When Goal Setting Hinders Success and How to Prevent It
It seems that almost every business, educational and self-help book tells us that goal setting is the way to success.
I’ve lived my life by it.
I set personal and professional goals for the year, for the season, and for the day. I set work-related goals and fun-related goals. Then I get such satisfaction from crossing off each item on my detailed to-do list - an on-going reminder that I’m achieving, I’m productive, I’m keeping all the balls in the air.
I think a lot of people are like this. We want to succeed in life, so we create goals and fix our attention on them.
In some ways we can’t help it. We are conditioned to do this. We are taught that the goal is all that matters, that if we avert our eyes, we will steer off-course. There’s often a natural inclination to rush to attain, to achieve, to arrive.
The problem is when we are fixed on a specific outcome we can disconnect from the process. Our tunnel vision causes us to miss possibilities, solutions, and surprises.
People are also more likely to seize on the easiest tasks and can become obsessed with finishing projects and priorities that have been set. Crossing things off the to-do list becomes more important than asking yourself if you’re doing the right thing or if you’re enjoying the process itself.
The goal shouldn’t be rushing to the finish line but finding meaning in the process. I’ve learned this the hard way.
I’ve also realized the great irony that slowing down, connecting with people, and enjoying the process helps me to arrive at my destination with more skill, less stress, and greater enjoyment.
I’m not saying goal-setting isn’t essential. It is. Goals aren’t the issue though. It is the way we approach goals that is the challenge. We need to be both process and product orientated.
Charles Duhigg, author of the book Smarter, Faster, Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life, offers a solution to this challenge. He suggests that people and organizations should create stretch goals – a goal so ambitious that the creator can’t describe how they will achieve it initially. Stretch goals allow new futures to be imaged and energy to be injected into organizations while promoting experimentation, innovation, and playfulness.
Numerous studies have examined the impact of stretch goals and have found that committing to ambitious, audacious goals spark innovation and productivity. Much like marathon runners or people who lose a lot of weight, stretch goals disrupt complacency and promote new ways of thinking.
To make those wishes and dreams a reality, stretch goals need to be paired with SMART goals - goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based. SMART goals show us how to turn a lofty goal into a concrete plan with short and realistic aims. SMART goals have been found to unlock the potential in people and the process of a stretch goal.
But be wary of those SMART goals and their corresponding to-do lists. If used correctly they are a means to productivity. Unfortunately, many people set easy-to-attain goals and crossing those goals off a list becomes a form of mood repair that creates a false sense of accomplishment. I have been known to do that myself, from time to time.
A stretch goal and the concrete steps to achieve it are important. In fact, I am not sure there is any other way to be successful. Yet, there is something to be said about finding a balance between enjoying the process while steadily moving forward towards an audacious goal. It is possible, sometimes all you need is a little support.
As always, feel free to reach out for a free 30-minute consultation to see how we can help.
Best wishes, Lauren
