"If I don't get more money, I'm going to quit this stupid job."
That's how a client described one of her important goals to me.
When I asked her if this was a new goal, she replied, "No. I
always say that, but I never get the raise I want. It's not
fair."
Fuzzy Goals Lead to Fuzzy Results
Client's often set goals such as, "get more money," "get a
promotion," or "get a better job." But such statements have
little power because they contain no clear criteria for success.
Unless goals are clear and compelling, they will not motivate or
guide you to work on or achieve the result you want. To make
goal-setting work for you, you must craft clear visions of the
results you want.
Goals such as, "A salary increase of 15% by the end of this
year," "Work as a sales rep in Hong Kong for a 2 years, starting
in 2007," or "Regional sales manager by end of the year, specify
measurable criteria for success.
Not only do such visions tell you what you want, they also help
you be clear about where you are starting, which, as you will see
shortly, is critical. Such clarity generates energy, and the
power to actually create results you want.
Comparisons Lack Power
A major goal-setting mistake many people make is framing goals in
comparison to something else. When you use comparatives such as
more, less, improved, increased, decreased, etc… to describe
goals, they lack clarity and power.
For example, if your goal is to be thinner, that is a good start.
But to make that goal work for you, you must specify how much you
want to weight. If you want an increase in your wage or salary,
clearly state how much, by when.
The client whose goal was, "More money," directed a corporate
fitness club.
When I chatted with her, I asked her what "more money" meant.
She shrugged her shoulders and replied, "More money!"
"How much more money?" I asked.
"Just more!" she said, getting frustrated with me.
I took a dollar from my pocket and handed it to her. "There,"
I said. "You have achieved your goal. You have more money."
She laughed a little and said, "That is not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?" I asked.
She sat still, looking at her hands for so long, I thought she
might leave. Then she looked up at me and said, "$10,000 more
a year!"
She burst into a big smile, and said, "Wow! I did not know I was
going to say that. But, that is exactly what I want. $10,000
will give me $45,000 a year, and parity with other club
directors."
"So what you really want," I said, "is parity with the other
directors?"
"Yes," she said.
Her vision of a raise became, "A salary of $45,000 per year, tied
to the industry standard."
Ground Vision in Current Reality
As I worked with her to develop an action plan to achieve her
vision, my client told me she was frustrated with her boss
because he kept refusing her requests for a raise. "For no
reason!" she insisted.
I urged her to examine current reality more objectively. When
she did, she noticed a discrepancy between her and the directors
of other clubs.
"They supervise more staff than I do," she said.
"Why is that?" I asked.
"Well," she said, "Most clubs have more members than mine,
between 200 and 400. They need a lot of staff."
"How many members do you have?" I asked.
"Fifty," she said, frowning. "Just me and an assistant run it."
"Does that tell you anything?" I asked.
"Yeah!" she said. "If I want to get a raise, I have to have more
staff. And to get more staff, I have to get more members. Maybe
I should do a membership drive."
Vision + Reality + Action = Results!
I helped her craft a vision of a membership drive that would
bring in 100 new members. Then she took a hard look at her
facility and the services it offered.
To close the gap between her vision and that reality, she
improved the locker rooms, added massage services, and opened an
hour earlier each morning. Over the following year she almost
doubled her membership to 95.
At her performance review, her boss praised her hard work,
recommended she hire another assistant, and offered her a 20%
raise plus a performance bonus. Together, they totaled almost
$10,000. She was ecstatic!
She also told me her boss said if she'd asked for another raise
without showing results, he would have fired her. He was tired
of hearing what he called a "victim story."
To Get What You Deserve, Get Your Goals Working for You
When I last heard, the fitness director was doing great. Her
club had 300 members, and was among the top three in the city.
She received raises and bonuses regularly—without having to ask
for them.
All this from shifting from a fuzzy goal of "more money" to a
clear vision of results, clarifying current reality, and taking
actions to bring that vision into reality.
So, got a raise, a promotion, or a new job you want to get?
Why not do as the fitness director did, and get your goals
working for you?
Clarify exactly what you want, by when. Then honestly assess
where you starting from and what you have to work with. Set out
some clear action steps and take them. Learn from your own
experience. Follow through to finished results. And enjoy the
rewards!
It worked for my client; it can work for you.
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