Beyond Success: The Unanticipated Consequences of Goal Setting
The goal that you actually achieve is the penalty that you receive for having set that goal in the first place. - Emmanuel Acho
Sometimes.... when you need it most... an article...a book or.... in this case... a Ted Talk...can stop you in your tracks and get you to look at things differently. Especially this one that challenges the notion of Bold Goal Setting!
Why you should stop setting goals (yes, really) by Emmanuel Acho
The Moments In Between
I believe that Emmanuel's Ted Talk resonated so much with me is that it mirrors a lot of my approach/experience over the years... he just put it in a way that I have NOT been able to articulate.
I have often referred to it as "The Moments In Between". It's the ability to take notice... appreciate... and put events into context... which leaves YOU open to course correct or change YOUR path to achieve a version of success that you could never have dreamed possible.
Food For Thought
Here are a few things I wrote down from Emmanuel's Talk that I will ponder for a while:
A goal is focused and a goal is limiting
Look to achieve limitlessly
Believe in possibility
Seek to Create Objectives Without Limitation
How Can WE Apply It?
I will give it more thought but for me it comes down to three things...
Vision Not Goal. Think about how you want things "to be" versus being locked in on the specific goal. For me this has meant stating my career vision as "Earn enough to provide for my family, be happy, make a difference every day, continue to learn new things and help the company (and those around me) be successful." I changed that from my goal 20 years ago "to make it to a C-Level position"
Open Not Closed. I think it is human nature to get caught up on closed thinking and that there is only one path for us personally or professionally. YOU have to find ways to remind yourself to be open to seeing things differently. For me this is small things each and every day that humble me and make me smile... like watching this ted talk and discarding the notion that we HAVE to set Goals.
Possibility vs Limitation. What IF we focused on what was possible and worked to achieve that. Sometimes it's the BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) that are the worst of the worst. Break things down into possibility and follow each step where it takes us rather than laying out a path that is not achievable or limits us. For example; if I had limited myself to being a veterinarian in Canada I would have missed the possibility of being an IT executive in Arizona. The path to my possibility happened because I didn't limit myself to one life plan. It was made up of a series of achievable... possible... life decisions.
In Closing...
Early on with my writing I had an "Objective" to write about my leadership journey and life lessons rather than setting a "Goal" to write a blog post every week. I think that notion has been freeing over the years because there are some weeks where my objective didn't fit a timeline.
I can think of a lot of examples in my life and career where things failed because the timeline was more important that delivering on the promise of the objective. It's a constant evaluation and re-evaluation of what is possible... in what timeline and does it further our objective?
I don't have all the answers...but I do know I am grateful for a Ted Talk... Emmanuel Acho... and that he didn't hit his goal of being drafted by the NFL in the first 3 rounds... for without all of that... I wouldn't have had a chance to challenge my way of thinking on a Saturday morning in September.
How about YOU?
Leadership Questions of the Week for YOU:
Why should YOU stop setting Goals? Should YOU?
What do YOU think of the idea of Objectives without Limitation?
Corporate America is big on annual "Bold Goals" for teammates. Is this setting them up for failure or inspiring them to stretch themselves? Does this limit them in what they can achieve?
Can YOU think of a time in your personal life that YOU set a goal and by focusing on it you may have limited yourself to other possibilities?
Can YOU think of a time in your professional life that YOU set a goal and by focusing on it you may have limited yourself to other possibilities?
Thanks for reading….and remember…YOU make a difference!
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