Goals Your Clients Will Be Happy Withpar Stephane Gaskin, ACC
The acronym S.M.A.R.T has been used for decades to help people set and achieve their goals. It serves as criteria to which goals are to be measured against. The idea is that the chances that a goal will be achieved depend on whether the goal is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timed. Many coaches develop a line of questioning that gets clients to reflect upon these elements to have them adjust their goals accordingly. However, relying only on S.M.A.R.T. may lead both the coach and client to miss important aspects of what makes goals conducive to happiness and well-being. A goal can be S.M.A.R.T. but not lead to happiness if it is not in harmony with other aspects of the client’s life or based exclusively on performance. In this article, I propose a complement to S.M.A.R.T., along a powerful questions that increases, not only the probability that goals will be achieved, but that once achieved your clients will be happy with them.
Goals are more likely to lead to happiness and well being if they are compassionate, harmonious, approach, mastery, challenging and autonomous (C.H.A.M.C.A.). Each of these elements has its less desirable counterpart: self-image, obsessive, avoidance, strictly performance, easy and controlled.
C.H.A.M.C.A.
Compassionate/Self-image
Compassionate goals include benefits to other people. Having someone else benefit from your achievements is not only a service to your community or entourage but raises the client’s self-esteem. Self-image goals strictly reflect a concern for the image projected by your client to others. Having only self-image goals is related to stress and anxiety.
Question: “How will your goal benefit someone else, entourage or community?”
Harmonious/Obsessive
Harmonious goals blend with other aspects of your client’s life. Obsessive goals are pursued relentlessly despite obvious harm to the client, others or important relationships. For example, moving to another city to get her dream job, despite uprooting her kids and threatening her marriage.
Question: “Are there any important things in your life that you will be giving up to achieve your goal?
Approach/Avoidance
Approach goals move your clients towards something. Avoidance goals are goals that move your client away from something. It is easier to devise an action plan that moves your client towards something than away from something (e.g. weight loss or smoking cessation). Avoidance goals also lead your clients to focus on negative aspects of their behaviour. Avoidance goals are reformulated into approach goals by seeking their higher purpose. This is done by asking the client what achieving their goals will do for her and/or for others. For example, "I want to lose weight" can be reformulated into an approach goal by asking about the benefits of loosing weight. The answer to this question will be an approach goal “I will be healthier” or “I will finally be able to go out and do sports with my kids”.
Question: “What will achieving that goal do for you?”
Mastery/Performance
People with mastery goals seek to learn and understand something new on the way to achieving their goals. People with strictly performance goals often more concerned with seeking favorable judgment from others and the end result. Mastery goals are related to persistence in the face of adversity. Satisfaction comes less from the final outcome than from the process, feedback and the personal growth. People with mastery goals are less concerned with their ability level. They see failure as a chance to grow. People with strictly performance goals are more concerned with ability level and view effort as sign of a lack of ability. They are also more likely to choose easy goals with a higher probability of success, which prevents them from reaching their full potential.
Question:“How interested or passionate will you be about the steps on the way to achieving your goal?”
Challenging/Easy
Goals have to be challenging enough as to not be “boring” but realistic enough as to not lead to anxiety and discouragement. Lowering the bar for an experienced high jumper is not likely to keep her motivated. In contrast, setting the bar too high for a beginner is likely to lead to discouragement. The client must be able to imagine that she is going to succeed at taking the necessary steps to achieve her goals. Achieving challenging goals provide a greater level of satisfaction, personal growth and self-worth than do easy goals. People often set easy goals when they are afraid of failing.
Question: “To what extent does your goal require you to stretch your ability level?”
Autonomous/Controlled
Autonomous goals are intrinsically motivated. Intrinsic motivation means that you do not need external rewards, such as money, praise or status enhancement for you to keep being interested in achieving your goals. The pursuit of the goal is in itself is rewarding to you. Controlled motivation means that your goal stems from something you have to do or that you do strictly for an external reward.
Question: “To what extent are you motivated to achieve your goal for its own sake, without counting the benefits of an external reward or just because your are obligated to achieve it?”
Goals do not have to meet all of the elements of C.H.A.M.C.A. to lead to happiness. Context is important. It is our job as coaches to exercise judgment for when a goal can safely conform to one of the elements of C.H.A.M.C.A. For example, it may be important for someone to find work soon in order to put food on the table regardless of whether the goal is autonomous or controlled.
Further Readings
Crocker, J., et al. (2010). “Interpersonal goals and change in anxiety and dysphoria in first-semester college students.” J Pers Soc Psychol 98(6):
Dweck, Carol S. 1986 Motivational processes affecting learning.
American Psychologist, Vol 41(10), Oct 1986, 1040-1048.
Gagné, M., & Deci, E. L. (2005). Self-determination theory and work motivation.
Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26, 331-362.
Ryan, R. M. and E. L. Deci (2000). “Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being.” Am Psychol 55(1): 68-78.
