Alright, put up your hands, how many of you set a goal for 2020 of surviving a pandemic? That’s what I thought. OK, how many have this as a goal for 2021? Let’s hope that “goal” means more than just managing to stay physically alive. We have had one of the most challenging years that any of us will ever experience but it gives us an opportunity to reflect on what is really important.
In keeping with that theme – what is important – creating a few goals for the coming year may provide an opportunity for change, growth, peace and prosperity in 2021. With that in mind, here are a few thoughts on the link between our behaviors and the outcomes we produce that will hopefully give us some food for thought as we head into that traditional “New Year’s Resolution” season.
Behavior vs. Outcome-Based Goals
We know that goal-oriented people are usually more successful, happier, and more productive. But setting and keeping goals is a skill, and like any skill, there’s a right way to do it. One thing you might find useful is separating your goals into behavior-based and outcome-based groupings. There are a few differences between the two, and knowing which is which can be very helpful.
Behavior-Based Goals
Behavior-based goals are typically changes you make to how you act. For example, “I want to handle stress better”, “I would like to be nicer to other”, and “I want to spend less time procrastinating.” These are all examples of behavior-based goals. They focus on how you personally feel and behave, rather than just looking purely at the results or outcome of your actions.
Behavior-based goals play into outcome-based goals, but they aren’t the same. When you change how you think and feel, often you’ll notice a change in results. But that’s not the focus, it’s just a pleasant side-effect.
In order to create behavior-based goals, you’ll need to reflect on how you feel when you’re completing a certain task. Do you get snippy with customers, family or coworkers in the mornings, or feel exhausted when you’re trying to meet a deadline? Focusing on the way you feel when you aren’t performing well and then making a concrete effort to change can help to make you more pleasant and productive.
Outcome-Based Goals
Outcome-based goals are changes you make to your performance. For instance, answering your emails faster, reducing the amount of errors you make, and setting and getting projects done on time are all outcome-based goals. They focus on the outcome of your actions, rather than how you feel about performing your tasks.
Outcome-based goals tend to be easier to quantify. You can count the number of emails you respond to before lunch, and you can keep track of the amount of time you spend on a certain project. For this reason, most people focus on making outcome-based goals. After all, your progress is so much more obvious and easier to quantify.
Making Them Work Together
The real key to success is melding behavior-based goals with outcome-based goals. Often you can get to the root of a problem by changing your behavior, and then watch as your outcomes change. Sometimes it’s hard to separate the two, and that’s okay. Just don’t lose sight of the fact that your performance is a mix of both. Having the right mindset is just as important as working hard if you want to succeed.
And with that in mind, let’s not let 2020 go to waste and lose the time that we spent thinking. Thinking about the changes we want to make, thinking about what could be better in our lives, thinking about the new possibilities that we can explore and achieve. Let’s go beyond the obvious and shallow what we want to have and what we want to do and seriously consider what we want to be. Let those creative juices flow and make 2021 your best year ever.