Don’t Do Goals? Then See a Priest

There are many benefits to having a structure that provides us with a way of making sense of our world and bringing fulfillment and achievement. Yet people have real issues with setting and maintaining meaningful goals. If you find goal-setting an issue, then help is at hand! Instead of thinking about goals, think in terms of outcomes or even better why not have fantastic outcomes? So what’s the difference between goals and outcomes? A goal is a single step on the road to an outcome and all steps/goals should be easily achievable or you will trip and fall.

Here is a model for setting well-formed (Fantastic) outcomes: P. R . I .E .S .T.

Positive: The outcome must be framed in the positive. It is more motivational to move towards what we want, as  opposed to things we don’t want. There is also the power of focus. If we focus on what we want, then we are likely to move towards making that happen. The same is true of those things we don’t want, if we focus on them, we get more of that!

Resources: What internal and external resources will you need to achieve your outcome? Internal resources include things such as: Courage, persistence, assertiveness. External resources are related to finance, time, and support from boss or colleagues.

Initiated and maintained by you: You are responsible and need to take full responsibility from the start to the end, no excuses.

Ecology Check: Who else will be affected by this outcome? Will there be some benefits for others? Will there be downsides for others, during or after a successful outcome?

Sensory Evidence: During and on completion of the outcome, what will you see, hear and feel? This sensory based objective-setting moves you powerfully towards a successful result.

Time: How long will this take? How much of your time will this take up? What will you have to give up to make room for this?

Adapted from original text by Mervyn Murray, Leadership Trainer at GTC

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