Hi Harry:
I emailed this to you; I didn't receive acknowledgement of receipt so I'm posting it here.
Here are a few thoughts in support of your continued success:
Regarding your recent use of the word goal in two Voter’s Guides published in local papers.
When you were asked the question, “Why are you running for office?” you replied, “To strive for the goal of the community feeling good about their government.”
When you were asked, “Is government spending tax money wisely and do you support tax increases?” you replied, “One of our major goals is to make sure money is being used wisely.”
*Neither of these are goals. Not to worry, the University of Hawaii's Curriculum Catalogue, in its mission statement, uses the words goal, objective, and purpose, incorrectly.
The end results, “feeling good” and “being used wisely,” are subjective. They are not easily measurable. Also, having the “community” (as in the whole community) feel good about any one thing is virtually impossible. There will always be one person who doesn't feel good. You've aimed for something that's not possible to achieve.
What would be accurate is to say that you're striving to have everyone feel good. Or that your purpose in life is to support everyone in feeling good. In this way all of your communications are on purpose. You could also say that one of your jobs is to make sure money is being used wisely.
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Goal:
A goal is a measurable observable result. It includes/implies a time/date by when it will be accomplished.
Samples
Goal:
1) To collect $20,000.00 by 9/28/06.
2) To weigh 185 lbs by 10/8/07.
3) To wash my car by midnight 9/11/06.
4) A campaign team goal could be to have 60% of those who vote to cast a vote in favor of you being mayor [implying this November’s election].
5) To have 75% of all respondents reply favorably that they agree with the tax increase. (Being re-elected is not necessarily a vote in favor/support of the tax increase. Many votes could simply be against an opponent.)
Target:
A target is something you aim for but don't necessarily hit
Sample of targets.
1) We're targeting to raise $20,000. The word target is used when you don't want to do whatever it takes to raise $20,000, when you are not able or willing to be responsible for bringing in $20,000, but it seems possible.
2) If a support group client of mine said they were targeting to get their first draft done by Friday, I'd know they most likely wouldn't get it done by Friday; they would be hoping I didn't catch their use of the slippery word “target.” I'd ask, “Do you want to make that a goal?” Or, “How many chapters will you have done by Friday?”
3) A Zen archer aims for the target. They use the errors to improve their skill.
Objective:
An objective is a material result.
1) The campaign manager’s objective was to carry Pahoa. His personal goal was to garner 51% or the votes.
2) The Captain's objective was to take the hill. He was aiming for less than 20% casualties.
Purpose:
A purpose is the idea kept before the mind as the reason for ones actions.
1) If my purpose is to go west then as long as I continue to go west I am on purpose.
2) If my purpose is to be happy but I'm making someone wrong, then at that moment I'm not on purpose. Once I'm conscious that I'm off purpose I stop making them wrong and get back on purpose.
3) As a communication skills coach my purpose is to serve.
Harry, I'd be more than happy to donate a three-hour communication skills coaching appointment to you. Email me at Kerry@comcom121.org if this is something you'd like to do.
With aloha,
Kerry
Kerrith H. (Kerry) King
Communication Skills Coach
* Re: When you were asked, “Is government spending tax money wisely and do you support tax increases?” you replied, “One of our major goals is to make sure money is being used wisely.” I would have felt much better if you had replied— "No, I see my job as making sure money is being used appropriately and efficiently; and, no, again, I'm in favor of using our taxes as efficiently as possible." In other words, you unconsciously became a "typical politician" who avoids answers.
