Goals, Goals, and more Goals

By this time of the year, you have set your New Years Resolutions and probably have already broken some of them or maybe even forgot about them. At work, it is the goal setting time. Now these are the ones you can’t forget because monthly you get a print out of where you stand. Of course, they give you the whole teams list, so if you are low you are the bad guy that is keeping the teams goals down.

Years ago we just worked. We knew what we had to do and we did it. We did not have to set a goal to make us work that was what we were being paid for. Now it seems that goals are necessary to drive people to do their job. In procurement you have the service level to contend with. The sales force has sales goals. We have so many reports on our standings that we don’t have time to issue purchase orders and in the area of sales, to make sales calls.

Experts in motivation and achievement claim that setting a goal, imaging how it would look and feel to reach that goal, then putting a plan into action to reach that goal – are the three hottest tickets to your success.

One of the new theories on goals is “Visualize Success – And it can be yours.” Visualization is supposed to keep you focused and in-tune with what you hope for. Close your eyes and picture the mental images of your goal vividly and precisely. Goals and visualizations fade away without action.

Most things I have read on visualization say when you first begin to practice mental imaging, you feel somewhat awkward and silly, and likely won’t believe in its benefits. I guess I am at that stage. Maybe I lack imagination. Maybe I am too realistic.

As they say what works for one, does not work for all. What do you think? Post a comment here with your thoughts on goal setting or visualization.