by Peter A. Arthur-Smith, Leadership Solutions, Inc.®

“During the industrial-age we made our production workers highly efficient but the productivity levels of our ‘knowledge-workers’ is abysmal.” Peter F. Drucker

We’ve become extremely goal oriented in western societies without realizing the full implications of such an approach. We firmly believe that, if we give people firm goals, it will drive them over the finish line. It’s all part of an extrinsic-pushing attitude toward motivating people. For a relatively small percentage of your workforce who are highly competitive types, if the goal is realistic, it will certainly drive them to success.

The majority of your workforce is either going to give it their best shot, shrug their shoulders at the given goal, or pay lip service to it. Many will perceive it as being somewhat coercive, which is not particularly helpful: because coercion generally breeds resentment over time. We persist with the goal angle despite it having some significant drawbacks: not least because those goals bring with them fairly significant downers or have a deflationary effect once the drive for a goal is all over. It’s rather like players flopping on the ground after a highly intense game. Now the coach has to pick them up again, especially if they’re on the losing side.

Every day a huge number of goals are not met. This is partly due to them not being properly or realistically set and partly due to executives or managers not knowing how to lift people over the line. Such disappointments happen far less often with leaders, especially enlightened leaders (ELs). Why? Because leaders focus their people more on continuous journeys rather than on near-term, defined goals.

When you drive your car, you generally know where you’re going; although you hardly notice the mile-markers on your way. Invariably, if it’s a journey to meet-up with friends or family, you’re often too excited about the prospect of meeting them for lunch, or dinner, or even a party, that the milestones are almost inconsequential. Even if you do notice them, they’re just an affirmation that you’re making good progress. You just check them off in your head rather than experience much of an emotional let-down, because they’re just a signal along the way of where you are – for better or for worse. If you’re behind schedule you just press on the gas pedal and speed up to gain ground.

Unfortunately, this writer doesn’t have the time or resources to pursue a whole research project to reinforce his very strong hunch and plenty of experience around people. Perhaps someone, somewhere will be kind enough to do that. Having said that, he sees the differences between pursuing Continuous Journeys and Defined Goals as follows:

Continuous Journeys (CJ) or Defined Goals (DG)

CJ- Focused on some longer-term highly desirable outcome

DG- Focused on a near-term, important goal

CJ– People don’t become overly hung-up missing particular milestones – speed up

DG– People become demotivated by using key goals –have to pick them up

CJ– Milestones are there to be checked off in passing- are natural markers

DG– Many goals are set by overly ambitious executives or managers

CJ– Milestones can be easily tweaked, if inadequately set

DG– Goals become sacrosanct therefore are emotionally tough to adjust

CJ– Journeys are natural events in our lives, therefore easy to digest and act upon

DG- Goals are artificial devices to coerce people in a given direction

CJ- In passing Milestones, you hardly think twice about them

DG- Takes a lot to re-motivate people after each goal is met

CJ- Those who pursue the longer journey are usually more successful in the long run

DG- To keep winding people up, in the pursuit of fresh goals, is hard work

When you take a look at successful sports teams and learn more about their coaches: they get their team members focused on the idea of an overall successful season rather than become overly fixated on each game as a life-or-death situation.  They appreciate that many games they will win and some they will lose, which is part of life, and don’t beat-up on their team in the locker-room when they lose. Instead, if they’re smart, they’ll give their team a day or two to reflect on their loss and then review lessons learned at that point – no finger-pointing drama. You can imagine what it must be like for a smart-coach, who knows this lesson, being beaten-up instead by an overly ambitious owner.

Smart-coaches will also revisit lessons learned at an appropriate point shortly before their team’s next game; when its members are probably even more open to listen and absorb key points. Again, no drama – as with milestones – but sensible recognition of gains to be made. There’s no mention of upping the incentives or threats of penalties, if their team loses – or hopefully succeeds.

One of the most valuable things coaches can do, to prepare their teams mentally and physically to get ‘over-the-line,’ is to convince them that they have everything they need and are as well prepared as they can be for success. They ensure their members are clear about the game-plan, they’re comfortable in knowing their competitor’s strengths and limitations, they have minimal personal worries, and they have confidence in their coach’s advice. The point about having minimal personal worries is crucial in allowing team members to play at their best.

This latter coaching-leadership issue is one too often ignored by executives and managers, who claim that it’s none of their business relative to meeting their goals. Such a view is totally short-sighted. Not that one is suggesting  leaders become babysitters, since that’s not a good idea either. However, by being sensitive to and showing some sort of empathy toward personal team member issues makes good sense. Sometimes, just having a coach or leader showing interest in their personal challenges is enough. To ignore them is just bad form.

Really successful coaches or leaders build strong trust and bonds with their team members, so they can assist them set-aside their worries when it comes to game or action time. They can also help their team members overcome their angst if and when they let their side or team down. They help them depersonalize the issue and put it into perspective. Then they re-enthuse them about the longer journey to be accomplished.

It’s the approach, thoughtfulness and actions that encourages winning teams to pursue their longer-term journeys. Each game is just a milestone to be savored or learned from. That way you don’t have to bribe people – often against their inner integrity – to meet unrealistic goals. Instead you and they can share the reasonable spoils when you reach journey’s end. So, consider setting aside your goals and pursuing a journey instead.

By pursuing journeys, you will gain the attention of our ‘knowledge-workers,’ who are clearly more talented and creative than our conventional production line operatives, to really step-up on a more consistent basis. They will be much more interested to participate for the fun and camaraderie of it all, rather than pursue a mercenary scramble.

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