My perception of a reasonable goal is one given by a manager based on an individuals past performance that will inspire the team member to perform at the highest level he or she is capable. An unreasonable goal is counter productive that could be placed out of frustration stemming from other pressures within the company and will accomplish the complete opposite of inspiration for the team member.
walter,
this is a great description. It's extra bad when the goals are difficult to achieve and/or the resources are not provided.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I think a reasonable goal is when everyone agrees that it is achievable and therefore people are motivated and most likely will achieve or get close to that goal.
Unreasonable goals is when something is forced up on you that you just can't comprehend.
John,
this is a good point. While we may have uniform goals for our employees, we need to allow for different ways of accomplishment & embrace the diversity we have in our work places.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Reasonable to me is partially about the skill set of the individual. The same goal will be accomplished differently by different people.
Mark,
this is a great synopsis & a reasonable goal must be achievable & you must have the resources need to attain.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
A reasonable goal is a goal that you have a fair chance to attain. You have the time, resources, and the support of your team members as well as the organization. Unreasonable would be any goal that you do not have a better than average chance of accomplishing.
Mayra,
this is an excellent point. A reasonable goal is one that can be reached with the available resources & often it is the burden of management or leadership to provide those resources.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Sometimes we establish clear and reasonable goals for the team but we forget to give them the tools and resources to accomplish these goals. Goals that reflects my contribution to the team members goals.
michael,
and when we set unreasonable goals (or someone sets them for us) we will find ourselves discouraged & disillusioned.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Reasonable goals are goals that are within your means, unreasonable goals are goals that are unrealistic and the resources are not available to accomplish the goals.
Tierra,
agreed the availability of resources really is key here.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
My perception of a reasonable goal is a goal that can be realistically accomplished. A goal should not be attempted if the necessary resources are not in place first.
James,
I think the lack of resources is key to consider. A goal may meet all the criteria to be a good one, but if the resources are simply not there, we need to take another look at it.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Cheryl,
this is an excellent point. Goals should be win/win & not just self-serving or organization serving.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I think a reasonable goal is one which will benefit both the manager/employer and the employee. Employees will be more willing to put a great deal of effort into achieving goals if they will come away with something they can take to the next level or next position. If the only goal is to make the person a more efficient/better/more productive employee, he won't have any reason to work at it. If a teacher's goal is to complete a new degree, the employee will gain by acquiring new knowledge which he/she can use in his/her current position or take to a new position, and the employer will benefit because he/she can say a higher percentage of teachers have advanced degrees.
I think the answer lies in a SMART goal. Does it meet that criteria? If not, then perhaps it's not a reasonable goal.
Areasonable goal would comply with each SMART attribute. An unreasonable goal would be one doomed to failure because or lack of resources or other known contraints.
Aaron,
and breaking the big goal down into smaller steps is a great way to keep yourself motivated as well.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I am in the same boat. I agree that having a measureable goal will make it seem like things are progressing and thus make it easier to move forward professionally.
