Last post talked about the power of setting goals that are un-SMART. I acknowledged that Specific, Measurable and Time-bound are fine for any goals. But I took a dim view of Achieveable and Reasonable. In my experience, these aspects of goals contribute to mediocrity.
As with so many things in life, one “rule” does not fit all occasions. While I stand by the assertion as to the power of stretch goals (or as Jim Collins might say, Big, Hairy Audacious Goals – BHAGS), there is at least one place where setting smaller, more reasonable and achievable goals is especially useful. That’s in building competence and confidence.
If you’ve never run a marathon, and you set a big hairy audacious goal of competing in one within, say, 6 months, you need a set of intermediate goals that bridge your current reality (out of shape) with your desired future state. You might start by committing to run at least 3 days a week. Further, you might set a goal of running five miles comfortably by the end of one month. Successfully accomplishing those smaller, more reasonable goals will help propel you toward longer runs, building your body’s strength (competence) and along the way building your own confidence in being able to achieve the BHAG.
If you have employees in roles for which they are relative beginners, it would be overwhelming, frustrating and demoralizing for them to be held to unrealistically high performance goals. Instead, you let them know the ultimate level of performance, and create interim goals or milestones toward that level. Along the way, if you’re a good boss, you will provide plenty of feedback, coaching and encouragement. As reasonable as this sounds, it seems that companies are less and less willing to support newer employees in this kind of step-by-step development. When I coach a first-time manager it is often because her boss lacks the time, and sometimes the skill, to coach and mentor her through the early bumps and trials.
So, if you are tackling something radically different – personally or professionally – your focus should be on short-term, manageable goals that build competence and confidence. On the other hand, when you and your team have talent, experience and skill in delivering a product or service, setting small goals is tantamount to sand-bagging, playing below your ability level. Not only will such a move rob the company of better performance and financial results, but it will also drain the zest and enthusiasm that comes when teams elevate their game to meet and beat challenges.
Bottom line: setting goals and committing to their achievement is far more powerful than drifting along, taking one day at a time. There have been some 200 scientific papers documenting this aspect of being human.
