Goals are powerful tools to help us achieve what we want in life, but managing our expectations is just as important. The truth is that no matter how hard we try, we will not always achieve our goals exactly as we envisioned them. This doesn’t mean that we have failed or that we shouldn’t appreciate our progress along the way. In fact, recognizing and appreciating progress can have a positive impact on our emotional well-being.
Focusing on the failure of not achieving a goal can be detrimental to our mental health. It can lead to feelings of disappointment, frustration, and even depression. Perhaps most critically, focusing on the ‘failure’ can also cause us to give up on the goal entirely, and damage our feeling of self worth. Recognize that any goal worth setting will be a challenge to achieve, and it is important to acknowledge that there will be setbacks along the way and be open to outcomes that are not exactly as we envisioned them.
I’m not suggesting that we ignore failure, however it is essential to focus on progress, learning and growth. Even if we don’t achieve our goals, we can still learn valuable lessons along the way that can help us grow and develop. Recognizing our progress and the steps we take towards our goals can help us feel more motivated and positive about the process.
Suppose you set a goal to lose 20 pounds in three months, but only lost 10 pounds. You may feel disappointed and even give up on your goal. You might even back slide so far that you gain all the weight back and then some. However, if you focus on the progress and realize that you were able to lose 10 pounds, you can acknowledge that this is a significant accomplishment. You may also recognize that you developed healthier eating habits and exercised more, which are positive changes that will benefit you in the long run.
Appreciating progress can also help us stay motivated towards our goals. Celebrating even small successes can provide a sense of accomplishment and momentum to keep going. It’s essential to keep in mind that progress towards a goal almost NEVER linear, so focusing on the positive can help us stay committed and persevere through challenges.
These principals translate directly to leadership as well. It is crucial to set clear goals for your team that are challenging but achievable. However, it’s also important to be mindful of the impact of unrealistic expectations and the potential negative effects they can have on a team’s morale and motivation.
Sometimes it is possible to break down larger goals into smaller ones. This approach can help team members feel a sense of progress and accomplishment as they work towards the larger goal. Regular check-ins and feedback sessions can also be helpful to track progress and ensure that everyone is on the same page.
As a leader, it’s crucial to be positive and supportive when team members are making progress, even if it’s not quite as much as they (or you) had hoped. This positive reinforcement can help boost morale and keep team members motivated.
It can also be very effective to ‘celebrate failure’ as a way to shed light on the fact that sometimes when we try hard things we fail, and that we can always learn something from the failure to help us move forward. Failures should be an opportunity to provide constructive feedback and have open discussions about what might have been done differently. Staying away from judgement, blame and accusation creates an environment where people are not afraid to try things because they know it is OK to ‘fail’ if they learn from the experience and make progress.
These steps can help to create a culture of continuous improvement. Encouraging team members to reflect on their progress and identify areas for growth can help foster a growth mindset and create a sense of shared responsibility for the team’s success. Leaders can facilitate this by providing opportunities for training and development, setting up mentorship programs, and encouraging team members to learn from their mistakes.
As a leader you want to set clear, challenging and achievable goals, and manage expectations to avoid causing demotivation and disengagement. Recognizing and appreciating progress is a powerful motivator for teams, even when goals are not fully met. Creating a culture of continuous improvement will improve engagement and help teams grow and develop, while timely and constructive feedback will support ongoing learning and development.
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