I want to earn 2 million this year." "I want to be promoted by the end of the year." "I want to lose 10 kilos.
All beautiful, measurable, time-bound goals. Textbook SMART criteria met. And yet most of us fail to keep these resolutions. Why?
Because SMART goals address how formulate the goal - no if That is the right goal.
The problem with goals we did not choose for ourselves
Most of the goals people set are not their own. They are goals that:
- the surroundings consider a success (more money, prestige, career advancement)
- we have internalised this from family or education
- look good on LinkedIn
- we have imposed this on ourselves out of guilt or comparison with others
A goal that is not yours will never motivate you sufficiently. It will barely survive the first obstacle. The second one it will not survive at all.
I wanted to become CEO because that was supposed to be the path. After three coaching sessions, I realised I want to be an excellent technical leader, and that is a completely different route.": client, VP Engineering
Surface target versus actual target
Surface target
I want to earn 200 000 Kč a month.
I want to be a CEO.
I want to have more free time.
The real objective behind this
I want financial freedom so I don't have to worry about my family.
I want to have an influence on the company's product and culture.
I want to stop feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.
Coaching helps move from a superficial goal to what truly lies behind it. Only then can meaningful goals be formulated.
The "Five Whys" technique in practice
This is an adaptation of industrial engineering technology, but it works brilliantly for personal use too. Try it yourself:
Goal: I want a promotion.
- Why? Because I want more money.
- Why? Because I need to pay off my mortgage without stress.
- Why? Because financial stress is affecting my relationship with my partner.
- Why? Because I want comfort at home and to be present.
- Why? Because I care about being a good partner and father.
Suddenly you see that the real goal is not promotion - but financial stability that allows you to be present at home. And that is a goal which may be reached by paths other than promotion.
Five questions to help you find the right goal
Try to answer honestly:
- If I knew I could not fail: what would I want to achieve in a year?
- What would I like to remember with pride in 10 years?
- What would I miss out on if I never tried it?
- What do I do even when not paid for it: what do I enjoy doing for its own sake?
- If I could live any type of professional life, what would it look like?
Why setting goals requires a guide
The problem with setting goals independently is that thinking tends to be linear. You end up going in circles you created yourself, always returning to the same answers.
A coach asks questions from a different angle. They reveal blind spots. They name patterns you cannot see yourself. And they help you distinguish what you truly want from what you think you want.
What a well-formulated goal looks like in coaching
At the end of the first or second session, we usually formulate a coaching goal. A good goal meets these criteria:
- Is your - not what the boss or family wants
- It is specific - do you know how to tell when you have reached it?
- It is realistically ambitious - slightly outside the comfort zone, but not unrealistic
- It is positively formulated. - "I want X" instead of "I don't want Y
- It aligns with your values. - does not address what is truly important to you
Do you know your true objective?
This is exactly where coaching begins. A free 30-minute consultation.
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