by Aubrey Nehring

Setting goals.  Is it really necessary?

Yes or No?

Let’s start with “No”—if you are satisfied with the current results you are getting in your work environment or in your personal life, then maybe setting new goals is not for you.   Many management consultants have said this in different ways but I particularly like this quote of Fred Zamberietti, an award winning athletic trainer for the Vikings, who said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing year after year and expecting different results.”   Often in work or in life we keep hoping for better or different outcomes but we don’t change what we are doing or what we want to accomplish.  Then we wonder why things don’t seem to change or significantly improve.

In my experience, I find the answer is “Yes!”  Setting goals is the key to getting us out of our current rut and into to thinking differently about what we are doing and where we are going.   So if you desire different results you need to begin thinking about setting goals in a different way.  I suspect all of you have been through many leadership development sessions on “strategic planning” and have set goals for years and likely accomplished most of them.  Certainly strategic planning is crucial but I have found that so often strategic planning ends up with similar goals year after year because we don’t think big enough.   Setting goals that make a true difference will require a bit of stretching on your part.   Therefore, if you are ready to move to the next level, stay tuned to the BRI blog over the coming weeks.  I have a few personal experiences I’d like to share with my fellow “Front Porch” folks!

Until next time,
Aubrey Nehring