Raise the Bar or Lower the Bar

In their book Switch: How to Change things When Change Is Hard, the authors Chip and Dan Heath describe a powerful idea that runs counter to what many of us have thought about stretch goals as motivators of change. They claim stretch goals are not as effective as smaller bite-size goals that are easier to meet. Such "shrunken goals" more readily and steadily provide positive and reinforcing feedback to the person or group that is undergoing change.

This idea is also supported by the getting-things-done guru, David Allen, who advocates focus on the next action, and not on comprehensive - and daunting - to-do lists. This baby steps approach is not new, of course, but it conflicts with the infamous stretch-goal ideal often touted by corporate leadership. The stretch goals may be great for defining long-term vision, but they can be counter-productive in motivating day-to-day change actions.