The Theory of Goal SettingA basic theory of goal setting assumes that behavior will result from consciously creating goals and intentions. A goal represents something that you want to attain, achieve or accomplish, and your intention is your idea of how to achieve that goal. There are four tenets that are essential to understanding goal setting theory. Goals Determine EffortThe first tenet of the theory of goal setting is that goals will determine your effort. This basically means that you always have a reason (goal) for doing something, otherwise you wouldn't expend the effort to act. Goals in this general sense are your reasons for acting. By setting goals, you give yourself a purpose to work towards, a reason to take action.Difficult Goals Lead to Higher PerformanceA second tenet relating to the first idea is that the higher or more difficult your goal, the higher your level of performance. This basically means that setting easy goals will result in a small amount of effort, whereas creating difficult goals will usually result in higher levels of effort.There is an important caveat to this- in setting the more difficult goal, you need to believe that you can actually accomplish it, otherwise it won't result in increased performance. If you don't think you can achieve your goal, you probably won't really even try. Set difficult goals that will stretch your ability, but ones that you believe you can attain; this will lead to more effort and higher performance. Specific Goals are BetterThe third tenet of this theory of goal setting is that specific goals will result in higher levels of performance than vague goals. Setting a very specific goal will give you a definite target to reach, and help you to take action to achieve your target. If you were to set a vague goal like making more money, how would you know if your goal was achieved? How would a vague goal like that motivate you to take action?Instead, setting a goal to increase your monthly income by 5% is very specific, you would know when you achieved it, and it would give you an exact target to work towards. Specific goals lead to higher focus and better performance. Incentives Must Result in GoalsThe last idea in this goal setting theory is that incentives like money, feedback, recognition. will not be effective unless they result in the setting of specific, hard goals. If a reward like money is not tied to your specific goal, then it will not have any effect on your level of effort to achieve the goal. But if you have to set a specific goal in order to get the reward, then the reward will have an effect on your performance.Understanding this theory of goal setting will help you to set better goals and increase your overall performance as you work towards your desired outcomes. Setting better goals will help to develop and increase your levels of self motivation. Return from A Theory of Goal Setting to Personal Goal Setting Return from A Theory of Goal Setting to Self Motivation Strategies
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