How to set the right goals this year

January 9, 2023

Dear Rethinkers.

I hope you had a restful and enjoyable break. Hopefully, you’re feeling refreshed and optimistic for the year ahead. In the first edition of Rethink in 2023, we’re going to explore a topic I’ve talked about previously: goal setting. I’m sure that the process of setting goals is applicable to many of you at this moment – but are you setting the right kinds of goals?

Popular wisdom goes that the best way to achieve what we want personally and professionally is to set specific, challenging goals. For decades, I swallowed the Kool-Aid that goals – sales targets to hit, products to sell, marathon to run – are universally positive for improving motivation and performance. But I’ve had to learn how to rethink the process of goal-setting.
Maurice Schweitzer, a professor at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and his colleagues have conducted some fascinating research on what happens when we overprescribe to goal-setting. Here are some of the problems they’ve identified:

Problem #1: Goals are too focused or narrow

Problem #3: Quality versus quantity goals

Problem #2: Deprivileging other values

I love this quote from Michelangelo: “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”

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