T I m e m a n a g e m e n t

Planning for Goal Achievement
Perhaps the most important word related to success of any
kind is clarity. Successful people are very clear about who
they are and what they want, in every area of their lives. In
addition to written goals, successful people have written
plans of action that they follow every day.
Once you have set a larger goal for yourself and your
business, there are four questions that you should ask:
1.
What are the difficulties and obstacles that stand
between you and the achievement of your goal? Why aren’t
you at your goal already? What is holding you back? What
stands in your way? What problems do you have to solve,
what difficulties do you have to overcome, to achieve your
goal in the end?
Of all the problems you need to solve, what are the 20
percent of the problems that account for 80 percent of the
obstacles between you and your goal?
2.
What additional knowledge, skills, or information are
required to achieve your goal or complete your project?
Remember the saying, “Whatever got you to where you are
today is not enough to get you any further.”
Where can you acquire the additional knowledge and
skills that you need to achieve your goal? Can you buy or hire
the knowledge or information? Do you need to develop new
skills in yourself in order to achieve your full potential in
your work? What information is essential to you in making
the right decisions in the process of achieving your goal?
M A K E W R I T T E N P L A N S
27
American Management Association / www.amanet.org

---

As Josh Billings wrote, “It’s not what a man knows that
hurts him; it’s what he knows that isn’t true.”
3.
Who are the people, groups, or organizations whose
help and cooperation you need in order to achieve your goal?
Sometimes, a single person can give you ideas and insights
or open doors for you, helping you to achieve vastly more
than you ever thought possible. It’s the same reason many
businesspeople enter into joint ventures and strategic
alliances with their competitors in order to offer products
and services to each other’s customers that each of them
does not currently offer.
4.
Of all the people who can help you to achieve your goal,
who is the most important person of all? What could you
offer in exchange to gain this person’s help and cooperation
so that you achieve your important goals even faster?
The most important projects in business, and in the
world around us, are completed by people who make
detailed plans of action before they begin. Make written
plans for yourself and your business, and then follow those
plans carefully until they are successful.
28
T I M E M A N A G E M E N T
American Management Association / www.amanet.org

---

Chart Your Projects
S
IX