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The ‘dream it do it’ mantra has helped many of us stay on track to achieve our targets. But many a time it can fail to motivate or push us to take charge.
This may be because we set targets that aren’t achievable or are unreasonable. In a professional setting, to achieve target goals you need to plan ahead and strategize. The best way to do this is to work with your team members. Individual goals must align with organizational goals for successful implementation.
You can learn to set the right targets. Whether you prefer to write them down, create a spreadsheet or a vision board, the first thing to do is make your targets achievable. If you have the determination, you can easily accomplish what you set your mind to.
Read on to discover the meaning of achievable targets and how to set them.
What Are Achievable Targets?
Many of us wanted to be wizards and witches when we read Harry Potter. But much to our disappointment, we soon found that it’s impossible—almost. This isn’t an achievable target. An achievable target is to get in the university of your dreams, get a job or get promoted.
Anything you can work toward and accomplish is an achievable target. It also depends on the types of targets you want to achieve, whether they’re personal or professional. If you want to learn how to be more technically sound, your aim should be to study further. You can easily achieve target goals by making an effort in the right direction. Sometimes you may even need an additional nudge, but once that’s done there’s nothing standing in your way.
What you need to achieve target goals is:
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A clearly defined path to understand where you’re headed and why
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A backup plan or contingency plan to account for setbacks and failures
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A mindset that’s focused on setting and achieving goals
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A determination to pursue your goals even if there are challenges along the way
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A group of people who’ll support you in your endeavors
If you have a target to achieve, you need only work at it. Your target may be to get a promotion or a raise. For this, you have to highlight your strengths and achievements during the performance appraisal meeting. With every target you set yourself, you have to put in the work. If you’re focused on the end goal, celebrating small victories along the way, you’ll surely achieve your target.
How To Achieve Targets
Most of us want to achieve our personal and professional targets within a set time. Some of us want it today without really working for it. There’s a method to set and achieve your targets for optimum results.
Here’s how to achieve targets at work:
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Clearly Define Your Goals
Your workplace goals must be defined right from the start with your entire team. If even one person on your team is out of the loop, it may result in a complete breakdown of the system. Targets need to be set and measured at each stage to make sure nothing is missed. Once you have a vision in place, you can start moving toward your destination. At every checkpoint, you can assess whether you’ve been successful. If not, you can try to improve and if yes, make sure to celebrate each win—big or small.
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Communicate Your Expectations
In a team, you have to communicate what you want and how you expect it to be achieved to everyone. Individual efforts combine to achieve organizational targets. You can’t expect to work on something solo and expect to accomplish collective goals. Work with your colleagues to set the right pace for a project or task. This will inform everyone of what needs to be done, the timeline and the end goal. It’s an efficient way to work as a team, build trust and complete tasks in a timely fashion.
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See The Forest And The Trees
More often than not, we either get too lost in the details to see the big picture or too focused on the big picture and take in the details. The most effective way to achieve your target is to see the forest as well as the trees. Always be mindful of the details while thinking of your ultimate goal. In case there are any discrepancies, you’ll be able to pick them out as and when they arise because you’ll be keeping a record of everything.
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Hold Status Meetings
Regular meetings to share updates or news is a great way to get everyone on the same page. When you have a target to achieve, it’s important to keep tabs on what everyone’s doing, how far they’ve come and if there are any errors that need to be addressed. Some members may have doubts about a brief or setbacks that need immediate attention. Weekly meetings help everyone get together, share information and exchange data, if relevant.
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Track, Monitor And Improve
Setting your goals and targets is effective if you’re maintaining a record of everything that’s being said and done. Monitoring your progress and measuring your successes against set predefined metrics will help you make improvements, solve problems and keep going. The more efficiently you track your progress, the more likely you are to achieve your targets.
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Involve More Perspectives
Goal-setting in a professional context can’t come from one person alone. For organizational targets, you need to involve as many people as the decision will affect. Key stakeholders comprise employees, clients and customers. The more perspectives you take into account, the more creative your ideas are likely to be. You must keep aside your limiting beliefs, or the things that hold you back, and seek the company and comfort of working with others.
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Do A Trend Analysis
It’s easier to study past trends, assess what worked and what didn’t and then form a plan for the future. A trend analysis will help you improve on past performance. You may even find better ways to do routine tasks. Targets that are based on facts and data are much more sound than those based solely on speculation. It’s a well-planned mix of concrete evidence and sound assumptions that get you closer to your target.
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Establish A Feedback Channel
Two-way feedback in a team is a helpful tool to address any conflicts or concerns among members. It may be that one of your teammates is unhappy about their workload. This can hamper your progress toward achieving your target. Talk to your coworkers and listen to what they have to say if you want to overcome communication barriers. This will help you build rapport, navigate conflicts and work well with others.
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Keep Your Career Path In Mind
Even if your targets are to achieve quarterly sales, you should keep in mind that everything contributes toward your career goals. If you want that promotion, you have to meet your targets, perform well and communicate your expectations. Each aspect of your professional life plays a role in getting you a step closer to your career goals. You should have a clear picture in mind of what you want to do.
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Seek Mentorship And Guidance
If you can find a mentor at work who’ll support you in your endeavors, you can overcome any challenges. A person to guide and motivate you can help you stick to your goals even when things get difficult. There may be bumps in the road, but if there’s someone who can help you move past them, you’ll find it much easier to navigate your professional life. A mentor can be anyone at work including your manager or team head. Anyone you admire or look up to, and have something to learn from, can be your mentor or guide.
If you wonder how to achieve your target, you must first have a vision in mind. At work, it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture if you’re too focused on your daily tasks. Yes, you absolutely have to complete each and every task on time. But this doesn’t mean you have to put aside your long-term goals. Focus your efforts on both short and long-term targets for a well-rounded approach to goal-setting.
Learn To Lead Yourself With Harappa
To lead others, achieve your targets and accomplish your goals, you have to learn how to lead yourself. Harappa’s Leading Self course will teach you how to be the best version of yourself with perseverance and practice. Step outside your comfort zone and go after your vision for the future.
Our course comprises key concepts and frameworks such as the Ladder of Learning and the Iceberg Model to teach you how to overcome limiting beliefs, learn from your mistakes and realize your full potential.
Explore Harappa Diaries to learn more about topics related to the LEAD Habit such as The Need for Life Skills, Why is Self-Motivation Important, Patience Vs. Self-Control & The Factors Influencing Self-Esteem to become the best version of yourself.
