Goals
Contents
Goals from a Viking perspective means being a good merchant
In the old Viking rules, we find §3 Be a Good Merchant with the following sub-items.
* Find out what the market needs * Don’t promise what you can’t keep * Don’t demand overpayment * Arrange things so that you can return
Defining goals and objectives is crucial. Without them, you are not likely to be successful; you will be disappointed, run out of time, energy or money before you reach your success. A good goal definition keeps you focused. The goals define WHAT you want to reach, and the objectives describe the steps HOW you will work towards the goal. Goals and objectives must have a purpose and must be measurable. You and other people must be able to assess whether the goal/objective was reached at a certain point in time and to what extent.
If you listen to successful people, they have a clear vision of their goal, and they have focus. You get a clear vision from an active mental image of the goal. Visualisation is a valuable tool that can help you motivate yourself and focus better to achieve your goals. You can improve your goals using the SMART criteria.
Types of Goals
In psychology, there is a whole theory on goal setting, ve realization, motivation and positive feelings. Goals serve as regulators of human actions, and specific goals give better results than vague, general goals. Difficult goals give better results than easy goals.
End goals and Means goals
Different overlapping terms are used to identify different goals. In general the division that is agreed on is between:
1. End goals, also named Process goals, Creative goals or Mastery goals 2. Means goals, also named Performance goals or Productive goals.
End goals focus on improvement of performance or behaviour in terms of novel, appropriate. These goals focus on effort, stamina, change, strategy, actions to reach the goal. The person wishes to improve him/herself and assesses against previous mastery. The idea is to define the end you want to achieve.
Means goals focus on the means to achieve the end goals, often a single outcome, standards coming from elsewhere. The goals have a clearly defined result, level, or time limit. The person wishes to do better than someone else, to win against someone else etc.
In general end goals give people more satisfaction than means goals. If you do not reach your means goal, the fact that you fail is evident and gives you negative feelings. This situation is closely related to the effects of having a Fixed Mindset. Goals setting causes attention and action so that aspects of a job for which no associated goals will be ignored or neglected. With a means goal, the productivity will rise, but negative effects on process and creativity may arise. A person may be more productive at work with increasing sales and more written reports. However, this person may neglect colleagues and team-work, resulting in reduced performance in other areas, or more pressure and work for others.
End goals are less likely to result in negative feelings because of failure. You can try alternative routes and feel reward in the effort you have put in. A mistake is a step that helps you to get to your goal. This idea is closely related to having a Growth Mindset. End goals are likely to be pursued holistically, meaning that there is less tendency to ignore or neglect other people or other tasks.
Means goals are needed to make the end goals work; they are somehow the implementation of the end goals. There are typically several means goals for each end goal.
When you want to find your end goal, and you have some means goals, you can ask the question "why": Why do I want more money? Why do I want this new car? Why do I want to run the marathon? In the other direction, when you have the end goal and need the means goals, the question is how: How can I become more happy? How can I live my life to the fullest? How can I feel satisfied?
Dream goals and Implementation goals
Dream goals are goals that you wish would be realised. They can be vague as well as clear, but they are unplanned. There is no intention to implement them; thus, there are no actions or steps taken to realise the dream goals. Implementation goals aim at realisation. They are planned: steps and actions are taken to reach the goal. The WOOP method allows to turn wishes into goals and to achieve them finally.
Cultural differences: Independent goals and Interdependent goals
Goal setting and the feeling related to them is different for people from different cultures. In cultures where independence is highly valued, people prefer to choose their own goals, they select goals that make them stand out, and pride is a positive attribute. Consequently, they are more successful when they have freedom of choice and can choose independent goals. In cultures where interdependence is highly valued, people appreciate the family's and the group's well-being. They will choose more harmonious goals that benefit the in-group members and their feelings. They are more successful and happy when selecting interdependent goals. They are likely to choose a goal that is not their own but their parents' or the group's goal.
