SMART goals are great. DUMB goals are even better.
By DUMB, I mean goals that are Dream Driven, Unrealistic, Meaningful and Benefit Others.
Especially right now, when teams, companies and organizations are try to close out the year strong plus get a start on strategic planning for next year, knowing what motivates and inspires human behavior at the highest level of performance is vital.
I’d argue that, of the four components of DUMB goals, one is perhaps the most important in taking action:
Benefits others.
Every goal, even if it’s an individual one, benefits others. Does the accomplishment of a goal make you feel better? If so, then it makes you act better. And you acting better benefits others.
Get what I’m sayin’?
I’m not going to sugar coat this: when I speak on this concept, many people nod and say they get it. But they don’t really, truly, GET IT.
For example, I got this email from a sales director after a speaking engagement last week. We went back and forth a couple of times because a team member of his has a pretty lofty weight loss goal.
I said it was the perfect DUMB goal. In particular, because there are many people that will benefit and it’s critical he stays connected to that.
This was the response:
Here is the breaking point.
It's great that other people (his new family) will benefit from his success. Does he KNOW how much they will benefit from his success?
Success, in anything, is an outcome. And the time to think about the benefit of others is in the process.
Rarely do we think about the benefit to others when we don't feel like doing something. We get stuck in our own head and our direction of focus is inward.
In this case, when he needs to exercise, eat healthy, drink water, sleep more, will he be thinking about himself or others?
When I'm working on a book and I don't feel like writing, editing, researching, am I thinking about myself or how the book could change someone's life?
If you're looking to grow your business and you're not motivated to prospect, are you thinking about you or how your solution can benefit your client or customer?
THAT direction of focus at the most pivotal time, the PROCESS, is the difference between inaction and action. Or inconsistent and consistent.
Or The Norm and Outperform.
Keep Outperforming,
