A GOAL WITHOUT A PLAN IS JUST A WISH.

When we set a goal, we establish clear and compelling benefits. Setting a goal creates focus and inspires commitment. But setting a goal is not an end in itself: it is the beginning of a process.   

Building agency

To make a goal a reality rather than simply a wish, we need to build our capacity to make independent choices that will move us beyond our current situation, positively influence our circumstances and move us closer to attaining our goal. Building this capacity—or agency—depends upon us developing the mindset, capabilities and tools that enable us to demonstrate and sustain goal-directed behaviours.

Think about your goal. What mindset, capabilities and tools do you need to build your agency to influence your circumstances? What strategies could you engage to achieve your goal? What actions will you take?

Identifying strategy

When identifying strategies that enable goal attainment, investigate evidence-based options. Using tried and tested strategies will build confidence that we are investing in an effective process.

Next, we need to consider the resourcing of our strategies. Resources may include time, materials, learning programs and coaching. A lack of resources can negatively impact the pursuit of our goal; adequately planning the resources we’ll need can avoid this. When a goal requires more resources than we have, we may need to recalibrate the goal or consider it as a sub-goal that contributes to the attainment of a greater goal.

Strategies should be aligned to time-framed milestones that identify efficacy and indicate progress towards goal attainment. If we fail to meet our milestones, we may need to reconsider our strategies and their resources. We may even need to recalibrate the goal to ensure it is, in fact, attainable.

Developing a plan

To maximise the likelihood of attaining our goal, we need to develop a plan that clearly identifies:

• a clear and compelling goal and its benefits

• the mindset, capabilities and tools required to demonstrate agency and influence

• the strategies to develop agency

• the resources to deliver the strategies

• time-framed performance milestones.

A well-structured and considered plan is the difference between a goal being simply a wish and it becoming reality.

Creating Agency

The word agency has different meanings in different contexts. In this context, agency refers to the ability to influence, act or intervene.

People who lack a sense of agency perceive themselves as having little or no control over their circumstances. As a result, they can develop feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, which can undermine their wellbeing.

On the other hand, people who demonstrate agency feel empowered to influence their circumstances. This builds self-efficacy and promotes self-determination, creating even greater agency.

There are four critical elements to demonstrating agency; mindset, capability, tools and purpose.

Mindset refers to the beliefs and expectations a person holds in relation to their growth and development. People with a fixed mindset see their abilities as set and unalterable. People with a growth mindset believe they can grow and develop through committing to practising process over time – “the more I practice, the better I get”.

Capability refers to the skills and abilities required for a person to influence their circumstances. Once the required skills and abilities are identified, strategies can be developed, and processes practised, to build capability and agency.

Tools are utilised by a person to demonstrate agency in pursuit of a desired outcome. For example, a tradesperson may have a toolkit from which to select the most appropriate tool to complete a job. The use of tools is context specific and may include (but are not limited to) the use of planning tools, management tools, digital tools, marketing tools, design tools, etc. Expertise and dexterity may be required to optimise the use of a tool to demonstrate agency.

Finally, a clear and compelling sense of purpose can ensure that agency is demonstrated with commitment and integrity over time. Purpose aligns passion with intent.

Purpose can be established through goal setting.

• What is your goal?

• What is its purpose?

• What benefits would you notice in achieving your goal?

• What is required for you to achieve your goal?

Adopting a growth mindset, building capability and using tools to deliver upon purpose creates agency. Agency builds self-efficacy and promotes self-determination.

Take control and influence your circumstances through building capability to demonstrate agency.

Think big and start small.

So, what is your goal?

What's the purpose?

We often question the purpose of what we are doing when we hit a bump in the road, or things don’t seem to be going right. It’s usually rhetorical in nature and indicates increasing frustration and a growing sense of futility.

This critical questioning of purpose often comes too late. Really, it should be the first thing we consider before committing time and resources to any course of action. It is a catalyst to establish intent and worth. It can also lead to a range of complementary questions that clarify purpose and further build on our commitment to action. So, what’s the purpose? What benefits will be derived? How will you demonstrate this purpose? What will you notice when this purpose is achieved?

PURPOSE, INTENTIONS AND GOAL SETTING

A clear and compelling purpose establishes the intent to which strategy, resources and actions can be aligned. This alignment not only increases the likelihood of a purpose being achieved, it also increases efficiencies in the pursuit of the purpose that can save time, energy and money.

Goal setting creates a process to move us from intent to practice. The SMART framework can improve the likelihood of goal attainment by ensuring our goals are Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant and Timely. A clear sense of purpose aligned with development goals can motivate us and inspire confidence.

PURPOSEFUL ORGANISATIONS

Establishing a clear and compelling sense of purpose is even more critical when we consider organisations and teams. Misalignment of purpose across an organisation, and within teams, can create dysfunction that undermines performance. This can result in substantial inefficiencies and costs, as well as a detrimental impact on culture.

Effective organisations and teams demonstrate alignment of purpose at all levels and across all areas of operation.

Purpose should be embedded as part of an organisation or team’s cultural DNA – it should not be left to circumstance. This is where the quality of leadership becomes critical. Great leaders seem to understand the importance of establishing a clear and compelling purpose that leverages engagement and commitment.

So, what is your organisation or team’s purpose? How effectively is it demonstrated? What do you notice? What do your clients notice? What can be done to more effectively align purpose? What difference would this make?

How does your purpose align with your organisation or team’s purpose? What gives you the confidence this is the case? How could a better alignment of purpose be achieved? What benefits would you notice? What will you do to achieve this alignment?

SETTING GOALS TO CLIMB THAT MOUNTAIN

Each of us has a (metaphorical) mountain we would like to climb.  Indeed, some of us may have many.

But our best hopes are sometimes compromised by our ability to bridge the void between where we currently are, and where we aspire to be. At times, the mountain may seem just too challenging for us to ascend.

This doesn’t always have to be the case.

If we are considered, well prepared and undertake the ascent one step at a time, it is entirely possible to climb that mountain.

Three critical elements can assist with our ascent: a clear and compelling sense of purpose, an enabling process, and unrelenting persistence.

These three elements are interdependent and create a virtuous cycle that empowers achievement.

PURPOSE

To establish a clear and compelling purpose, we need to consider what attaining our hopes and aspirations will look and feel like. What will you notice? How will things be different? What benefits will you experience? What gives you the confidence this will be the case?

The more clear, resonant and palpable our purpose,  the more motivated we will be to consistently behave in ways that demonstrate our purpose.

PROCESS

We then need a process through which to demonstrate our purpose and attain our best hopes and aspirations – goal setting.

By setting goals we can break our hopes and aspirations into manageable chunks, which can be time-framed, resourced and actioned. Like any process, goal setting involves skills that can be developed and refined through practice over time. To promote success, start small and build incrementally upon your goals. This will create a scaffold you can climb by demonstrating purpose to achieve your hopes and aspirations.

PERSISTENCE

Finally, persistence is key to ensuring our commitment to goal attainment is enduring and resilient. It is a characteristic that sets achievement-oriented people apart from the rest. Without persistence, commitment to goal attainment may become fleeting, in which case success will be unlikely.

Begin your ascent to achieving your best hopes and aspirations. Clearly articulate a compelling purpose, set and work towards attaining incremental goals and demonstrate persistence – it’s as easy as one, two, three.

Developing goal systems

Setting and attaining goals can drive personal and professional growth, empowering us to become more confident, resilient and self-determined.

Some people, however, are more effective at setting and attaining goals.

A number of factors impact our ability to set and attain goals: time, competing priorities, the availability of resources, and motivation, among other things. But perhaps the greatest challenge is our ability to set goals that align, so that we can build goal systems.

Each goal we set should be structured in a way that promotes its attainment, but we often aspire to achieve more than one goal at any one time. When this happens, we need to ensure each goal contributes to the attainment of already existing, or concurrent goals. By developing synergies between and across goals, we enhance the prospect of goal attainment, both individually and collectively.

Let’s take an example: a goal to improve fitness and a second, concurrent, goal to increase family time. It is easy to imagine that pursuing each of these goals independently could result in failure to achieve one, or both of the goals. Spending time improving fitness could impact on the time available to spend with family. These two goals do not, however, need to be mutually exclusive.

Planning to achieve each goal by connecting them through strategic planning will promote their collective attainment. We could organise regular, active, family leisure time. Or involve family in a physical challenge, like competing as a team in a fun run. Another strategy may be to plan for an active family holiday that requires preparation and training.

Although this example may seem simplistic, it illustrates the value of strategically aligning goals to create complementary goal systems.

Nonetheless, on occasions, it may be challenging to establish authentic synergies between and across concurrent goals. Where this is the case, we may need to consider prioritising goals. As a rule of thumb:

• The number of goals set should require no more than the resources available to achieve them

• More inspiring goals should be prioritised over less inspiring goals

• Higher value goals should be prioritised over goals of lesser value

• More achievable goals should be prioritised over less achievable goals.

How can you implement a goal system in your life?

Building resilience through goal setting

Resilience, the ability to bounce back in the face of challenge and adversity, is essential for personal growth and development.

Resilience provides us the capacity to accept challenges and manage the impact of adversity. It promotes survival in the most trying circumstances and promotes wellbeing under better circumstances.

The absence of resilience can predispose us to conditions that may become overwhelming, resulting in feeling helpless and hopeless. Under these circumstances we may perceive we lack agency, feel like victims of circumstance and, ultimately, may lose hope. This type of experience can be extremely debilitating.

Resilience is developed through experience.

When we are challenged, we learn to adjust and adapt to the changing circumstances. We then apply this learning to similar future circumstances. Practising resilience under a range of circumstances over time strengthens our capacity to demonstrate it consistently.

Central to the development of resilience are purpose and agency.

A sense of purpose creates motivation and commitment to act. When we act in ways that demonstrate purpose, we experience empowerment and deep satisfaction. When we join people with a common purpose, our potential for impact increases exponentially.

Agency is the capacity to influence.

When we experience agency, we feel that we make a difference. When applied to our personal circumstances, we feel like we have some level of influence, and sometimes control, over the present and the future. We become more confident, optimistic, self-directed and self-determined.

Goal setting is a process that promotes purpose and agency.

Through setting goals we prioritise what is important, clearly establish what we would like to achieve and identify the benefits we expect to experience. We then plan and demonstrate purposeful actions aligned with achieving the goal. Finally, we establish accountability measures to ensure our progress is tracked and celebrated.

Goal setting is a skill.

As with learning any new skill, starting small and building capability through practice over time increases our chances of success. As we become more confident and adept at setting goals we can increase the level of challenge. The more we practice, the more likely it is we will default to goal setting as a strategy to leverage purpose and agency.

Goal setting can begin at any age. Young children can be introduced to goal setting by significant others modelling the process with them. They can then be supported to set and achieve small, incremental goals that build confidence, capability and resilience.

Why wait any longer? Build your resilience through goal setting.