Good Goals and How to Use Them

Sometimes we as fathers tend to leave the wisdom and methods of achievement we use in the workplace on the workbench or desktop when we go home. It is natural to want to leave the press of business behind when we go home and just relax. However, as we leave one zone of responsibility for another, we must not forget God-given, biblical, family responsibilities have consequences that affect both time and eternity.

One of the most useful leadership tools fathers can use at home is the setting of goals. However, they must be good goals, and they must be practical for use in the Christian family. First, what makes goals good and what are the keys to using them correctly in the Christian family?

Goals—What Makes Them Good?

Establishing and using goals is no doubt one of the greatest management and leadership tools mankind has ever developed. It is the mother of invention, the motivation of industry, the joy of hobbies, and the tool of accomplishment. Without goals, life would be haphazard, without direction, void of purpose, and downright mundane.

The Dictionary.com defines haphazard as: characterized by lack of order or planning, by irregularity, or by randomness; determined by or dependent on chance; aimless.

Setting good goals and making plans to accomplish them is the opposite of living haphazardly. So, what is a good goal?

Good goals are:

1. Serviceable

They are useful and of value to you. They are dealing with something important enough to you to create both a sense of urgency and importance to you.

2. Specific

They are specific enough to be a fixed target at which to aim. They are not fuzzy or ambiguous. Clarity is at the heart of a good goal; it is definite and certain.

3. Simple

They are realistic and easy to understand, yet challenging. They must be uncomplicated and self-explanatory. Challenge is important to good goals, but they must remain achievable.

4. Measurable

An old business saying states: “What gets measured gets done!” You should be able to count or measure good goals by either quality or by quantity. You must have an objective way to measure their progress and accomplishment. They are not subjective; they are objective in nature. They can be repeatable but should not be open-ended.

5. Sequential

When they are sequential in nature, involve a process, or are achieved progressively, you need to write them clearly, so they do not become fuzzy and hard to measure. An effective way to do this is to divide such goals by establishing a series of objectives that are both sequential in process and measurable in accomplishment.

Use action verbs to write such objectives; include eliminating, complete, create, redo, generate, make, lead, transform, change, study, establish, order, and review.

6. Finishable

You need a method to determine their duration. You must identify a time to start and a time to finish. Make the duration realistic which will challenge effort and reward accomplishment. Without a “time reckoning” aspect, discouragement is likely because no end is in sight.

7. Pleasing to God

Will accomplishing this goal please God (Colossians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:4; Hebrews 13:21)? Will it glorify Him (1 Corinthians 10:31)? Is it God’s will (James 4:13-15)?

Keys to Goal Accomplishment

No matter how good a goal you write, if you do not consider and use these keys, it is unlikely the goals will be of value for your family.

1. Start with prayer for wisdom and guidance (Colossians 1:9-12).
2. Write your goals down and keep them handy for review. Unwritten mental goals tend to dissolve with time and the busyness of life (Ephesians 5:15-17).
3. Good goals are consistent with the Scriptures and God’s will (James 4:13-15).
4. Evaluate and review them regularly as appropriate for the duration of the goal. Goals will fade without evaluation (Philippians 3:13-14).
   • Daily
   • Weekly
   • Monthly
   • Cycle
5. Determine the urgency and/or importance of the goal achievement to you, to your family, to others, and to the Lord. Think it through and write a statement concerning this under your goal statement. This is the “why” of the “what” goal. Use this to establish priority and resources (time, effort, cost) you allot toward the goal’s accomplishment (Mark 4:18-20; Matthew 6:19-24).
6. Make sure the goal is truly achievable, both humanly speaking when you count the cost, and heavenly speaking when you consider God’s will and His strength working in you (Philippians 4:13; Colossians 1:29). Goals so grand and lofty that they defy the “finishable” aspect of good goals are the things of “vision” and not goals and objectives. Think in terms of AMAP = as much as possible (Luke 14:28-32).
7. Do not neglect to review your goals and adjust as necessary.
   • Set a specific time to review your goals.
   • Be willing to take the necessary time to consider and evaluate your progress.
   • Adjust as needed – the longer term the goal is set for, the more important it is to review them periodically. Sometimes, adjustments are necessary for goal accomplishment. Doing so will also help one write better goals in the future.

Final Thoughts

I remember well when the reality hit me that I had leadership responsibility in the home. Realizing this was not optional, I broke out in a cold sweat and decided I better get serious about this responsibility.

That realization motivated me to start the process. First, I learned from the Bible what God expected of husbands and fathers. Second, I started reading books by qualified men of God as they wrote about those various areas of responsibility and how to apply what the Bible was teaching.

It was a long and continual process. However, almost immediately I began using some of the tools of leadership in the home to help me fulfill those Bible responsibilities. This led me to using goals and objectives to help me apply Bible truth to the process of accomplishing God’s will in our family.