Yes I know it’s the New Year and you have probably read loads of pieces about setting a goal or new years resolution. In fact Mondays self-improvement post was one all about new years resolutions and I very nearly didn’t write this coaching post on a similar topic.

However, some of the emails I received over the festive period asked specifically for some goal related articles. As coaches we deal a lot with goals, targets or whatever specific language you use to define what you are working towards with your client.

The conversation about what different people associate with the word goal is perhaps a post for a different occasion. For simplicity, in the remainder of this post feel free to substitute the terminology you use yourself and with your clients to define what you are both working towards.

If you have done a specific coaching training then it’s quite possible that you have come across the terminology of SMART goals – even if you haven’t done any training you’ve probably still heard mention of them. While there is debate about the definitive definition of each of the words the mnemonic stands for, as far as I can establish it is a term that has its first documented use in 1981 published in a management journal. (There are earlier accounts of the term being used but there does not appear to be any documentation to support this. If anyone knows of proof of an earlier use than do let me know.)

This (potentially) makes 2011 the 30^th anniversary of the first publication of the term SMART goals. Since then it has become a term that is used outside of management as well as within.

But is SMART all there is to goal setting?  As coaches do you consider anything else?

There have always been extra things that I consider when, as a coach, I am questioning someone around what they want to achieve from our work together. I thought today I would mention two of these. The first is does this person actually genuinely want what they are asking for?

At first glance that may seem like a silly question, why would anyone seek out coaching for something they don’t actually want:

• For some they may be asking for what appears to be the logical next step from where they are.
• Others may be asking for something that they think will give them what they really want (i.e. Extra income will allow them to spend more time with their loved ones and improve those relationships.)
• Then there are those who have “inherited” someone else’s goals for them and haven’t questioned if they actually want them.
• Often individuals may think they have thought “big” but there is still something that would be “even better than that.”

As I see it, one of my roles as a coach is to challenge my clients to think bigger and brighter. So facilitating an awareness and connection with what someone actual wants is an important part of establishing what our potential aim is from working together.

Another aspect that I am conscious of when first establishing with a client what we are working together on is if they are prepared to commit to creating what they are asking for.

This isn’t about judging someone if they are not prepared to commit (and some can be surprised that they are not) but about discovering early on what they think will happen if they do commit.

This normally leads to either the end goal being redefined or some work around a perceived obstacle or how we will work together. For example, sometimes a reluctance to commit can be about being afraid that I, as a coach, will “make” someone take action they would hate doing. (For the record I may invite or challenge but not make someone do something. My work is about supporting someone and making the process easier not bullying them!)

As it is the New Year and the first coaching post of 2011 I invite you to consider as a coach:

What do you want to commit to creating?

Feel free to share your answers below to any of the above questions.