What factors are most important for setting and maintaining goals that lead to the achievement of success?
From a performance improvement perspective, goal setting is one of the most effective strategies for performance improvement. However, setting goals is meaningless unless they are effective. What factors are most important for setting and maintaining goals that lead to the achievement of success? Why?
From a performance perspective, goalsetting is definitely an effective strategy to improve performance if used correctly. People have been setting goals for thousands of years, some aimlessly and others very methodically. There are several schools of thoughts in regards to goalsetting. Many talented performers have lofty aspirations and dreams. Without a structured and strategic process to achieve those dreams, setting goals becomes a meaningless process. Goalsetting can be akin to a proverbial roadmap in which the said performer follows each small attainable goal in order to reach the final destination of success. Kleingeld et al (2011) explain Goal Setting Theory (GST), and its core belief in two principles: that specific and difficult goals will yield higher performance than generic and nonspecific goals. Secondly, specific difficult goals yield higher performance results than specific easier goals.
"Specific and difficult goals will yield higher performance than generic and nonspecific goals.”
This is a perfect conversation for high performers because the caveat here for goals is not necessarily the 'what' it is the 'how'. The goals must be not only specific but must be difficult enough to push the performer to new heights.
References:
Kleingeld, A., van Mierlo, H., & Arends, L. (2011). The effect of goal setting on group performance: A meta-analysis. Journal Of Applied Psychology, 96(6), 1289-1304. doi:10.1037/a0024315
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