As a people leader, and as a longtime executive and team coach, I’ve been involved in the goal setting process for decades. Sometimes it feels cumbersome. Other times, it is exciting and energizing. Why the difference?
Over the years that I coached individuals and executive teams, I worked more and more with my clients to focus, to narrow down, to get specific. If you have to grow OG by 10%, you have to have a specific plan. If you only have eight months to get product out the door, you cannot waste it on ‘nice to haves’. When my executive coaching clients need to turn around their teams or change their personal impact (and brand) quickly, it’s about focusing on KEY behaviors and CRITICAL actions.
As a long-time fan of The Huberman Lab podcast, I was interested in his take on the science of goal setting (August 28, 2023 episode). Turns out, the brain science behind successful goal setting aligns with what I’ve experienced with my clients. There are a few myths I’d like to address:
- More is Better.
- Aspirations are Enough.
- Share your goals with the WORLD.
Let’s address the myth that more is better when it comes to goals. More is not better. More is a distraction. We all know ‘multi-tasking’ doesn’t work. Our brains don’t actually work this way. We’re simply losing productivity and higher-level thinking by shifting between tasks quickly. Rather, we know now that we should do one thing for a definitive amount of time and then switch to another activity/focus area. Goals are similar. If goals are what is MOST important and you’re introducing NEW behaviors and building new HABITS, you need to focus. How do you know if your new practices are working if you’re inserting habits and practices for 5 – 10 new things into your routine? You can’t.
If we are choosing to have a goal, it is often because we want to change something in our life. We want to start something new, tweak something existing, or stop an existing pattern or behavior. All of this takes mental energy and focus. So, my guidance is now… If it is important enough for you to make it a goal, you need to prioritize it and cut out other competing priorities. Yet, I cannot tell you how many emails (even from coaching companies) introduce me to goal setting frameworks and tools that want you to ID 5 – 10 goals for the year.
If you’re working on your own, Huberman is pretty clear that focusing on ONE goal at a time, ideally for THREE MONTHS, is a good way to go. Why 3 months? There is a natural rhythm in 12 weeks. It is a ‘season’. Our circadian rhythms change each season. A common view and measure of the business cycle is also quarters. By focusing on ONE goal, you can pay attention to the new behaviors and support needed.
As an executive coach, my clients do well with two goals. Why two and not one? Because they have me as a key accountability partner. And, with the coaching process, we are able to put in place the accountability systems, the feedback systems, and the necessary supports in place for two distinct goals. As I typically coach clients for 6-month periods, this lines up well with the two seasons/two quarters for two goals. I work with my clients not only to achieve a distinct goal, but to build the necessary system required for sustainable change. I.e., they are building habits.
**Spoiler alert ** Speaking of habits … I’m looking forward to taking a deeper dive into the science behind habits in future posts. I’m re-reading James Clear’s Atomic Habits (2018) and researching other works on habits. I’m excited about the nuggets I’ll be able to share.
References:
Clear, J. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habtis & Break Bad Ones (2018). Avery: New York.
Huberman, A. Huberman Lab Podcast: www.hubermanlab.com
Huberman, A. (2023): How to Set Goals and Make Them Stick: Huberman Lab Podcast, August 28. https://www.hubermanlab.com/subtopics/how-to-set-goals-and-make-habits-stick
