If you don’t know where you’re going you might wind up somewhere else

In his book, Hey, Wait a Minute, John Madden asks Vince Lombardi about the differences between good and bad coaches. Lombardi answers, “The best coaches know what the end result looks like, whether it’s an offensive play, a defensive play a defensive coverage, or just some idea of the organization. If you don’t know what the end result is supposed to look like you can’t get there.”

In its simplest form, goal setting is a process to get you to a desired end result.  A goal is an image or a picture of the future. It is a statement of faith.  It is a future Ideal toward which you can measure progress.

ITS ABOUT THE FUTURE, DISCIPLE

“I’ve got my faults, but living in the past isn’t one of them.  There ain’t no future in it”-Sparky Anderson, Retired Baseball Manager

Goals will:

  1. Give you sense of direction and purpose
  2. Give you the power to live in the present
  3. Promote enthusiasm and expectation
  4. Help you operate more effectively
  5. Help you evaluate your progress
  6. Force you to plan ahead
  7. Communicate with those you lead
  8. Give people a clear understanding of what is expected
  9. Take the emphasis off of activity and place it on output

Well-written goals are:

  1. Stated in terms of end results
  2. Achievable within a definite time frame
  3. Definite as to what is expected
  4. Practical and realistic
  5. Motivational and inspiring

Poorly written goals are:

  1. Stated in terms of process or activity.  They emphasis doing things
  2. Never fully achievable, 
  3. No specific target dates set
  4. Ambiguous as to what is expected
  5. Theoretical or idealistic
  6. Too brief and indefinite, or too long and complex

How to set goals:

1.  Be dependent on God as you dream, pray and get ideas

2.  Base you goals on the organizational Values, Purpose, and Vision

3.  Make sure your goals are S.M.A.R.T

  1. SIMPLE
  2. MEASURABLE
  3. ATTAINABLE
  4. RELEVANT
  5. TIMELY

Begin with the word “TO ”

  • Add the action verb 
  • State the result
  • What is the time frame?

Examples of some goals:

  • To design and send out a monthly News letter starting September 1st
  • To equip regular attenders with “Go to” outreach training by December 1st
  • To conduct a training seminar for our regional Leaders by November 15th, 
  • To develop a plan for identifying, and placing people in new roles roles by September 1st, 
  • To have a strategic plan in place by November 1st for the first quarter of 2024

“No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself.  Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”  

Matthew 19:26 (TM)

“Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed.  Play it safe and end up holding the bag” 

Luke 19:26 (TM)

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover”-Mark Twain