{"id":34771,"date":"2016-12-09T04:45:17","date_gmt":"2016-12-09T10:45:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michaelhyatt.com\/?p=34771"},"modified":"2016-12-09T04:45:17","modified_gmt":"2016-12-09T10:45:17","slug":"goal-setting-pitfalls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/goal-setting-pitfalls\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Avoid 3 Pitfalls of Goal-Setting"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve been an advocate of goal-setting for decades. Most successful people I know are. They set big goals and recommend others do as well. But some people are more doubtful.<\/p>\n\n

They point to significant goal-related disasters and suggest goals can backfire. In 2002, for instance, General Motors determined to boost its share of the U.S. automobile market to 29 percent, a position they hadn\u2019t held since 1999.<\/p>\n

The company was obsessed with the number. But they missed it. Why?<\/p>\n

When Goals Go Wrong<\/h3>\n

GM blamed the competition, especially from South Korea. \u201cIf the competition would just play a little fairer, we could do it,\u201d one executive explained<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But analysts said GM became so focused on the goal, they actually undercut their own business<\/a> to attain it. Because of bad decisions made in pursuit of their goal, the company ended up bankrupt and dependent on federal bailout dollars just to survive<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not just GM. Other organizations have fallen into the trap. In 2009, the same year GM filed for bankruptcy, a group of scholars published an article entitled \u201cGoals Gone Wild<\/a>,\u201d detailing several examples.<\/p>\n

An Excuse Not to Succeed<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s a useful article. And it points out several pitfalls goal-setters should watch for. But when I've heard from people about the article, I catch a strong whiff of cynicism. If I\u2019m honest, I think some are just looking for an excuse not to succeed.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s safe and easy to stay in the comfort zone. And when someone else catches a vision for stepping outside the comfort zone and achieving something significant, it\u2019s uncomfortable to watch. So they become naysayers.<\/p>\n

They say goal-setting doesn\u2019t work. It\u2019s risky. Or it causes more problems than it solves.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve personally studied goal-setting for years and practiced it even longer. The cautionary tales are just that\u2014cautions\u2014not reasons to avoid setting goals.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s look at three.<\/p>\n

3 Pitfalls Goal-Setters Should Avoid<\/h3>\n

Many of cautions contained in \u201cGoals Gone Wild\u201d relate to business environments, but some apply to individuals pursuing goals as well. Here are three pitfalls any goal-setters can avoid if they set their targets wisely.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Tunnel vision.<\/strong> GM fell prey to this one. They were so focused on hitting 29 percent, they lost track of the rest of their business.\n

    But as I teach in my course 5 Days to Your Best Year Ever<\/a><\/em>, you can\u2019t set a goal in one domain of life that will undercut another. Visibility on the full range of domains at the outset can prevent tunnel vision.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. Recklessness.<\/strong> Another pitfall is recklessness. Goals should be a little risky. Nothing spectacular happens inside your comfort zone. Difficult goals unlock motivation and prompt breakthrough thinking.\n

    But I also teach goal-setters to avoid what I call the delusion zone. Some goals are simply impossible. They don\u2019t inspire; they actually ensure failure.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Demotivation.<\/strong> Impossible goals kill our motivation. But that\u2019s not all. Sometimes we rely too heavily on external<\/em>, instead of intrinsic<\/em>, motivation. That can kill our motivation as well.<\/p>\n

    The answer is to tap into our internal drives and desires. I actually devote an entire lesson of Best Year Ever<\/a><\/em> to helping goal-setters identify their intrinsic motivations.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    How to Set Better Goals<\/h3>\n

    Can goal-setting backfire? Sure, if you do it wrong. As a corporate CEO, start-up CEO, mentor, and teacher, I\u2019ve led thousands of people through the goal-setting process.<\/p>\n

    The cautionary tales don\u2019t prove we shouldn\u2019t set goals. They just show us how to do it better.<\/p>\n

    If you\u2019re interested in setting goals that actually work, I\u2019m hosting a free, new webinar called 7 Steps for Taking Control of 2017: How to Leverage Goal-Setting to Design the Life You Want<\/a><\/em>. Don\u2019t miss it. Registration is free but spots are limited. Click here<\/a> to sign up.<\/p>\n

    Have you faced any of these goal-setting pitfalls? What did you do to overcome them?<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I\u2019ve been an advocate of goal-setting for decades. Most successful people I know are. They set big goals and recommend others do as well. But some people are more doubtful. They point to significant goal-related disasters and suggest goals can backfire. In 2002, for instance, General Motors determined to boost its share of the U.S. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":34780,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,29],"tags":[71,20,72,30,406],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Avoid 3 Pitfalls of Goal-Setting | Full Focus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/goal-setting-pitfalls\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Avoid 3 Pitfalls of Goal-Setting | Full Focus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I\u2019ve been an advocate of goal-setting for decades. Most successful people I know are. 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