Goal Culture

Do you look for shortcuts in order to more efficiently reach your goals?  Do you feel jealous when others achieve before you do?  If so, it’s not surprising: you’ve been programmed that way.  Many organizations set annual goals for their employees; they follow-up with annual evaluations.  Compensation is tied directly to achievement… and the cycle continues.  You’ve been programmed.

This focus on goals builds a goal-oriented culture.  And not surprisingly, it moves attention away from relationships, processes, ethics, and history.  Focus is on getting the job done… sometimes, at any cost.

The best organizations realize that relationships, process, and history are critical too, and try to emphasize these factors through… goals.  (Improve process time, quotas for relationships, knowledge management to capture history, etc.)  If your organization is goal-focused, remember that you should also set your own goals – either formally with your manager, or informally on your own.

This week’s action plan: This week, consider the last major goal that you’ve achieved.  What did you expect to learn by doing it?  And were there any surprising insights?  It’s not just the achievement of the goal, but what you learn along the way that has enduring value.

Personal note: January 11th is a special date:  It is the beginning of my sixth year of writing these weekly Tipsheets.  After 261 of them, what did I learn along the way?  That writing spurs thinking.  That I enjoy writing (and thinking).  And that I get better with practice.   Please continue to share your feedback with me, at www.RandallCraig.com. You can subscribe and receive these tips via email from the same site.