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Goal Setting

posted Jan 27, 2010 10:45 PM by Brian Rollins   [ updated Feb 7, 2010 1:37 PM by USCG Aux Flotilla73 ]
Fellow Guardians:
I want to take a moment to talk about setting specific goals as it applies to our flotilla and its members.  Each of us should have goals to help us grow as individuals and as a team. 
How do I set a good specific goal?
For starters, you will be most successful if your goals involve something you are passionate about.  Most of us are passionate about boating and being on the water, but there may be other reasons you joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary. 
Start by asking yourself “What brought me to this organization?  What did I want to do?”  Then evaluate where you are now.  For instance, if you joined to Coast Guard to give back to your community by improving boating safety on our waterways, then how far have you come toward realizing your initial desire? 
Next ask yourself where you want to be and begin setting your goals at that point.

Good goals follow the S.M.A.R.T. methodology.  SMART is an acronym used to help set good goals.

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time bound

For example a general goal might be “to do more VSCs”. 
Following the SMART methodology, the goal becomes:
“I’m going to do 100 vessel inspections before September 1st by working 1 Saturday a month at Willamette Park.”

SMART:
 Specific I ask myself how I’m going to achieve this goal.  Consider the obstacles, challenges and methods necessary to succeed.
 Measureable You need to establish the specific criteria you’ll use to measure success.  It can be helpful to set mileposts where you’ll measure the progress made toward your goal.  This will both help keep you on track and should give you a positive feeling of success as you get closer to your goal
 Attainable How will you attain your goal?  It isn’t sufficient just to say what you want to do. Rather, you need to have a plan so you’ll succeed.  This step is where you carefully construct your plan for success.
 Realistic To be successful, your goals need to be something you can achieve. Conversely, your goals should not be set too low so that you aren’t challenged.   Setting a goal that is too high or that your plan does not allow you to achieve only sets yourself up for failure.  The best approach is to select a specific goal that is a stretch, but can be achieved given the plan you have made.
 Time Bound Good goals are bound within a certain time frame. In the Coast Guard Auxiliary, we typically try to achieve our goals by September.  However, some goals may take longer to achieve than others.  Regardless, your goals should include a specific timeframe within which you plan to achieve them.
In closing, I encourage all of us to consider where we are today and where we want to be a year from now.  Set SMART goals for yourself and ensure you have a plan to succeed.  Let our Flotilla staff be a resource for you and let us know what we can do to help.

As Flotilla Commander, I have a vested interest in seeing each of our members succeed and I want to do everything I can to help.

Brian Rollins
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
Commander, FL-73