🥅A Quick Word on Goal Setting 🥅

Tis' the season

Hey Everyone,

Happy New Year, and welcome to 2023! I’m returning from a “relaxing” beach trip with my kids, whose seemingly two-year-long winter vacation is rapidly coming to a close.

Back in it,

Ben

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🥅A Quick Word on Goal Setting 🥅

I realize this is a bit too timely, but I’ve been recently thinking about motivation and goal-setting (and I imagine you have as well). 

I’m usually not big on resolutions. I am, however, a big supporter of themes, and “Motivation” is one skill (topic?) that I’d like to get much more thoughtful about, which is another way of saying that I’ll be writing about motivation and goal-setting in 2023.

So with that in mind, I thought I’d share the five principles of Edwin Locke and Gary Latham’s Goal Setting Theory.

 The principles are a great gut check for me personally and when considering my team’s goals. A great rule of thumb is that you will struggle if any of these principles are absent - so you better cover your bases.

1. Clarity - Is the goal clear? Measurable? Time-bound? Is there a clear owner? How is success defined, and is it measurable?

2. Challenge - Is the goal too easy or too hard? Is it achievable? Goals that are too easy are a joke, and ones that are too hard, particularly over time, are demotivating.

3. Commitment - Are the responsible individuals and their teams committed to these goals? If not, you’re going to have issues.

4. Feedback - Are the responsible individuals receiving feedback and encouragement from their leadership and colleagues? If you’re a leader, are you committed to giving feedback on the agreed-upon goals?

5. Complexity - Goals that integrate several skills are often more motivating than straightforward goals. One corollary I’ll add here is that responsible parties should be given the autonomy and support to integrate skills and knowledge as they see fit.

So there you go. Do your New Year’s Resolutions have all five principles? More importantly, do your annual goals, OKRs, or whatever you use check all these boxes? If not, you’re probably in for a harder than it needs to be 2023.