Goal Orientation

I’ve never been someone who has a long-term plan. (In fact, my Hogan Assessment tells me that I value spontaneity and learning for myself on the fly.) And yet, I’ve DONE things that normally require a commitment to the “long term”—I’ve run two marathons, hold a Bachelor’s degree, and own a car. And yet, my three dead house plants would tell you otherwise.

It’s easy to see that people who set goals and commit to achieving them are generally more likely to achieve those goals. Why? “A high level of goal commitment…is conducive to a positive relationship between goal level and performance” (Vandewall et al, 2019, p. 126).

Do you have to set long-term goals in order to be successful?

Sometimes, I think “goals” aren’t rooted in the right thing. You can figure out the value of doing something as you go—the benefit is to learn from the experience, not just go through the experience.

For example, are you going to get your Master’s because you want a Master’s? Or because your goal is to learn about the topic? You’ll have vastly different levels of commitment and success choosing one or the other.

Keeping a learning mindset during goal setting is crucial to success.

Vandewalle, D., Nerstad, C. G. L., & Dysvik, A. (2019). Goal Orientation: A review of the miles traveled and the miles to go. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 6, 115-144.