Goal Setting, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 5

CHANGING PEOPLE’S BEHAVIOR

Effective goal setting is a key component to changing behavior—yours as well as others. When you ask someone to do something, you establish a goal for that person. And by setting a goal, you expect that person to behave in ways that lead to reaching that goal.

There are times when your goals mesh with the goals of others. But other times you will want to convince people to do something that you want done. What can you do to motivate others to work toward the goals you have set? How can you encourage others to understand your perspective? What can you do to change someone’s behavior?

DEFINING BEHAVIOR

Since we emphasize behavior here, let’s first define the word. For this discussion, behavior is a person’s ...