Set Systems Not Goals!

Goal setting can be difficult and achieving goals can be impossible. Maybe it’s time to set systems, not goals.

Have you set SMART goals – you know, are your goals Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Time bound?  Even when our goal statements are well written we don’t aheive them all.

Why do you have goals?  Is it because having goals is the best way to achieve your dreams?  Maybe.

What happens when you achieve your goal? 

Let’s say you’ve met your personal health goal to lose 10 pounds by November 1.  Great job!  How did you make that happen?  Skip meals? Exercise a little more? Cut out ice cream after dinner?  You can do a lot of things to lose weight quickly, but after you hit your goal, what happens?

If you’re like many Americans, you’ll begin to gain that weight back.  Why? You achieved your goal, but perhaps you didn’t address the underlying issue of eating more healthy or exercising more consistently.  If you’re gaining weight again, you likely didn’t build a system for weight control.  You made a series of short-term sacrifices.

Getting goals versus creating sytems

Here’s the difference between a goal and a system for weight loss.  You set a goal. Presumably if you follow your action plan, you’ll meet your goal.  If you instead you didn’t assign a number to your goal but focused on becoming more healthy, you would likely build longer term systems into your plan.  For example, you may learn to cook healthier foods, work moderately each day rather than killing yourself Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week.  By the way, how do you feel if you miss a workout?

A system is a process or set of actions that you follow daily to move toward an important outcome.

Here are three examples of systems I’ve observed as a dad.

The Ballet Dancer

Our first daughter is a professional ballet dancer.  Did she have a goal to do that?  Absolutely! But I would call it more of a vision.  She didn’t have a goal to be able to do a triple pirouette by March 31.  Instead, she followed instruction and trained daily – focusing on fundamentals of movement before she was able to do the pirouette.  Once she could do one triple pirouette, she worked to do them better.  Then she worked to do more of them.

Her dance skill improved through the years with excellent training and a 7 day a week system for dancing, eating, resting and studying.  In the end, she graduated from college with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Ballet performance.  She’s now in her 5th professional ballet season.  She succeeded in accomplishing her vision because worked witin a set of systems.

The Hockey Player

Our oldest son was the captain of his high school ice hockey team.  He began skating and playing hockey at a young age.  While he may have had a goal to play in high school and beyond, he developed his skill through a routine of practice – time on task.

As he progressed, our son played in travel hockey leagues.  This  exposed him to better coaching and increased his time on the ice and in off-ice training.  He learned how to compete, how to be a good teammate, and how to lead. As an upper class man, he earned the captain’s “C” for his jersey.  From my perspective, our son’s hockey success was developed with a system, rather than pursuing a goal with specific action items.

The Eagle Scout

Our youngest son recently earned the Eagle Scout rank from the Boy Scouts of America.  While he has a strong achievement orientation, our son benefited from systems in place in his local troop.  His Boy Scout troop offers scouts many opportunities for leadership, to earn merit badges, and to gain valuable life experiences.  While my son had a goal to become an Eagle Scout, he followed a system’s approach to get there.

Creating systems at work

At work, set sytems, not goals.  Systems approaches can benefit us, too.  For example, I’ve had the privilege to lead small sales teams for various companies over the past two decades.  Sales quotas come and go.  I’ve never sat down for a performance planning meeting with a sales representative who didn’t say “I want to finish #1,” or “I want to earn President’s Club,” or “I want to finish in the top 10% this year.”  I can’t think of a single time that all of the teammates who expressed these “goals” met them.

Instead, I coach my teammates that the outcome of each sales call is what matters.  We must control what we can, do the things we know are effective, and be consistent in developing mutual accountability both with our customers and our teammates.  I coach to a framework for selling and for territory management that ensures each representative understands and can navigate the sales process.  In short, we focus on the sales steps or systems we believe will deliver results.

Here’s a quick video you may like that outlines the differences between systems and goals.

If you’re interested in more insights about systems and goals, Read Scott Adam’s book, “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big.”

Do you think a systems approach may be more effective for you than a goals approach?  Share your comments.