The Performance Paradox

Yes!  I want to be a high performer!

Yes!  I want to accomplish all of my goals!

Sorry.  You can’t have it both ways.

What!?!  Why?

While it may seem like a contradiction – the only way to maximize your performance is to give up your desire to attain your goals 100%.

Research on goals shows that the higher you set your goals, the greater performance you will have.*  So, if you want to be a high performer you need to set high goals.

But, the higher you set your goals the greater chance you have of falling short of them.

You need to choose.  What will it be – Performance or Goal Attainment?

High performers know that it is smart to set huge goals.  They use the goals to inspire them to higher levels of performance.  But they care a lot more about their actual performance than whether they completely meet the goal.  The goal is simply a mechanism to help them achieve higher levels of performance.

You can read more about all of this in my article, The Power of Goals.

What will you choose?

I hope you choose Performance.  If you do, you can make a Breakthrough Mission Impact for those you serve.

*A Theory of Goal Setting & Task Performance, by Edwin Locke and Gary Latham, 1990.

For more ideas on how you can lead breakthroughs in your organization, follow this blog and check out my web site at www.SheehanNonprofitConsulting.com   You will find free resources you can download, including a Breakthrough Strategy Workbook that you can download at no cost.  You can also check out my book, Mission Impact:  Breakthrough Strategies for Nonprofits, and buy it if you are interested.  And you can follow Sheehan Nonprofit Consulting on Facebook.