selfesteem2go).
Having a challenge is important. Employees need to set goals that they think are a little out of their reach and possibly out of their comfort zone. By stretching a little further than normal, employees will feel more victorious when their goal is reached. However, these goals still need to be attainable. Employees do not want to set their goals so high that they would be impossible to reach as this sets them up for failure. Once someone fails, he or she may loose the confidence to reach for the next goal (www.selfesteem2go).
Commitment is also important. When a person starts working toward his or her goals, he or she should give it 100 percent. If the person does not put his or her whole heart into it, success may be less likely. Employees should take an active interest in not only achieving their goals but also making sure their efforts are rewarded if need be. Following through with their goals adds closure to the end and allows them to move on to their next goal with no loose ends deal with later (www.selfesteem2go).
Feedback is necessary to goal setting. If the management team or other co-workers do not provide feedback, an employee may be unclear of where he or she stands when it comes to the progress of the goal. With long-range goals, feedback allows the employee to handle one piece of the pie at a time. This helps make the goal seem more attainable (www.selfesteem2go).
The final principle is task complexity. A realistic time line needs to be established for the task, taking the difficulty of the task and amount of time needed to complete it into account. Working at a steady pace is recommended, and the timeline should allow each milestone to be met without failure around every corner. Managers should make sure employees can be proud of their progress and celebrate the little victories. These little victories will lead them to their biggest victory of all, achieving their goal (www.