Who is rowing your boat?

Feel like you're stuck in a work rut? Want to turn that long-term vision into an attainable goal? Do you need a kick-start? Lorna Muir explains how using SMART goal setting techniques can help you get motivated, maintain your momentum and reach your full potential.

"Satisfaction does not create motivation. Next to physical survival, the greatest need of a human being is psychological survival – to be understood and to be appreciated." Steven R Covey.

Everyone wants to achieve something in their life, to do something to the best of their ability – a worthwhile task. But how exactly do you motivate yourself to reach your full potential?

The word motivation comes from Latin meaning "movement". Motivation is the inner drive that impels you to make the changes required to reach both personal and professional goals. Motivation cannot be given to you, it comes from inside.

It is difficult to pin down exactly what makes us want to change – it could be any number of things. Different people are motivated by different things, and often by more than one thing at a time.

Whatever your motivator is, it will start with a feeling of discomfort, dissatisfaction with the way things are, a want to change for the better. But change is scary.

It is comfortable staying with the familiar, if we stay with the familiar, things will never change. Thoughts like these will perhaps make you feel slightly unsettled but they are a sign that you are starting the transitional process of change. You are entering the discomfort zone – where anything is possible.

The first small step
When the time comes for a new challenge, try and find someone who has already achieved the same goal. There are very few things that someone else hasn’t done already. You can learn from both their success and failure. A mentor will be able to give you the benefit of their experience.

Goal Vs Vision
To reach a goal we must set targets, make changes and take positive action. A long-term goal can seem overwhelming and beyond reach. Set a reasonable goal, even if this means breaking the goal down into smaller, easily attainable sections. You must learn to distinguish between a vision and a goal:

Good broad vision but poor goal

• Broaden my work experience

Good specific goal

• Meet with my line manager to identify new areas of work/responsibility I can assume. Check whether these new areas contribute to meeting additional competences in the STR (Student Training Record). Agree a plan to achieve this. Review after three months, in preparation for annual/six monthly performance review.

One of your motivators may be to see your company perform well and be recognised for the contribution you have made to its performance. If this is the case, your individual goals should be linked to a wider organisational objective. Although the organisational objective is too wide to be attained by you alone it can be broken down into team goals and then individual steps.

A number of accountancy firms set students the following vision and goal.

Good broad vision but poor goal
To increase fee income by 30%

Good specific goal
As part of your day-to-day client work identify five client service opportunities that may lead to the award of extra work for the firm. This will increase your understanding of the client’s business, increase the type of support we give to the client and raise your profile to both the client and the firm.

Smart goal setting
When creating a goal consider the following points:
Specific – Knowing what you want to achieve eases the change process. A very precise goal is much simpler to attain than a half-hearted idea.
Measurable – progress evaluation is essential to success. Not only does this show how you are getting along, it also helps to maintain motivation.
Attractive – the goal must be something that is really worth achieving, something which you yearn for.
Realistic – be aware of your capabilities, can you realistically achieve your goal. Have a chat with someone you respect and ask for his or her opinion.
Time-framed – Choose a suitable time-scale for achieving the goal. A short time-scale will lead to stress and ultimately a rush job. A goal with a time-scale which is too long can seem unattainable and lead to despondency.

Let’s take a look at some SMART goals in relation to your STR:

Goal
To take charge of three audit assignments in the next six months and to prepare for Partner review.

How
Focus on audit planning, supervision and the review of juniors’ work, reporting on systems and financial weaknesses and preparing a completion memorandum for the Partner. Be involved in the final audit meeting with each client.

Is the objective 'SMART'?
S You have identified specific areas of development. These can be linked into individual elements of competence on the STR2 ‘Summary of Competences’. For example, audit planning (24K), supervision of juniors (26), reporting on systems (25K), reporting on the audit and financial weaknesses (30), review of juniors work (29), preparing a completion memorandum (31K) and to be involved in the final audit meeting (30M, 59M and 60M).
M Your objective is measurable. You know that you need to meet the above areas for the next three audits to achieve these elements of competence. Of course, you evaluate your objectives after each assignment.
A There are some attractive parts to this goal. For example, being involved in new work and supervising juniors. By preparing reports and attending the final audit meeting you can really see your hard work paying off.
R The goal is realistic as you have been working up to these objectives. You already have plenty of audit experience and this is the next natural step.
T Your goal will be reassessed at your next STR review. That may be between 6 - 12 months. Of course, you will be provided with feedback after each individual assignment.

Keeping the momentum
Maintaining your motivation is easy when you can see how far you have come. Actions speak louder than words – look at your SMART goals and see how they have helped you get to the stage you are at. By measuring your success you can see what you have achieved and boost your motivation to keep on going.

"He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance. One cannot fly into flying" Friedrich Nietzsche, German Philosopher.

Getting back on the horse
Change is difficult and when faced with discomfort we endure conflicting emotions. We have all experienced this, even if it is something as simple as a New Year’s resolution. We set a goal and work towards it, and for a while it works. Then without even noticing we slip back into our old ways. This is a perfectly normal part of change. It is not a lack of motivation or ability to set and reach goals. It is just that many of us have no idea how to set realistic goals. Take time out to re-evaluate your situation.

• Talk with your mentor – perhaps s/he can offer some advice?
• What is stopping you from achieving your goal / do you fear failure?
• What have you achieved so far?

To be successful and reach your goals requires an ability to stay focused, even when the goal seems to be out of reach. This is why it is imperative to set SMART goals, reviewing and adjusting them as need be.

There’s an old saying that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It’s often the thousand miles we see and not the individual steps towards the goal. Make the most of the journey to your goal, see it as a milestone in your life. No one said studying for the ACCA qualification would be easy, that’s what makes it worth achieving. It is in the journey you will learn most and find that ultimately, the journey itself makes setting the goals worthwhile. Face your challenge, feel the fear, and do it anyway.

References and further reading

1. Anthony M Grant and Jane Greene, Coach Yourself, Pearson Education Ltd.
2. John Ball, "Managing people – part 2", Students' Newsletter, February 1999.
3. Mark Lee Inman, "Motivational theory in small business strategy", Students' Newsletter, December 1999.
4. John Ball, "The importance of teams, leadership and communication", Students' Newsletter, December 2000.
5. Sean Purcell, "Let’s get motivated", student accountant, February 2001.
6. John Ball, "Rewards and appraisals", student accountant, September 2001.
7. David Burton, "Leadership: 20 questions to keep your business on a roll", accounting&business, January 2001.
8. Catherine Chetwynd, "Keeping your staff in the mood", accounting&business, May 2001.