Volume 12, February 2006

Goals Bring Energy to Daily Life - At Home and At Work

By Anne Conzemius

We often begin our work with educators by asking them to think of a personal goal they have set and met at some time in their lives. We do this as a way to illustrate the profound impact that goals can have on our motivation and confidence in pursuing important, desired outcomes. Personal goals give us focus, energy and purpose. They provide guidance, help us prioritize, and they keep us accountable in a way that an externally imposed rule or directive cannot.

In a time when the external environment is replete with mandates that impose external goals on educators, it becomes increasingly important to stay in touch with our inner-most desires to do right by the children we serve. Goals that reflect the passion and purpose that educators bring to their practice act as fulcrums that balance and reconcile the countervailing forces of the full spectrum of tension in our daily lives.

In our new book, The Power of SMART Goals, we explore the relationship between goal setting and professional efficacy — "the belief that one's efforts will lead to positive results." The research on this connection is clear for both adults and students. C.R. Snyder, a University of Kansas psychologist, conducted a study with college students in which hope was determined to be a better predictor of first semester grades than their SAT scores. "Students with high hope set themselves higher goals and know how to work hard to attain them." Snyder goes on to delineate some common characteristics of hopeful people.

Learn more about this powerful connection in Chapter 6 of The Power of SMART Goals.

Goal-setting is not simply an event that culminates in the development of a statement. It is a continuous process of taking incremental steps toward achievement of some end that is different from where we began. The goal-setting process begins with an understanding of both the starting place and a clear and measurable understanding of the preferred ending place. Whatever data one chooses to use, whether it comes in the form of numbers, experience, knowledge or intuition, there is a baseline of the current state that suggests a need for change. This, in combination with the compelling draw of a specific vision of what's possible, is what provides the energy required to combat the inertia of the status quo. Movement — change, not for the sake of change, but for the sake of being in a different, more desirable state or place is an inherent result of the goal-setting process.

Peter Scholtes said, "People don't resist change, they resist being changed." Linda Lambert says it another way, "People need to learn themselves through change." When we use goal-setting as a tool for learning, the change process is energized. We unleash the power of learning to discover new horizons and to develop new competencies within the context of our own desires.

Goals are the unique purview of human beings because they require the ability to think beyond today into the unknown, to imagine the possibilities while discerning what's really possible and to put action to faith. Further, because goal-setting is a human act, it is enhanced when done in a social context. Though a goal can provide a useful compass for helping us to stay focused and moving in the right direction, the full power of the goal is realized when it is established and monitored with the help of trusted friends, colleagues or family members. You may recall the excitement of realizing your goal of "going to college." But do you also remember the times when you thought you'd never finish? Around about the time for final exams, the goal seemed unattainable. What kept you in college? For many of us it was the support of our family and friends whose cajoling, encouragement and kind-hearted threats gave us the sustenance needed to stick it out. That's the kind of support network that teams of teachers can provide for one another in setting and pursuing a goal together. That is shared responsibility at its finest.

The environment within which goals are developed and monitored is equally vital to their success or lack of success in motivating positive change. Our work in the field has verified what we intellectually know to be true — organizations that provide systems of support and opportunity within a culture of trust are able to reap the rewards of the goal-setting process. Those who simply go through the motions of defining improvement goals and plans, get just that — nicely written improvement goals and plans.

Here are some practical tips for keeping your personal goals and improvement efforts alive.

"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go."

T.S Eliot.

To learn more about how schools and school districts have built strong systems of support for goal setting, read about Kimberly Area School District and McFarland School District in The Power of SMART Goals.

If you would like to find out more about The Power of SMART Goals and other professional publications from QLD, please visit our Products page.

References

O'Neill, J. & Conzemius, A. (2005) The Power of SMART Goals: Using goals to improve student learning. Solution Tree: Bloomington, IN.

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam.