There are a number of reasons why it is important, particularly for women, to set their own goals and not simply react to the demands or expectations of others.

Everyday, hard working women in organizations are “disappeared” partly because they fail to set their own goals.

Common wisdom in the workplace dictates that people get ahead by solving “high visibility” problems.

This means stepping up to the plate, identifying and defining the problem, setting up the ground rules for and setting in motion the process of arriving at a solution. It means being aggressive and grabbing the spotlight or, least, standing in the spotlight, unfazed by its glare. Women have a harder time with this than men.

Women are often portrayed as displaying ” a tendency to focus on minutia or an excessive devotion to duty.” According to author Joyce K. Fletcher, who has studied this problem extensively and writes about it in “Disappearing Acts: Gender and Power at Work”: “In this work culture, having a good attitude gets interpreted as a willingness to be exploited. In an environment where helping others achieve goals “gets disappeared” as valuable work (those who get paid to do it, such as secretaries and other support staff, are considered no more than “gophers”), it makes sense that those who voluntarily assume this role are considered either incapable of achieving in their own right or too naive to know better. Either explanation devalues the activity itself.”

The bottom line is that men and women are socialized differently according to different standards and expectations and the results are very evident in business. When students at a business class at Emory, taught by Gail Evans, executive Vice President at CNN, were asked to name the qualities of a good leader, male leaders were described as ” aggressive, boastful, tough-skinned, part of a dog-eat-dog world.” Female executives were described as “social, cooperative, a team player, not competitive, concerned with harmony.”

So, it becomes very important for women to realize, they are not at work to be handmaidens or helpers who are easily “disappeared” by devaluing their activities. You are at work to become a change agent, to positively impact the success of your company by setting goals which are aligned with your company’s mission

Don’t wait for someone to tell you what to do. Analyze your company carefully, and try to understand what you can do which will make a significant difference. Get a handle on the problem, develop a solution, and a consensus around it, lobby for approval, then execute better and faster than anyone else.

Most people never accomplish their goals because they fail to set goals.

Clearly the most important step in achieving a goal is the initial act of setting one. Just as you would create a business plan for a business, create a plan for your life. Set out your mission statement, what it is you want to achieve in your life, being guided by your true values. Then set long term goals for your life, your career and your work, all of which will support your mission.

This is accomplished most effectively by breaking down big projects into small, realistic and manageable daily goals. Instead of agonizing about writing a book, set a goal of writing a chapter, then write 3 pages a day. Instead of hoping to retire a millionaire, set a goal of investing 10% of your income each month. Instead of getting lost in a maze of routine daily tasks, learn to focus and to say no. Establish your most important goals and concentrate on tasks that will lead to their accomplishment. Be ruthless about eliminating trivia and time wasters.

Failing to set goals wastes valuable time.

Once you have established your mission and your goals, learn to manage those smaller segments of projects. Create a to-do list of daily goals which are smaller pieces of your over all goal. Prioritize and work on your most important goals first. There’s a famous story of a management consultant who told his captain of industry client to break down all of his work into categories of A and B, then ignore the B tasks. It’s enough if we can get through the A tasks. And if we do this every day, the most important tasks keep rising to the top until, finally, they are accomplished and come off the list.

Most Important – To Begin Today

The most important thing is to begin today to set goals, and to remember, you won’t ever reach the end of your journey if you don’t begin and pick the right path to your destination. No matter how fast you’re traveling, if you’re on the plane to Chicago you won’t end up in New York. So set your goals, be clear about your destination, embark on your journey and with determination and perseverance, you will arrive wherever your goals lead you.