. The attitude of the leaders to the goals and their potential problem and the followers and their attitudes. We need to be concerned as to whether our teams are “problem-centered,” or “objective-centered.”
• Keep your eye on the doughnut, not the hole.
• Of course we know that problems will arise, but we need to remain focused on the goal.

How can you tell if your team is goal-oriented or problem-oriented?

Questions to consider …

• Are we generating new ideas to accomplish goals and objectives?
• What has caused any changes?
• Do we have room for the “out of step” leader … those with different ideas?
• How do we utilize business session times? What happens in our church meetings? How much time do we discuss goals vs. problems?

How can a problem-centered company be “turned around?”

4 ways to develop objective-orientation

1. Reorganize the decision-making process – decisions should be made at all levels of authority – decentralization
2. Eliminate timidity – people must be willing to speak up
3. Decentralized systems input – decentralizing the kind of information that is necessary to operate a company or organization – people in the organization then will know what is going on from the top and they are able to have input as to what happens at the top – employees are able to speak to the powers-that-be and share concerns and ideas
4. Reduce long lead times – setting goals with sub-objectives – It is tough to keep people motivated by a long-range goal if they do not see anything intermediate (smaller achievement levels need to be built in) – Iterative development!

Goal Orientation

5 Aspects of the Importance of Goals and Objectives

1. Objectives must be derived from what our company vision is, what it will be, and what it should be
2. Objectives must be operational, capable of conversion into specific targets and assignments
3. Objectives must make possible the concentration of resources and efforts – you nail up a specific target/goal so that everyone can focus on it
4. Objectives must be multiple, never singular. We have many objectives.
5. Objectives must relate to all areas of which the progress of the company depend

GOAL ACHIEVEMENT AND TIME MANAGEMENT

10 Common Time Wasters

1. lack of planning – leads to crisis management
2. crisis management – running from here to there, no plan for approaching the issue
3. lack of prioritizing
4. over commitment
5. undo haste – rushing to do stuff – we are never really efficient in the heat of the moment
6. paperwork (busy work) and reading (not all) – in the office only read that which is directly related to your goal achievement
7. interruptions
8. meetings
9. indecision
10. failure to delegate

The Seven Major Time-Wasters

1. Telephone interruptions
2. Unexpected visitors (drop-ins)
3. Meetings (planned and extemporaneous)
4. Fire-fighting (unexpected crises)
5. Procrastination
6. Socializing
7. Indecision

Keys to Effective Time Management

1. Make a firm decision to become excellent at time management
2. Set clear goals and objectives that are consistent with your highest aspirations
3. Create detailed plans of action and get organized for productive work
4. Establish clear priorities and always work on your highest value tasks
5. Develop good work habits and learn to concentrate on one task at a time (the most important task)
6. Think through and carefully plan large jobs or complex tasks that involve several people

According to time management specialist, Michael Fortino, over the average lifetime people spend …

• 7 years in the bath room
• 6 years eating
• 5 years waiting in lines
• 4 years cleaning house
• 3 years in meetings
• 1 year searching for lost items
• 8 months opening junk mail
• 6 months sitting at red lights
• 120 hours brushing your teeth
• 4 minutes per day talking with your spouse – as it averages out
• 30 seconds per day talking to you kids – as it averages out

We, therefore, must learn to save time …

We must continually ask…

• “Why am I on the payroll?”
• “What have been called to accomplish?”
• “What am I supposed to do?”
• “What results have I been called to achieve?”
• “Is what I am doing right now contributing to the accomplishment of my most important goals, objectives, and responsibilities?”

These are some ideas on what is going on… now, what do we do about it? Time to focus. Do great work. I would/could say… that FOCUS… or the ability to focus is the key in a lot of ways. What other things would you add to my thoughts here?