You are sitting in a meeting and everybody nods when the new long-term goals of your organisation are presented: ‘We want to have zero emissions by 2030’, ‘We aim to provide optimal customer service’, or ‘We want to be the best employer in our region’. Every organisation and team sets goals. They help us to bundle our focus, and create purpose for what we do. But generally these goals don’t lead to immediate action. So what if you are responsible for making progress on these goals? Find out how you can make the first step in sparking action on long-term goals and use the checklist below to start today.
It might not by top of mind, but if you are responsible for making progress on projects like the ones mentioned above, you are essentially in the business of behavioural change: without any change in behaviour your goals remain empty and meaningless.
Just consider setting goals in your own life. Wouldn’t it be nice to have an amazing physique, maybe a six pack or get compliments about the way you look? Most people dream about having a fit and strong body. But you don’t simply become an athlete or get a dream body by thinking about this goal. You also have to decide what you are going to DO to make progress on your goals, and yes… start somewhere. So if you are serious about your goal, you decide what new habits you will adopt, you’re planning when to work on it and you organise the social support to keep yourself motivated.
This sounds really obvious in sports right? But what about your project and your long term goals? What are the people in your team and organisation have to DO to accomplish the goals? One thing is for sure: talking and thinking about it or just having some meetings now and then, won’t get you any closer to your goal. If you really want to spark action, you make sure that you set behavioural goals first.
What are behavioural goals?
Behavioural goals are all the observable actions that you and your team will perform to achieve your goal. Let’s give you an example. If your long term goal is to have zero carbon emissions as a company in the future, then the behavioural goals are all the actions which determine the success of this. In this case it forces you to think about what causes your current emissions, what behaviour will bring it down and then you can start to make bold decisions on how to change. This is normally the moment where you feel a bit overwhelmed, as you start to realise how difficult it is to actually change. Don’t worry too much. This is normal: it’s the same pain you’ll experience if you think about all the training that is necessary to get the body you dream of.
How to start with behavioural goals?
If you want to use behavioural goals for your project, you’ll simply start by answering the basic question: ‘But what if it works…?’ Let’s say you have become the company that has zero emissions in 2030. What would that look like? What are people doing different in that company? What actions can you observe in the future that contributes to your goal? If you take the time to answer these questions, you trigger visualisations and help people to peel down the goal. You might realise that your company needs to insulate the building, consider transport for colleagues that has no emissions or use different materials for your projects. Now you probably understand why it can be overwhelming to set behavioural goals: you will expose new problems that needs to be solved. But hey! You are about to make some real progress. :)
Examples of behavioural goals in this case can be:
‘We want colleagues to use modes of transport that will reduce our footprint’
‘We want to gradually modify our building to bring emissions down.’
’We want to use materials and products that are as carbon neutral as possible.’
The benefit of setting behavioural goals
The real benefit of using behavioural goals is the fact that it gives you a visual path about the ‘how’ you are going to succeed in your goal. It allows you to determine where you are right now, what the desired behaviour is in the future and it helps you to plan the first small step in the actual behaviour. It can even allow you to connect it with data and to measure your progress.
Suggestions to spark action with behavioural goals:
Gather a small group that has an interest in your topic.
Ask questions to help people visualise the desired future. Start with ‘what if…’
Determine the behaviours that are necessary to succeed in your goal.
State behavioural goals. Make sure the goals are measurable. Based on the goal you should be able to determine where you are now and where you want to be.
Think about the first small step that you could start doing tomorrow.
Congratulations, you made your first step in sparking action at a long term goal. And although it is only the first, it is an essential step to make real progress. I personally believe that a project without behavioural goals is the same as dreaming of a strong body without honestly realising the effort that you have to put in. You will notice that having a behavioural goal will boost motivation and spark action. Did you like these tips? All the tips shared in my blogs are derived from social sciences. Behavioural science has taught us a lot about how you can impact change. Stay tuned for more tips about how to use behavioural insights.