Reasonable Goals
What is your perception of a reasonable goal? An unreasonable one?
A reasonable goal is one that is understood by all parties, has their buy-in because they understand and see its benefit, has a reasonable and doable timetable and clearly defined responsibilities and due-dates on the part of all involved. It should also be measurable, flexible and open to revision if such is appropriate. All goals should be carefully thought out, discussed, and provide the broadest benefit possible. Sometimes goals are set without properly considering all ramifications, usually because input was not requested of all appropriate entities.
Bruce -
I agree; goal setting is a joint activity. Best case the person held accountable for the goal sets the goal. In most cases, this person will set a more ambitious goal than the leader. I've seen this happen often when Admissions Reps set their own start goals and hit them!
Another interesting approach is to set a range of goals - minimum and stretch. People normally hit right below stretch.
Most important of course is that the measurement of success be clear to all parties involved.
Lou Russell
Unreasonable goal is one that even thought you are not 100% sure you would attain it. When you accomplish it you are proud because you achieve it against all odds. These goals you are going to share as one of your best experiences of life.
Fernando,
Your definition of an unreasonable goal is a bit different than the one in the course, but I like it. I usually call that a stretch goal, which is a goal that pushes you past what you thought you could do.
We do have to be careful helping our staff set goals. If we set the bar too high (unreasonable), we will demotivate them just as surely as setting the bar too low.
Lou Russell
Unreasonable goal is one so far of the mission and objective of the Company. Reasonable goal is the perfect step to up and increase the profitability of the Company
Miguel -
Here is another idea. An unreasonable goal might be one we set when we really don't believe that the person is effective and we want that person to fail. That is NOT a good thing for a leader to do, of course, but not uncommon.
Lou Russell
A reasonable goal is one you can achieve while at the same time keeping track of what you are accomplishing.
Good post. I like to think of an "unreasonable" goal as one you know you can't accomplish. An example might be a one legged man trying to become a field-goal kicker for a football team. Hmmmm
I think reasonable goals are goals that can be reached by using available resources and are attainable within time restraints. An unreasonable goal is most likely a goal that is in no way attainable with the resources of a company or has nothing to do with enhancing the company's purpose or vision.
Hi Christie! Absolutely, goals must be realistic and support the organization's mission and objectives; I think too that effective goals are also measurable so as to provide a clear means of determining success. I have often, and I'm sure you as well, have coached colleagues who provide a goal such as:
"Increase customer satisfaction."
Though it's a good thought, perhaps a more effective goal might be:
"To increase the level of customer satisfaction, indicated on our customer service surveys, by 25%, June 30, 2009."
Thanks again for your comments,
Jay Hollowell
Guest Facilitator
ML101
I have found out thru many failures that I can achieve most goals by knowing my team. Reasonable or unreasonable goals can be set by knowing who you deal with. Some goals can be accomplished in a short time some over a longer time dependening on the team that I'm working with and the complexity of the goal.
I've often seen team members try to reach goals that have no real measurement in place. While the goal is a well-though-out one, without a benchmark in place these goals have no real finish line.
The nice thing about these type of goals is they can be wrangled in and clearly defined, eventually turning into realistic goals.
Goal measurement is often the primary factor in determining goal achievement. The "reasonableness" of a goal, or the "realistic" goal is one that the employee can see and understand the effort, resources, and ability necessary to attain it. Thanks.
I think Henry Ford said "whether you think you can or you can't, you're probably right". Whether or not a goal is reasonable should not depend on whether or not the goal is achievable. Goals are set (usually) with the assumption that they will be reached. The measure of a goal's reasonability should be in the impact reaching that goal has. For example, I need to loose about 30 pounds. If I set a goal to do it in a week, the goal can be reached but only by starvation and at a risk to my overall health. This would be an unreasonable goal.
A reasonable goal should be realistic, and be able to be accomplished in a timely fashion, and continue to have relevance once accomplished.
First, is achieving the goal the ultimate end result, or just a step towards a bigger vision?
A goal can be reasonable if it achieves the desired end result and unreasonable if it doesn't.
It can also be reasonable if it is a step in the direction of success in achieving the ultimate end reslut, and unreasonable if it leads in any direction other than towards success of the big picture.
But then it seems as if the details within the goal have a lot to do with the perceived reasonableness, like the previously mentioned goal to lose 30 lbs - the goal is fine, but how you go about achieving it makes a difference and might slant it towards being unreasonable.
A reasonable goal is one that can be understood and achieved by all group members. It should be challenging and practical.
A reasonable goal should be realistic and measure accurately, so that the goal may be achieved. Goals should be prioritized from the most importance to the least importance. When a goal is set to high and the requirements are not met it may be considered unrealistic goals.
A reasonable goal is one that is clearly understood and has measurable outcomes to be completed within defined time frame. An unreasonable goal would be vague or idealistic and difficult to measure. The time frame would not be identifed or uncertain.
