Are your goals optimist proof?

Putting your optimism bias in check now can avoid frustration later.

THINK ON IT: Are your goals optimist proof? 

A new year — whether it’s a new calendar year or a new fiscal year — is an exciting time. We want to make our big plans and use the adrenaline and momentum of a fresh start to reach for the stars. 

But often, new year fever clouds our judgement. If entrepreneurs aren’t thoroughly in touch with reality, we can take a gigantic, overly-optimistic leap of faith and commit to something that’s not quite yet within reach. We shoot for a Mars landing when we have yet to make a moon walk. 

Early in the year, leaders see the hill they want to climb, but they may not fully realize the cost of doing so. 

Later in the year, once we’ve undertaken that big, scary goal, the reality of the challenge sets in. Unexpected obstacles appear. The going gets tough — and then it gets tougher. 

It’s essential for an entrepreneur to cast a vision and create audacious goals — we’d never have made that moon landing without one. But it’s also important to recognize that in our early-year optimism, we can dream so big that there isn’t a realistic chance of us accomplishing what we set out to do. 

So take a look at the goals you set for yourself and your team. How much has the enthusiasm for the new year, what psychologists call the “fresh start effect” or “optimism bias,” infected them?

Premium Members, read on for ways to check your optimist bias at the door. (Become a Premium Member. Paid subscribers get access to nearly 100 tools and how-tos on implementing strategic topics, including a 7-part series to help leaders build their own strategic capacity.)

“So, the question that must be asked upon beginning to work on an idea is: If I can’t create the thing I dream of, can I at least create the thing I’m capable of making?” — Warren Berger

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