The Bear Trap That Looks Like a Cookie: The Seduction of Goal Setting Part 2 - The Several Faces of Motivation

I am listening to the rock group, Journey and the song What it Takes To Win, from the album Revelation. This song is best played loud and with lots of bass. Daniel and I enjoy this song. Daniel and Ian and I have spent much time over the years in the mountains and deserts of Utah and Idaho hiking, rock climbing, mountaineering and camping. This song reminds me of how we approached some of the trails we hiked together. Some trails were vicious, hiking at altitude or in  the oven of Utah deserts. We did it to see unimaginable vistas. Deserts that are brutally beautiful. And to prove to ourselves and each other that we could do it.

             The song reminds me of some of the goal setting sessions I have been involved in over the years. If you get the chance, listen to it and see if it reminds you of some of your experiences, either in the outdoors or the office. Sometimes the goals and goal setting process we experience and endure in our employment may seem like the hiking experiences with my boys or like parts of this song. The song should be played loud to feel the rhythm and beat which complements the majesty around you (mountain or manager). If you are picturing a work situation, the song and lyrics can also block out voices of reason and moderation, especially when played loud. Picture in your mind a strong drum beat with bass guitar in the background playing strong, straight cords. The lead guitar plays a straightforward cord repetition supported by the base drum on the down beat. The lead vocalist sings with a strong voice and supporting vocals add depth on the chorus.  “Will you look in their eyes. They want you gone, they want the prize. When day is done, risk it all. One will stand, and one will fall “. Is your manager one of those that treats everything like a game, competition or battle, “With a hunger that never ends. When you want to prove. You are the best that’s ever been”. Your performance is based on your ability to make the goal. “ Seal the Deal. Get it done. Earn the right to say you have won.” The goal is the thing, it is bigger than you, than anything else. You are there to make the goal. “Stand your ground. Stay in the zone, now do not back down. More than pride. Your depend. Fighting hard ‘til the very end”. At the end of the day the numbers are the measure of success. Either you stand proud in the sunshine on the summit of success or wallow in the shadows of the valley of failure. Does this describe your goals and goal setting experience? This method and message occasionally works, such as on the sports field.

             The process of goal setting is fraught with potential bear traps. Goals can be too specific. One type of too specific goal is the narrow focus goal. People tend to concentrate on the thing which is emphasized and too narrow a focus leads to problems. The siren song is that narrow focus goals are easier to measure and establish, which is usually correct. The problems compound when the narrow focus goal limits important interactions outside the goal’s parameters. People tend not to look beyond the goal especially when it is being heavy emphasized (think the drum beat). Goals will naturally limit view and vision in an organization. The larger or bigger picture can be easily lost or subverted by narrow focus goals. Even worse, wrong, poorly thought out or poorly monitored goals can cause considerable damage and lead to poor results or unethical behavior through the process of omission.

             An additional problem of too specific a goal is when many specific goals are used to define the overall aim of the company or department. The goals may be related to each other or they may not. It is tough to multi-task or monitor many goals, specific or otherwise. Quality will be sacrificed as individuals try to cover all the goals or conversely people will emphasize one or two perceived higher value goals and ignore or apply minimal efforts to the rest. Individuals may assign a high priority to goals that, from the company standpoint, are not considered such. The individual will try to maximize their reward be it money, time or prestige.  Additionally, it is easier to measure quantity then quality. Quantity goals will likely get more attention then quality goals.

             Tied up in all this is the problem of what is known as inappropriate time horizons for goals. Short term goals generate returns and recognition to the individual sooner than long term goals. Immediate performance rewards focus efforts in the here and now to the detriment of the long run. Goals may be perceived as ceilings (maximum effort needed) rather than floors (minimum effort required). People may want to take a break, relax, rest or pause at completion of a goal. There may have been substantial energy, overtime or sacrifice involved in reaching a goal. Or as in the example of the sales person who reaches his sales goal earlier in the month, takes a couple of days off to play golf before he has to get started on the next month’s goal.

             Too many goals which may contain long and short term and quantity and quality requirements will tend to lead to the short term, quantity goals being completed. This will likely lead to results different than envisioned by the goal setting person. The manager may have been trying to generate a well rounded effort which will not be reached. This is very visible in public companies which have to juggle increasing short term shareholder growth as shown by quarterly profits (short term quantity goals) and  increasing the company net worth (long term quality goals).

             Goals can harm motivation. They can become a means unto themselves or their own reward. Managers generally overvalue and overuse goals, especially when goals are used as strictly a motivational tool (as opposed to team building, for example). Simple or poorly conceived goals can become a cop-out for managers who are not willing to properly construct and monitor goals. An extreme situation might be where a manager gives the challenging goal to increase the district’s revenue by 15% this quarter. Further, he tells you he is giving you a “free reign” to reach the goal. He wants you to use your initiative and solve his problem. It is one thing to consult employees in goal setting but quite another to require the employee to create the goal. Having employees set non-supervised goals may lead to goals that are in their best interest, not the company. Without some goal setting training the process of goal setting is a sham. Poor managers blame the employees when they themselves are to blame.

             In conclusion, it is easier to create problems than solve problems through goals and goal setting. Too narrow a focus goals, quantity vs. quality goals, inappropriate time horizons all lead to poor or destructive goals. The question becomes, is a particular goal really helping or hurting, reaching the desired outcome or missing the target. It is neither an easy nor straightforward process to create well crafted goals regardless of what you hear or are told.