a goal that resources will allow the person doing the work to achive the goal .
goals that you can obtain
Brittany,
I like your emphasis on understanding the purpose of the goal. This often is overlooked & I know I can do it...but why should I?
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Individuals should understand goals and the benefit to them or the organization. If they are part of the goal development process they will more likely embrace the goals.
I would say that a reasonable goal is a SMART goal...specifically R-realistic!
An unreasonable goal to me is a goal that forgot to add the R-realistic. I believe any goal that isn't realistic is going to be too much of an uphill climb for the person that they are not going to be able to accomplish it. Once the are hit with the "unrealistic" part it can be very discouraging to a person!
Beth,
and this can be so disconcerting & disheartening to the employees.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I would consider a reasonable goal one that has value, motivation, specific measureble results and team oriented outcomes.
Constantine,
this is an excellent description of a good goal for us to follow.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Interesting point of view. In my classroom we start off by setting SMART Goals for the class. If the goals are too lofty, students get disinterested because they can't read them. If the goals are too easily attained the same result - disinterest. I have to step in an motivate both ends of the scale, so that they remember why they have set goals in the first place.
Hey Ryan here's my take. A reasonable goal is one that makes you feel good when you have achieved it. Confident and a sense of achievement motivates you to set future goals. The antithesis is an unreasonable goal that you can never really achieve. It's like wanted to loose 20 pounds in a week. You set yourself up for failure.
I think this is challenging especially if your team is very diverse. They come from different backgrounds and have different ideas about success. It is quite a challenge to get the individuals to buy into the unit goals. I think defining the terms of the goals is helpful. What do you think?
Maureen,
and by helping the students learn how to set SMART goals you really are helping them with their future careers.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I wish I had set some SMART Goals when I was just starting out. The measurable part is extremely important. If you can't measure then how do you know you have gotten anywhere.
Thanks for the course. I enjoyed it and got some pointers to share with my classes.
Maureen Neuringer
My perception of a reasonable goal is a goal that is going to help you maybe step out of your comfort zone, but is something that will help you grow in your business & make you better in the long run. As for an unreasonable goal, I would see that as a goal that is just set up very broad with no specifics on how to accomplish the goal. You can't very well acheive a goal if you have no guidelines or even know where to start.
A reasonable goal is something you can actually visualize yourself doing if the goal is far from reach one may loose interest in achieving it.
the unreasonable goal is could be a goal entail a deadline that could never be reached, lets say I want to build a house from top to bottom in one day. no matter how many people you have to work on it, the drying time for the foundation will never allow you to build.
Two answers.
A reasonable goal is one that conforms to the SMART template, taking into account both the motivation and perseverance of the goal seeker.
Or/And
A "reasonable" goal is the harbor of a timid soul. We've walked on the moon, plumped the depths of the oceans, and we create technology that WAS science fiction only a generation ago. Bold audacious goals move men and make nations. A man's "reasonable" goal binds him to his own limitations and perceptions. He inches forward in the comfort of the path plowed by the unreasonable visionary.
A motto--a big enough WHY can overcome any HOW.
What is a "reasonable" goal? One that lacks bite. :)
I worked in the sales industry before and some of their goals were unreasonable. I was a jewelry specialist. When the economy was on the downfall, we still had what I thought was "unreasonable goals". When the economy is suffering, people are not buying "wants" only what they need so I thought it was unfair that the goals of the dept. wasn't adjusted. We were having "jewelry events" what seemed liked every other month and we couln't meet the goals. I feel that the goals should have been adjusted. To have a goal of $1 million dollars for the holiday season was a bit unreal when the economy was going through a recession. But we were still held accountable for not making the goal. I think management should have stepped in and reevaluated their original goal and made adjustments. I'm sure they looked at their competitor's sales and saw that they were declining too. I talked with the Jewelry Manager about it and voiced my concerns but at the end of the day, I was only a sales associate.
Reasonable goals are goals obtained with measured results ,specified details, achievible and realistic timelines. The problems have to be identified and address then assigned to trained personnel to take on the task at hand. All solutions must be geared to company guidelines.The people or team using these goals must use the Smart method to define and focus on short term and long term goals. By setting reasonable goals and using proper research solutions to problems can be obtain.
I think a reasonable goal is something that is thought out and something that can be achieved. I think an unreasonable goal is something that someone just comes up with off the top of their head with no direction or plan.
My perception of a reasonable goal is one that follows SMART criteria – specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. First, you need to ask, what it is that needs to be accomplished, is the goal realistic and attainable, how might the goal be reached and in what timeline, and finally, how will I reward myself when I obtain/reach the specific goal?
A simple example is that of weight loss: it is reasonable and possible to lose 50 pounds in 6 months by following the SMART criteria, by expressing yourself in a positive manner, setting priorities and goals within your control along with being flexible at different milestones. An unreasonable goal would to simply say, I am going to lose weight without having some type of measures in place.
