Ask an Advisor Answers

Hi Thandeka,
 
Welcome to the Community Tool Box (CTB) and Ask an Advisor.  Before I get into the particulars I think it would be helpful to explain how Ask an Advisor works. The advisor, in this case me, finds resources within the CTB in the form of chapters rich with information, toolkits with nuts and bolts, how to get stuff done information with examples, and community stories from people just like you who have done what you want to do, while drawing upon my own community building work to help you come up with the answers you're looking for.  In short, the advisor provides links to information in the CTB or from elsewhere if necessary, it is then up to you to sort through and determine the information likely to be the most relevant and helpful. If the advisor thinks her/his own experience might be helpful too then that's added into the mix. Make sense? 
 
That said, I’m not sure Thandeka what you’re asking or the kinds of resources you’re looking for related to community building, it seems this is more of a personal issue rather than a community issue in that you're being asked by some unknown entity to describe your own experience in choosing from different kinds of objectives.  Truth be told, I've never heard of a positive or negative objective, a personal objective of course is a goal you have for yourself in any number of situations, whether for your education, for your career, for your health, etc.  What I’d like you to do, to help us to help you, is to explain in as much detail as possible, to clarify if you will, the specific information which you seek and the context in which it will be used.  Once you’ve thought it through a bit more, do revisit the CTB again and we’ll take it from there.  If you're trying to understand what is being asked of you, what information you're being asked to provide, it would be helpful to know that as well.
  
While I await clarification on the information you’re looking for, the best I can do for you, based on your interest in choosing among objectives, is to provide you with some resources from the CTB Trouble Shooting Guide: https://ctb.ku.edu/en/troubleshooting-guide, specifically #3 - We Don’t Know How to Solve the Problem: https://ctb.ku.edu/en/dont-know-how-to-solve-problem. When you click on this link the first thing you’ll notice is that 15 questions are asked about typical problems people tend to have in community building.  If you look at the fifth question - Have we developed objectives and strategies? - you’ll notice three links.
 

1. An Overview of Strategic Planning or “VMOSA” (Vision, Mission, Objectives, Strategies, and Action Plans)
2. Creating Objectives
3. Developing Successful Strategies: Planning to Win

 
In my estimation, the second link on creating objectives will be of most use even if the information contained therein doesn’t directly address your issue; to my way of thinking, by understanding what an objective is and how objectives are created you might get a clearer perspective about how to choose among them.  Again, based on the information you provided this is the best I could come up with from the resources we have here in the CTB.    
 
As I said, in your next submission provide us with more detail on the information you seek so we can better serve you, that’s what we’re here for.  I’m looking forward to hearing from you again soon with more information.  Until then, we wish you the very best of success in all your endeavors.
 
Ask an Advisor