Setting HARD Goals

Most of us set plenty of goals, but very few of them get achieved. For example, 85% of New Year’s Resolutions fail within 3 months.

To truly achieve our goals we need to radically change how we set them, says Mark Murphy in Hard Goals : The Secret to Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (November 12, 2010; McGraw-Hill).

To discover what keeps your brain humming with a goal (as opposed to just ho-hum), Murphy examined studies from neuroscience, psychology and behavioral economics.

What he found is that goals will only be achieved if you tap into your mind’s emotional, visual, survival and learning systems, that enable you to visualize and viscerally need to achieve. Just writing down a goal and taping it to your computer screen won’t guarantee success. The way to achieve any goal (health, financial, career, business, etc.) is to seek HARD goals—targets that are Heartfelt, Animated, Required and Difficult.

My second guest is Lori Brewer Collins, owner and managing principal of Artemis Leadership Group, a firm that focuses on leadership and organizational development, executive coaching and team facilitation. Collins' background includes the Center for Creative Leadership - Europe as well as consulting and training for leaders and teams throughout Europe, Asia, North America, and the Middle East. She was a part of the original team at Saturn Corporation (General Motors) where she was leader of corporate culture and retail training. Her distinct gift is helping others to achieve clarity in the midst of complexity, uncertainty and change.