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Student Organization Manual
Organization Basics

Goal Setting

The key to Success and Motivation

"If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there." - Alice in Wonderland

An organization without goals is like the character in Alice in Wonderland, it has no direction to get it from where it is to where it wants to be. The members in a group without well-defined goals often have little commitment to the organization, because they see nothing to which to be committed. They usually work towards the accomplishment of personal goals that may not further the tasks that the groups need to accomplish. Goals get people involved, motivate them to work on tasks, and give them a sense of accomplishment when they are fulfilled.

How to Set Goals
People support what they help to create, so everyone in the organization should be involved in setting the goals for the group. In large groups, it may be more effective to have a small group begin to formulate the goals, but ultimately all members should discuss the goals and agree upon them.

Goals should reflect the purpose of the group and address problems or help the organization to move towards something it wants to be. Because of this, there is some homework that needs to be done before you begin to actually set goals. All of your members need a basic understanding of the organization with which they work. They must understand the nature, functions, and potential of the group. Time should be spent identifying problem areas and exploring what the organization can become.

Once you feel that the members have a good feel for what their organization is about you can set goals. Goals are desired state of affairs which the organization attempts to realize. Organizations should have a few very broad goals that they work on from year to year. Each year the group should develop specific ways and objectives, to fulfill that goal. Objectives are outgrowths of goals. They are concrete statements of what you wish to accomplish at a particular time in the future.

Once the goals and objectives are established, their accomplishment should be delegated to specific people. There should be periodic checks to evaluate progress and to determine if certain objectives need to be redesigned.

When an objective is accomplished, it should be acknowledged and those who worked on it should be recognized. It will make everyone want to take on the next task.