The Will and the Way of Leadership Goals (Research)

Goals often define who will succeed and who won't. Just like you wouldn't jump into your car and head across the country to places unknown without a map, you also don't want to spin your wheels on goal setting if you do not have the ability or the desire to achieve such goals. According to research one must have the motivation to put effort on their goals (the will) as well as the capacity to achieve their goals (the way).

(Before we move on, this might be important. If you’re looking for some resources on how to set goals you may review Goal Setting Techniques)

Continuing......

The Will and The Way

The will and the way are going to determine whether or not you will be successful in achieving the goals you set or you will not be able to achieve those goals. Consider,

1. Success will take a level of motivation. You may have designed your methods down to the smallest granule of activity but if you can't stick with it each and every day you are going to struggle. It’s not enough to think about your skills, so you will need to have the will.

2. Goal achievement also requires careful thought on how, whether they are important enough to put effort into, what steps you will take, or the amount of time needed. The ability to think through how you are going to accomplish your goals with the resources and time you have at your disposable will determine the way.

According to this research the way is often related to cognitive skills, capacities and abilities while the will is related to people's motivation to complete a task and can be enhanced through the proper incentives. What one might consider is that while we are limited by general constraints such as our own abilities which may or may not be able to be improved, we can impact our motivation.

The Neuroscience of Goals and Behavior Change

Berkman ET. The Neuroscience of Goals and Behavior Change. Consult Psychol J. 2018 Mar;70(1):28-44. doi: 10.1037/cpb0000094. PMID: 29551879; PMCID: PMC5854216.