Goals as a Force Equation

The carrot and the stick theory has proven to be obsolete, and even harmful at times -organizations that take action to reward or punish have considerably realized that their endeavors were turning futile. This age illustrates a new movement of strengthening, invigorating and empowering employees regardless of what is still occurring at a massive scale with the majority feeling unappreciated or unfairly treated. No one can deny that there are potential steps up the ladder towards more strategic and well-knit cultures, that encompass a well-supported line of sight.

The process is simple. Once the vision, the mission, and the objectives are well-discussed, shaped, and articulated to the stakeholders, they all are geared towards planning and executing the plans to fulfill the organization’s statement. However, to do the planning, a set of goals must be set first.

Setting the goals cannot be a silo task. Just like an organization comprises of departments and sections, the goals must be a canvas – sets of well-structured, grounded goals that tie together to form a direction line towards the desired outcomes. It is a force equation that all departments and sections need to navigate towards the achievement of the goals.

To establish this force equation within the departments and the sections, individuals are expected to set the variables of these equations. However, this cannot be successfully done while isolating individuals in the scope of the tasks. Individuals connect in the form of committees, pools, or teams to organize the tasks and coordinate accordingly so that each goal is properly reached.

This manner poses few factors to consider. First is the role of the senior leaders, as they assure that the employees’ paths are in tandem with the vision, mission, and objectives of the organization. It is true that employees do have to comprehend the significance of their roles, performance, and potential impact, but the primary effort of sketching the vision must be done by the senior leaders.

Second is the structure or the road map of the tasks or steps taken by the teams and the individuals. The structure, though, differs according to industries and beneficiaries, but the core is almost the same. Dictated by the type of industry, market, and services, the goals are carefully and strategically set. Included are the resources needed to carry out those goals into fruition.

Third is the quality control process that monitors the processes of setting the goals. This comprise all the steps, strategies, and techniques that are deployed to move from a point to another, then another, until the goal is intently fulfilled.

Fulfilling these goals may most of the time require brand new ideas, which naturally do not yet exist. That’s why following a design thinking process capitalizes on the potential of creating a new type of a goal - in other words, it diversifies resources for thinking creatively, and thus, set a different repertoire of ideas, adding richness to the process and uniqueness to the outcome.

However, the Debris?

Setting goals seems uncomplicated in concept; however, why are we still speaking and writing about problems in goal setting?

1. Allocating Tasks: By logic, goals are set after alignment meetings occur and the overall road map looks promising. However, when these tasks are not assigned to the proper members, who can validate their significance to the overall direction, the outcomes cannot be attained as expected. When a task that needs to be addressed by three for example, is handled by one, another disruption is likely to occur.

2. Deviation from the Path: Teams may lose track of the purpose behind setting their goals, and most of the time, they either get carried away by their vision speculations, or intentionally do not care to stay on track. As mentioned earlier, the role of senior leaders is tremendously valuable in maintaining a well-directed path.

3. Lack of Consistency: Sometimes the way the goals are handled is fractured, haphazard, and at the end the goals fail to be accomplished. Just like in any process of accomplishing a task or finishing a project, a certain pace and rhythm are required. When thinking of the goals and the allocated committees or the teams working on them, it is essential to keep a clear and balanced timeline to stay on task.

4. Absence of Feedback Loops: As teams start setting their goals, they may become alienated within their assignments and tasks, isolating themselves or their teams from each other’s input. As the process of identifying those goals emerge, the paths of communication on an individual and team scale demand to open and exchange feedback, both positive and negative. The positive feedback loop adds to the positive supportive output, and the negative loop regulates the forces involved to create a balanced bridge, connecting the goals to the outcomes.

5. Lack of an Iterative Approach: As the goal setting process starts to take shape, a need for new competencies might emerge. If the individuals or the teams are not well-equipped with the needed skills, then the goal setting is disrupted, and consequently the desired outcomes are too. That's why skill building and acquisition are fundamental along the way.

6. Lack of Communication Skills: When the members encounter difficulties in portraying their tasks in unison with the other members’ tasks and objectives, a major issue is revealed, which is a disruption in communication. In fact, one of the essential factors in moving forward with a process, such as the complexity of a goal-setting process, is the ability of the members to communicate their ideas, thoughts, and suggestions, and solidify their attempts at enhancing the general performance of the process.

Goal setting is a cognitive process that lies within the range of cognitive science and it can described as the process of identifying goals and setting them within a framework of collaboration and action in an alignment with the vision, mission, objectives, and the desired outcomes. It is a strategic force equation of carrying out tasks, modifying, and evaluating along the way, while remaining connected to the shared vision and value.

"When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.", as said by a Yogi.

Set your goals, connect them well, and stay engaged and creative. This equation is always a win-win !