In Chapter 1 of the text, goal setting is discussed. Select a personal or professional goal (e.g. lose weight, complete a course of study, find a new job, etc.) you want to achieve in the next 12 months. Address each part of the SMART technique -- specific, measurable, aggressive, realistic, and time-bound- providing relevant details about the goal for each component of the goal-setting process.

Be sure that your Learning Journal entry is a minimum of 500 words.

Chapter 1 Introduction to Principles of Management Measurable When goals are specific, performance tends to be higher.M. E. Tubbs, "Goal setting: A Meta-analytic Examination of the Empirical Evidence," Journal of Applied Psychology 71 (1986): 474-83. Why? If goals are not specific and measurable, how would you know whether you have reached the goal? Any performance level becomes acceptable. For the same reason, telling someone, "Do your best" is not an effective goal because it is not measurable and does not give the person a specific target. Aggressive This may sound counterintuitive, but effective goals are difficult, not easy. Aggressive goals are also called stretch goals. Why are effective goals aggressive? Easy goals do not provide a challenge. When goals are aggressive and when they require people to work harder or smarter, performance tends to be dramatically higher. Realistic While goals should be difficult, they should also be based in reality. In other words, if a goal is viewed as impossible to reach, it does not have any motivational value. Only you can decide which goal is realistic and which is impossible to achieve; just be sure that the goal you set, while it is aggressive, remains grounded in reality. Timely The goal should contain a statement regarding when the proposed performance level will be reached. This way, it provides the person with a sense of urgency. Apply and Practice Your knowledge of the subject, plus your SMART goals, give you an opportunity to apply and test your knowledge. Going back to our road-trip analogy, gauging gives you a starting point, learning gives you a road map and compass, and goals give you a target destination. Practice, in turn, simply means some repetition of the application process. Your objective here should be to apply and practice a subject long enough that, when you gauge it again, you are likely to see some change or progress. 1.7 Your Principles of Management Survivor's Guide 60