Effective development action-planning is goal-driven and those goals need to be well-articulated. To help you articulate your goals, take a moment to review Locke and Latham's (1990) 5 principles of goal setting:


  • CLARITY: Goals should be clear and specific , covering for example, what will be done, how it will be done and when it will be done.  

  • CHALLENGE: Goals should be challenging enough to stretch and motivate you . If goals feel intimidating they may be too challenging. If this is the case, the goal setter should consider why the goal feels so intimidating and should change it.  

  • COMMITMENT: The goal setter should feel committed to the goal . If commitment is not felt the goal setter should consider why and should change the goal to something they feel more committed to.  

  • FEEDBACK: Progress towards goals should be systematically reviewed by the goal setter or others . When progress is not made as expected the goal setter should consider why and should change the goal, if necessary. A well-written goal might include how and when progress will be reviewed.  

  • TASK COMPLEXITY: Goals should take into account the complexity of the actions required to achieve them. This relates particularly to the time and resources available to the goal setter. If the goal setter feels there is insufficient time or resources they should change the goal (and/or the time and resources available).  

Example

Skill to develop 

Goal 
 

Advanced Presentation skills (Part of the Communication and Collaboration Future-Facing Competency)

  

By November I aim to video myself five times giving a 10 minute presentation on mountain biking. For each presentation I will get feedback and ‘marks out of ten’ from Sameer and Leila. After each video I will review my progress.  

Over to you...

Skill to develop Goal
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Last modified: Tuesday, 1 December 2020, 5:41 PM