The Importance of Goal Setting

14288568_mIt’s that time of year again, people are deciding what their New Year’s resolutions are, and putting on their best party dress to close out the holiday season.  Do you have a bad habit of not following through on your New Year’s resolutions? Be different this year! Forget about resolutions and focus on setting effective SMART goals to improve the quality of your life.

SMART Goals vs Resolutions

If you live and work in Silicon Valley, chances are you’ve heard of SMART goals before. SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable (or Achievable), Relevant, and Time-Based. Goals do more than resolutions can. Goals give you focus, allow you to measure progress, keep you locked in and undistracted, help you overcome procrastination, and give you motivation!

You can’t reach your goals if you never set them. “Goal setting is the first step toward successful goal achievement. It marks your first point toward success. It is what puts your life into real action mode. Without this step, the other steps of goal achievement cannot take place.” Goals force us to look inside ourselves for places of improvement, rather than look outside for people to blame.  By setting goals we must change our behavior which ultimately changes our day-to-day habits, making us more positive people.

Professional Goals

People set personal and professional goals all the time, but especially around this time of year.  This year use your employees’ goal setting to your advantage; help them to understand their contribution to the company, and how reaching their targets would make an impact. “Goal-setting is particularly important as a mechanism for providing ongoing and year-end feedback. By establishing and monitoring targets, you can give your employees real-time input on their performance while motivating them to achieve more.” Work with your employees to establish professional goals that they can strive for, that are realistic and challenging.

If one of your goals is career-related, Menlo Partners would be happy to help in whatever way we can. Contact our office for a review of your resume or an informational interview with one of our recruiters.

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