Do most people have goals?

[PrettyParrot]

At work or in life generally. I was asked to set some goals for myself at work and was honestly flummoxed. I want to do the job I do well, and reliably, and be considered a safe pair of hands. Based on peer feedback, I have achieved these for the most part already.

AIBU for not really having any other goals than to continue doing my job to a good standard?

No, I don't.

On those pointless, time consuming, Annual reviews at work, I'd generally try and think of something I was already doing, or on course to do in the next couple of months anyway, so we could tick the right box at the next review as it having been complete.

In terms of 'life goals' I don't believe in setting myself targets, no.
I believe in enjoying (or at worst 'making the most of') life as it presents to you.

I don’t. We have a thing at work that’s supposed to track progress but most of us ignore it. The managers set goals then all is forgotten for a year. It suits me. If I was ambitious I’d make it work for me to get the opportunities I need, but I just do my best on the small stuff, making sure my customers leave satisfied, and that’s enough for me.

As for life goals I’d like to buy a house one day, learn to drive and buy a camper van for holidays, and maybe visit Hawai’i and see the Northern Lights.

not when i was working/employment related.
as for my home life i do set daily/weekly and seasonal goals.

My goals are to do my job, get paid, pay my bills and have a quiet life with my family.

Not everything needs high ambition. I think these exercises are a bit silly unless you are trying to work your way up the ladder.

It's just a tick box exercise, probably HR related to show they are engaging positively with their emplpyees and aiding them in their careers or something.

I always have multiple goals on the go, in fact today I just set myself a bunch more as I’ve achieved lots of them lately. Eg finish that course, run 20 mins straight (new goal is now 40 mins), take X exam, finish X project in the garden, finish X project at work.

Surely people do the same things, but just don’t think of them as goals.

I also love a 5 year plan and also have 2 & 10 year plans 😁 so far I’ve been a couple years ahead of 5 year plan throughout my life, it keeps me on track and keeps me focussed. It’s not set in stone though as things change but I find it helpful to know where I’m going.

Yes - for me goals are important both at home and at work. It gives you a plan and helps you take stock of how you’re doing. As PP said I think most people have some goals but don’t see them as such.

Work goals are often ridiculous. At my employer they are supposed to be something measurable that you can show was accomplished at the end of the next review period. The problem is that the employee doesn’t really have any control.

so you could list something like upgrade the company widgets to the newest version because that is the current plan. Then a manager could assign the project to someone else or the budget could be pulled and the entire task cancelled. Instead you spend the year doing something else fantastic, but you have to report a failed goal.

whoever designed the review format had no experience actually doing real work.

Now real life goals, of course I have them. They change though. Right now they are things like get dd to university and save for my retirement.

I hate them.

I have a new boss/manager. She is big on goals - weekly, monthly, yearly goals. Always going on about it. I'm sick of it. I'm good at my job, keep the clients happy and have no desire to keep 'striving.' I've told her this, and she turned around and said that she thinks our brains work very differently. I agreed totally with her. I don't think she is very impressed with me tbh...but I don't really care. The way I see it, I'm content/happy with life whereas she is not (she's actually told me she just can't settle with anything in life).

No, insofar as personal goals are concerned. I just bumble my way through life.

As for work goals, these had to be done something about, since management took them seriously, but there was usually a way to "game the system" to reduce the amount of effort involved.

I'm supposed to set myself targets at work but they end up just being stuff I'd do anyway in the course of my job (e.g. "deliver effective training package")

In my life I'm always setting myself little goals and projects. Right now I'm doing couch to 5k. I've got some free online courses on the go which are deliberately irrelevant to my job.

I always have a list of stuff I want to achieve. Saving for a holiday. Sorting out the garden. Repaint the bathroom. Organise cupboard under stairs....

Any work goals have to be set in conjunction with line management. If they try to wriggle out, hold their feet to the fire (in a tactful way), so that any goal you set has their backing.

Or at least have several ongoing conversations about work that's coming across the horizon and then agree which work will need to your involvement.

if they can't articulate the strategy, then how can their direct reports expect to.

normally our management cascade their objectives to direct reports, and that gives a good starting point,

This is an interesting question.

I live in France and here it’s completely normal / expected to have a ‘projet de vie’ and a ‘projet professionnel’ - a life plan and a career plan. You are expected to work on these from teenage years up wards. At lycée / high school students are very much expected to be working on their projet professionnel so that they can identify the correct route to their chosen career- and then where they will go with that. It’s taken very seriously, it’s something that school counsellors will work with them on. Adults in any professional role are expected to have a clear projet for how they will advance in their chosen profession and there are many services who will carry out a bilan (review) of your skills / qualifications/ experience etc and help your develop your projet.

Like most Brits I have not taken this approach, and I generally assume that work goals are a bit of a joke - which baffles my French colleagues and HR no end. I’m finally learning to take myself a bit more seriously in this respect.

@KimKardashiansLostEarring I’m with you!

love a goal. Sometimes they don’t happen, and I course correct. Then go again!

I have lots of goals- selection for nationals for one of the hobby sports we do, hit X salary, train the new dog to national level- big goals.

Do up the kitchen, sort the final bedroom, run a 10k- medium goals.

Finish my project on Greek mythology, complete my rose growing project- small goals.

Surely you have a list of things you want to do outside the day job/daily grind? Beyond “empty the dishwasher” and “send that report to Brian”?

In a sense.

for example, today I need to repot the peppers, buy cat food and make sure I get to my choir on time.

most people would probably think of it as a to do list.

I hate setting work goals. I want to write “do job well” and be done with it. But I’m forced to come up with several more substantial things 🙄

My only goal, since childhood has just been to get to the end of the day without a catastrophe happening. Some days that hasn’t happened, and it’s hard.

I’ve had a shit life though from the get go, so it’s hard to have any other goal than just to get through the latest shit you are going through and hope for a couple of days where nothing happens.

Jeez, I used to hate the goals and objectives setting at work. I too just wanted to do the job well.

Throughout life I've had the usual goals - get a good job, learn to drive, get married, buy a home, have kids etc. nothing monumental. Now I'm a 60 year old widow and my next goal is getting a knee replacement (😁 such an exciting life I have!) I'm at a life stage now where I have a bucket list rather than 'goals'.

God no!
I have no life plan whatsoever, I am just bumbling along and hoping for the best. I own a home with my husband and we have our two children (+ a zoo's worth of pets) so I don't feel like I have missed out by not meticulously planning everything.
If they ask me what my goals are at work I would tell them I plan to win the lottery and not be there in 12 months time!

Goals are important for me.
I agree that most people have goals but just don’t see them as such.
At work, I am in a senior enough position in my view and don’t feel like climbing the corporate ladder (no patience for politics), so my goals are basically keeping the clients happy and not f*up. Pretty simple on paper, but not so much in practice.
In life, my goals were always having my own home (which I managed to buy last year!!!) and provide a stable and comfortable environment for my DC. These are working in progress. I am also setting myself some health goals, like running 10k again after an injury, while long term goals involve saving for retirement, go back to the gym and save for a 3 months trip to Asia when DC finish secondary school (1 have 10 years to save for that one!)

I read the title as goats 🐐 so I am slightly disappointed

I have lots of goals. I love goals and love achieving them.

i set goals in my professional, family, social and personal life.

We have team goals at work, which I prefer to individual goals. I hate writing my annual review each year, it just feels like showing off.

In life, I always like to have a plan/goals. For years it was save for a house (finally moving in June 🥳) and my new life goal is I'd really like to finish writing the novel I started when I was on maternity leave with DS1 - he's 9!)

I have goals in my personal life.

Is a goal just something you really want to do though ?

Yes at home and at work - I need them for my mental wellbeing and it helps me not do destructive things within my life