How to Set a Good Goal?

Setting goals for yourself, for others, or for your organization is a practical activity that demands preparation and disciplined focus. Setting goals is not wishful thinking. It’s not fantasizing. It’s not daydreaming. A goal is any object or end that you strive to reach. For example, becoming rich and famous may be the result of achieving certain goals, but fame and fortune are not the goals themselves. Deciding to write a bestselling book is not setting a goal; it’s daydreaming. Deciding to write a book that is interesting and makes solid contribution is a goal (an ambitious one, but a goal nonetheless). Research shows that individuals who set challenging, specific goals do better than those who don’t.
When you set goals, you need to consider what you want to achieve. Setting specific goals gives you an overall perspective that shapes your decisionmaking process. Use the following lists of questions to help you brainstorm during your goal-setting session.
For business goals, ask yourself:

• What level do I want to reach in my career?
• What kind of knowledge, training, or skills will I need to reach a certain level in my career?
• How do I want my partner or other members of the team to perceive me?
• How much money do I want to earn? At what stage in my career do I want to earn this amount?
• Do I want to achieve any artistic goals in my career? If so, what?

For personal goals, think about:

• Do I plan on starting a family? If so, when?
• Do I want to achieve any fitness or well-being goals? For instance, do I want to remain healthy at an old age? What steps do I need to take to achieve this goal?
• How much time will I reserve for leisure? What hobbies do I want to pursue? Remember, these goals are about you. You have to pamper yourself every now and then. Once you have answered some or all of these questions, prioritize your goals in order of importance. Be sure to prioritize until you’re certain that the goals reflect your business and/or personal aspirations.

Here are a few points to keep in mind when thinking about your goals:

• Distinguish between a goal and a purpose. If your purpose in life is to become an Olympic champion, set all of your goals with that ultimate purpose in mind. You must take many steps along the way to becoming a champion of any kind — the training, the dedication, the discipline. Think about your purpose in life; your negotiating goals should contribute to that purpose deal by deal.
• Don’t confuse goal setting with the process of deciding what to put forward as an opening offer. (Opening offers are discussed in the “Setting the Opening Offer” section later in this chapter.) You must set your personal goals yourself, before a negotiation begins. Get all the information you can from others about the marketplace and the person whom you’ll be negotiating with, but set your own goals. Only you know what your personal dreams are and what will make you happy. Keep a practiced eye on your goals during the course of the negotiation.
• Decide whether a goal is a good goal when you set it, not after the fact. Sometimes people say, “Shucks, we didn’t set our goal high enough.” If you’ve ever said that, one or more of the qualities described in the following sections was absent from the goal-setting process. Each of these qualities is important. You don’t have to wait until after the negotiation to find out whether your goals are well set. You can judge your goals at the moment you make them by determining whether they contain the qualities presented in the following sections.