I have an unpublished draft where I was ranting about our goal-setting and productivity culture. We have career goals, money goals, exercise goals, nutrition goals etc...There's this desire to move forward and optimise our lives. In one way, goals help us move forward towards "good" desired outcomes. But they're not the tool for every challenge. I found this HBS paper that describes the downsides of goalsetting (https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/09-083.pdf) Maybe I'll write this essay one day
Sometimes, I struggle with balancing having enough goals vs being more free form. I remember being in a career development conversation with a manager in the past. And they asked what I wanted to do in 10 years and to work backwards from that. So we could plan out my steps. I barely know what I want to eat tomorrow....and yet I'm supposed to know that??
Dec 31, 2022·edited Dec 31, 2022Liked by Martin Prior
Martin, I completely get why you dislike goals, but you have to have direction and it helps motivation if you have milestones against which you can measure progress. It sounds like you have had some poor leaders in your time at work. This is unfortunately far too common, but it was also the opportunity that I have cashed in on for the last 25 years by making myself into a leadership coach.
The problem is many workplaces is that when a promotion opportunity comes up bosses tend to look at who is best at what they are doing now and offer them a team leader role. But being good at doing is not the same as being good at leading.
Anyway, in view of what you say about your ambitions for your Substack may I suggest that you give yourself a mission.
Dec 31, 2022·edited Dec 31, 2022Liked by Martin Prior
Martin I completely get why you dislike goals, but you have to have direction and it helps motivation if you have milestones against which you can measure progress. It sounds like you have had some poor leaders in your time at work. This is unfortunately far too common, but it was also the opportunity that I have cashed in on for the last 25 years by making myself into a leadership coach.
The problem is many workplaces is that when a promotion opportunity comes up bosses tend to look at who is best at what they are doing now and offer them a team leader role. But being good at doing is not the same as being good at leading.
Anyway, in view of what you say about your ambitions for your Substack may I suggest that you give yourself a mission.
Hi Martin. This is timely because I'm looking into setting up an accountability group for my own newsletter for Resolutions, good habits, etc. There's a lot of thinking out there that supports habits over goals so I get what you are saying.
I have an unpublished draft where I was ranting about our goal-setting and productivity culture. We have career goals, money goals, exercise goals, nutrition goals etc...There's this desire to move forward and optimise our lives. In one way, goals help us move forward towards "good" desired outcomes. But they're not the tool for every challenge. I found this HBS paper that describes the downsides of goalsetting (https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/09-083.pdf) Maybe I'll write this essay one day
Sometimes, I struggle with balancing having enough goals vs being more free form. I remember being in a career development conversation with a manager in the past. And they asked what I wanted to do in 10 years and to work backwards from that. So we could plan out my steps. I barely know what I want to eat tomorrow....and yet I'm supposed to know that??
Martin, I completely get why you dislike goals, but you have to have direction and it helps motivation if you have milestones against which you can measure progress. It sounds like you have had some poor leaders in your time at work. This is unfortunately far too common, but it was also the opportunity that I have cashed in on for the last 25 years by making myself into a leadership coach.
The problem is many workplaces is that when a promotion opportunity comes up bosses tend to look at who is best at what they are doing now and offer them a team leader role. But being good at doing is not the same as being good at leading.
Anyway, in view of what you say about your ambitions for your Substack may I suggest that you give yourself a mission.
Just a thought. Hope it helps.
Martin I completely get why you dislike goals, but you have to have direction and it helps motivation if you have milestones against which you can measure progress. It sounds like you have had some poor leaders in your time at work. This is unfortunately far too common, but it was also the opportunity that I have cashed in on for the last 25 years by making myself into a leadership coach.
The problem is many workplaces is that when a promotion opportunity comes up bosses tend to look at who is best at what they are doing now and offer them a team leader role. But being good at doing is not the same as being good at leading.
Anyway, in view of what you say about your ambitions for your Substack may I suggest that you give yourself a mission.
Just a thought. Hope it helps.
Great insight!
Hi Martin. This is timely because I'm looking into setting up an accountability group for my own newsletter for Resolutions, good habits, etc. There's a lot of thinking out there that supports habits over goals so I get what you are saying.
Thank you Martin. Appreciate the mention. We have similar style and I like your newsletter too.