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VISION GOAL SETTING
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In actualizing your vision, what you’re moving toward will not be defined by externally imposed numbers, according to statements from Commissioner David Edwards, territorial commander.
In a strong commitment to local goal-setting and a significant departure from prior approaches, Edwards, following the recommendations of the Guiding Coalition, has affirmed plans and policies relative to the development of territorial goals that do not impose quantitative goals or guidelines on corps.
He has made it clear, however, that measured objectives are important, but that they need to be set by members and leaders knowledgeable concerning a local vision statement and responsible for implementing that vision at the local level.
Just as the Territorial vision emanated from vision statements authored by individual corps, the Territorial goals will emerge from the “faith” goals established in each corps setting. The Territorial goals, which undoubtedly will use some form of language designed to aid measurement, will be stated broadly and in such a way that individual corps will not interpret them as local mandates. The Territorial goals, then, will be specific but will not reflect precise quantitative measures. Instead, they will express standards of achievement designed to provide focus for program development leading toward the accomplishment of the Territorial Vision Statement.
In finding difficulty with quantitative measures, the Coalition noted a number of potential problem areas. Leaders often tend to encourage establishment of numbers small enough to guarantee success. Another problem area concerned the feelings of individuals following both success and a lack of success in precise goal accomplishment. When a quantitative measure is successfully achieved, the members often feel a sense of finality in the accomplishment ”we have succeeded, and now the work is done”. When unsuccessful, members often feel discouraged and fail to make full commitment to future quantitative measures.
Lt. Colonel Sharon Robertson, chair of the Guiding Coalition has stated that the group will meet in order to establish non-quantitative, measurable Territorial goals.
