Former US vice-president Al Gore has hit out at company bosses and fund managers for damaging the environment by focusing on short-term goals. Speaking at the National Association of Pensions Funds’ annual investment conference in Edinburgh, Gore warned that companies’ obsession with meeting short-term profit targets rather than taking a longer term view, was hampering work to combat climate change.
Goals
Goal-setting ideally involves establishing specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-targeted objectives. Work on the goal-setting theorysuggests that it can serve as an effective tool for making progress by ensuring that participants have a clear awareness of what they must do to achieve or help achieve an objective. On a personal level, the process of setting goals allows people to specify and then work towards their own objectives — most commonly financial or career-based goals. Goal-setting comprises a major component of Personal development.
Short Term Goals
Short-term goals expect accomplishment in a short period of time, such as trying to get a bill paid in the next few days. The definition of a short-term goal need not relate to any specific length of time. In other words, one may achieve (or fail to achieve) a short-term goal in a day, week, month, year, etc Long-term goals are ones that you will achieve over a longer period of time Long-term goals often are our most meaningful and important goals. One problem, however, is that the achievement of these goals is usually far in the future.
As a result, we often have trouble staying focused and maintaining a positive attitude toward reaching these goals. “If one of your long-term goals is to get an electrical engineering degree in five years, you can set up enabling goals for each semester or quarter of college that supports this long-term goal. These goals could include attending classes, participating in professional development and internship opportunities at your school, maintaining a certain grade point average, and staying up-to-date in your readings and assignments.” “the end toward which effort is directed.”
You must be able to measure the outcome of your goals. When you set a goal you must include a time frame for achieving it. You can also specify amounts Don’t be negative. Make sure your goal is something you want rather than something you want to avoid. Keep your goals realistic. Make sure you have the ability and skills necessary to reach your goal Many long term goals will have short term goals that lead to them. Your short term goals will relate to your long term goal.
6 Steps to Creating Achievable Goals:
With every goal you must follow the 6 P’s: Prioritize: You may have several goals. Prioritize them on your list. Positive: Use positive language. “I will …”, “I’ll be…”, “I’ll have…” Precise: Be precise. “I will have supper with my family three nights a week” rather than “I will be home earlier” Performance: Measure your performance. Set time for starting and completing your goal. “May 1 – I will be home at 5:30 three nights this week” Practical: Make your goals practical. Do you have the control to make this work or do you rely on other people to meet your goal? Personal: Is this goal a personal goal or someone else’s desire for you?