Group Goals

In order to achieve success, goals must be set first. Goals are the building blocks on which accomplishments are derived from. There is definitely a difference between good and bad goals. According to Jeff Toister, good goals are goals that you are intrinsically motivated to achieve, that are focused on the end point rather than the minute details, and encourage team harmony, (Toister).

Whether you are working alone or in a group, you must set your goals before you start your project. When setting goals with a group there is a slightly different process that needs to be taken, but many of the steps are the same as if you were setting goals as an individual. According to both Emily Graham and Sarah Pavey, the goals that groups should strive for should be both realistic and specific. If the group sets goals that are too lofty and the goals cannot be executed in the time allotted, it would be foolish to set those goals at all. The group should work together to reach a set of goals that are fitting to the acronym SMART- S-specific, M-measurable, A-attainable, R-relevant, T-time bound (Pavey). If the group plans their goals with these things in mind, their goal will automatically be feasible. Another thing that both authors recommended in setting goals was to write them down on a piece of paper. In doing so, each member is reminded of what their goals are and what they need to do in order to achieve them (Graham). Our group followed all of these steps when we set our goals. We all spoke about goals for our group throughout the semester and decided upon which goals would work best with our group. As our group will only be together for one semester, we did take time into account with our goals.

Our goals revolved around the classroom and our grades. We all agreed that we wanted to do well in class, be prepared, learn as much as possible, and work together as a group. When looking back on our goals and seeing if they align with the acronym SMART, it is clear that our goals are solid. They are good goals because we made them specific and feasible. We didn’t set any goals that were too far fetched and we think that we can adhere to these goals for the rest of the semester.

Group Goals:

• Doing well in the class.
• Getting along well as a group.
• Staying on top of our work and being prepared.
• Getting the most out of our projects and learning as much as we can.

Graham, E. (n.d.). Set and Reach Group Goals - PTO Today. Retrieved September 14, 2015, from http://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/313-set-and-reach-group-goals

Pavey, S. (n.d.). Golden Rules of Goal Setting: Five Rules to Set Yourself Up for Success. Retrieved September 14, 2015, from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_90.htm

Toister, J. (n.d.). Good goals vs. Bad Goals. Retrieved September 14, 2015, from http://www.toistersolutions.com/blog/2012/2/8/good-goals-vs-bad-goals.html