In a company’s goal-setting process, the terms “goals” and “objectives” are extremely similar. While objectives are the specific steps to take in order to achieve desired final goals, goals are the measurable outcomes that can be anticipated by implementing different techniques. Objectives are incremental actions that bring a person closer to the end result. Unlike goals, these have a more limited scope and are time-bound targets. The objectives are short- or medium-term in nature, easy to monitor, and comprise small, precise stages that are linked to the ultimate goal and must be finished within a certain time frame. Here are some instances of objectives:
- In a year, I’ll go to five technology webinars.
- Every month, I’ll read one book.
