Today we’re finishing up a 3-part series about setting goals for our ministries in 2014. If you haven’t been following along, be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2 first.
So, you’ve been sitting with your list of goals for 2014 for the last 24 hours. A couple of things I want to point out:
- In this series of posts, we haven’t mentioned anything about “measurable” or “clear” goals, and we haven’t used a strict format to write our goals. These are great terms and ideas but, to be honest, I don’t bother with them. If you like that stuff, or your boss does, then go with it. But otherwise, don’t worry.
- Your goals are written on paper, not stone. The goals you’ve come up with are there to guide you, not control you. You are probably more excited about some of your goals than others. That’s ok. But be aware of it – think about it every week when looking at your weekly goals. And remember that many of your goals will depend on other people or resources beyond your control, so don’t beat yourself up over circumstances not under your power. You can edit, add, improvise, even delete, the goals on your list. (Just don’t do so without being aware that you have done it.)
So what do we do with our goals now? It’s simple, really.
GO PUBLIC!
Let everybody involved with these goals know that these are your priorities for the year. You should definitely let your boss know. Chances are, your boss can help you with resources down the road. Your goals for the year should be in the back of your boss’ mind as well as yours. When it comes time to ask for resources, they’ll know it’s coming.
Remember, like we talked about in Part 1, your annual goals should also be at the bottom of every weekly report that you do. They will be the basis upon which you form your 90-day goals, and from those, your weekly goals.
Because your short-term goals should reflect the long term ones.
The good news is that you’ve done the hard part… the rest of this is cake!