Setting goals is an action every successful engineering leader must do for themselves and the team they lead. Failing to set goals leads to stagnation and an existence of reaction.  Both of these states are detrimental to project success and they’re entirely incompatible with career success.

Although engineer leaders have to react, it can’t be their normal operating mode.  Leaders establish goals to shape the future they want to live in.  As an engineer, I like the thought that setting and achieving goals builds the future I want to experience.  In fact, I view goal setting in the context of the design/build process for construction or spiral development for software and other rapid development engineering.

"You design the goal and then construct it.  A unified workflow from initial concept to final product."

Goal setting is an action that most, if not all, successful engineer’s undertake.  The reason is that humans are hardwired to work towards something - to build the tallest cathedral, to sail across an ocean, or travel to the moon.  We like to throw a challenge down and then organize ourselves and resources to make it happen.

The goals we set can make our careers and lives interesting and fulfilling.  They can yield for us degrees, certifications, travel, or the dream job.  Without an overarching strategy, however, goals are merely interesting and will leave you unfulfilled.  And when a person is unfulfilled, they’ll start on the next goal...then the next goal...then the next.

But when you have an overarching strategy guiding your goals, that shifts them from being merely interesting to compelling.

Start With A Basic Question: Why?

In the book Start With Why by Simon Sinek, the reader is introduced to the concept of the Golden Circle.  Every single person and organization on the planet has answers to these three questions:

What we do

How we do it

Why we do it

In most cases, when we undertake a goal we are able to clearly articulate what it is and what we perceive it will do for us, or others, once we achieve it.   We’re equally adept at articulating how we’ll go about achieving the goal.

What most people, and organizations as well, are not good at is clearly articulating why they are going after a goal in the first place.  This is a hazardous region to walk, because without a clear understanding of why you’re pursuing something, you will achieve and be left wondering what’s next.  Or worse, figure out that the goal achieved was the wrong one!

What does “why” look like?  Why is a purpose, a cause or a belief. It provides a clear answer to ‘why I get out of bed in the morning’, ‘why I want to be successful in my engineering career’, and ‘why my work should matter to anyone else’.

Making money is not a ‘why’. Revenues, profits, salaries and other monetary measurements are simply results of ‘what’ we do. Being ‘Vice President of Production’ isn’t a ‘why’ either.  It’s a ‘how’ we do what we do. The ‘why’ inspires us.  

Your ‘why’ will inspire us.

Reference:

Sinek, Simon. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. New York: Portfolio, 2009. Print.