of action. They are impatient to get the job done. They have the tendency to get on with the job before they   adequately   plan   what   they   are   trying   to accomplish.  To  overcome  these  two  problems,  you should  set  time  aside  on  a  regular  basis  for  goal setting.  The  following  checklist  is  useful  in  setting goals: Recognize  goal  setting  as  the  most  important activity  of  leadership. Recognize that, although important, it is never urgent. Set aside specific times for planning activities. Establish  specific,  measurable  goals  in  all areas  of  activity. Involve  others  in  planning  in  a  creative  way. Train all levels of supervision in planning and see that they do it. Place emphasis on goals, not just the methods to  achieve  them. Create  reminder  cards  and  signs,  and  post them  in  prominent  places. Establish long-range as well as short-range goals. Make sure short-range goals are coordinated with  long-range  goals. THREE QUESTIONS OF GOAL SETTING In goal setting, you must answer three questions: Where  do I want to be, Where  a m I now?,  and What must I do to get there?  Let’s  look  at  these questions  in  more  detail. Where Do I Want to Go? To answer this question, you should establish and define  your  goal. Realistic  goals  should  meet  the following conditions: l  Be  specific  and  clearly  defined.  You  should specify the necessary action steps. A vaguely defined goal (such as becoming a better leader, RINC, or ZS) often  results  in  a  person  not  doing  anything  concrete about achieving the goal. It is better to say, “I will become  a  better  leader  by  developing  my  skills  to listen  to  people  better  through  a  course  on  human relations.” l   Be   reasonable   yet   challenging.   Your   goal should test your ability but have at least a 50 percent chance  of  being  attained. Goals  that  cannot  be reached lead to frustration and surrender. A goal that is not challenging enough will fail to lead to growth. This makes it difficult for you to become committed to  its  achievement. l Be written as a statement or result. Writing down  your  goals  requires  you  to  focus  and  clarify what  you  want  to  achieve. Written  goals  help eliminate   impulsive,   unplanned,   or   unorganized activity. l Have a time element or deadline involved. It is important to set a time schedule or deadline for achieving  a  goal. l  Be  measurable  in  terms  of  ongoing  results. When   you   can   measure   how   close   you   are   to achieving  a  goal,  you  have  more  incentive  to  get there. You   need   to   have   specific   criteria   or checkpoints  for  evaluating  accomplishment  of  the goal. Instead of saying,  “I am going to improve my skills,”  say,  “I  will  learn  completely  each  aspect  of market  analysis.  ”   It is not always possible to measure goals, such as “becoming more understanding.” Try to  work  out  rough  measures  for  these  instances. l  Involve  personal  commitment  or  belief.  You must  be  totally  committed  to  reaching  your  goals. True  commitment  goes  beyond  involvement.  Consider the following story: One morning at the breakfast table, a young boy asked his father if he was involved in the war. He replied, “I wasn’t involved, son; I was committed.  There  is  a  big  difference.  It’s  just  like this here breakfast. You take a look at these eggs and you know that a chicken was involved in making this breakfast. Now take a look at the bacon and you can see   that   the   pig   was   totally   committed   to   this breakfast.” Where Am I Now? You need to document and analyze your present activities.  What  are  you  doing  right  now  that  will work in your favor toward reaching your goal? 3-10