Understanding and accepting a goal, setting a plan to achieve it and then executing the plan.  This is a generic description of the achievement cycle each of us goes through repeatedly.

You might not consciously flow through the steps, however it is highly probable, if not a certainty, that you have completed this cycle at least once, if not hundreds of times in the past 6 months.

What’s the Point?

As I have noted many times in the past, knowing where you are going, that is, what you are trying to achieve (i.e., the goal) is a critical component  to success.

In this context, my reference to success is specifically about the accomplishment of a aim or purpose with the assumption that the purpose is positive, desirable and fulfilling.

What Matters Most

Assuming you buy in to the value of the achievement cycle, the question for today is which aspect matters most?  The goal itself, the determing of the goal, the plan or the execution.

Think of it this way, the goal is to deliver a new product to your customer.   You are not sure if the customer needs the product and the plan is to figure out how to create the product (and even what it is) as you go along.

During the execution phase, building something you are not sure is wanted, according to the seat of your pants, you remove all roadblocks with dynamite leaving a trail of bodies.

Good Outcomes

The product is created so the  goal is achieved.  The overall outcome though is another question.

This exaggerated example is intended to highlight the need for effective completion of ALL aspects of the achievement flow (including goal selection, planning and execution).

Focusing just on the final outcome can be very a very dangerous approach and often not at all sustainable.