A key superpower to become a successful leader in any organization is the ability to "get things done." Before you can "get things done," you'll need to set goals. Goals that are specific, challenging, and measurable. We will not go deep into setting goals in regards to the "S.M.A.R.T." model. Instead, we'll talk about the two types of goals--outcome goals and process goals.
Majority of us are used to creating outcome goals: "To increase revenue by 25%," "To lower operating cost by 10%," "To lose 50 lbs in one year," or "to run a marathon." These are goals where we identify a desired future state or end goal. Outcome goals are important. Nothing wrong with them at all. It gives us a way to picture what end result we want to achieve. Visualizing success and what we want to ultimately achieve. It helps us visualize how we want things to end-up after a set amount of time. However, to truly get things done in the best possible way, it is an imperative to set “process goals" as well.
Here are some examples of process goals accompanied by its corresponding end goals:
To stop drinking soda. (Lose X amount of weight)
Run 15 minutes a day for first 2 weeks, 30 minutes for following two weeks, etc… (To run a marathon)
30 minutes of weights training 4x a week (To gain muscle mass/get stronger)
Consume less than 1,800 calories daily (To lose X amount of weight)
To write 500 words a day. (Finish writing my book)
Process goals are meant to create micro-wins. Small, easily attained tasks that are still meant to stretch your skills slowly. This approach will help you sustain your forward momentum to achieve your ultimate end goal. The key to successfully executing this approach is creating incremental timeline landmarks that are easily scalable to increase efficacy by achieving continuous stretching of your skills. If you are achieving your process goals too easily or if you’re painlessly cruising along on your daily tasks, you’re probably not challenging yourself well enough to be successful.
Of course, there are special individuals out there who don’t need process goals to propel them towards their end goal. Unfortunately, most people, like me, are still working on becoming relentless, goals-driven individuals who have the superpowers to achieve the unachievable without getting burnt out, discouraged, and getting mental and physical fatigue.
To share with you a couple of my personal and professional goals this year, I’m committing 60 minutes a day to write towards finishing my book, and I’m working out at least 3x a week while maintaining a maximum of 1,500 daily calorie intake to ultimately lose another 40 lbs. in the next six months.
Please do share your end goals with their corresponding process goals in the comments below. I look forward to learn from you.