Goal setting and

achievement
thinking--the key
to project and
professional
success
 
 
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CONFERENCE PAPER  Strategy  2010
Dye, Lowell D.
How to cite this article:
Dye, L. D. (2010). Goal setting and achievement thinking—the key to project
and professional success. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress
2010—North America, Washington, DC. Newtown Square, PA: Project
Management Institute.

Abstract
Achievement-motivated people not only think about what they
want to accomplish, but they also give attention to processes
and take action to accomplish their goals. They are
continuously thinking about what obstacles or blocks they
might encounter where they can get help, and how they will
feel if they succeed or fail in reaching their goals.
This paper presents an overview of three key motivators that
drive project stakeholders, illustrates a simple but effective
model for identifying and planning for professional
development and behavior change, and addresses several
factors that should be considered when taking an
achievement-oriented approach to goal setting and action
planning.
All stakeholders vary in what motivates them. However, most
managers are motivated by three primary things – the
opportunity to work with other professionals, the ability to
influence the organization and its output, and the desire to
meet or exceed objectives with respect to task
accomplishment. Successful people are never satisfied with
the status quo, especially with their own capabilities. They
continuously think about doing something unique, meeting or
surpassing standards or excellence, and advancing his or her
career through personal and professional development.
Professional development is a continuing cycle of setting
goals, modifying behaviors to accomplish those goals, and
evaluating progress. Project success and team members’
professional development depends on each person taking
responsibility for their own actions and developing appropriate
change and improvement goals. Goal setting is a critical part
of preparing for personal change and accomplishing project
objectives. Well written goals provide motivation, focus
attention, serve as a basis for managing performance, and
evaluating change.
Getting from the “As-Is” to the “To-Be”
Goals are about change, and more specifically, they are often
about behavior change. Goal setting and action planning are
rational ways of charting a path from a recognized, current set
of conditions (the As-Is) to a more desirable set of conditions
in the future (the To-Be). Exhibit 1 identifies a basic set of
steps that everyone goes through, either formally or informally,
when making any type of behavior change.
1. Goal Setting begins with a recognition of the current
condition or the “As-Is” – Goal setting in a work situation
typically begins with a recognition of a problem such as a
critical equipment issue, system problem, or lack of resources,
and reduced funding.
2. A picture of the desired condition or the “To-Be” state must
come next – This is an awareness of “the way it ought to be.”
The more clearly the future state can be defined and
envisioned, the easier it will be to create a viable action plan
to reach the goal.
3. Assess the gap - Once the current and the desired
conditions have been determined, the discrepancy between
them needs to be clearly identified. It is important to
understand not only but also the size of gap, but also the
details of why the gap is so large. A good way to determine the
gap size is to simply ask some basic questions such as, “What
is the difference between how I currently perform and how I
could perform?” and “What is the difference in the current
operational process and the desired process?”
4. Identify the real reason for the change – What is the primary
motive for needing to make the change? When involving a
personal change, this step might involve a great deal of
introspection. Organizational changes will also require some
level of introspection, but trying to get all stakeholders to
agree upon the reason for the change might be difficult. At the
 organizational level, the reason for the change is likely to be
driven by the most senior decision maker.
5. Make a commitment to change – Once the gaps are
identified and the need for change is acknowledged, it is
necessary to make a commitment to do something about the
discrepancies. Commitment is the expressed desire for
change. If there is little or no commitment, there might be an
immediate response, but no long-term change. If the
underlying reason for making the change is externally driven,
for example by a supervisor or some other stakeholder, the
level of commitment is likely to be less than if it is internally
driven. Externally driven goals, often get more “movement”
than motivated commitment. It is beneficial to publicly
express a commitment to change in order to convince others
in the organization to help and provide encouragement in
attaining the goals.
6. Set a specific change goal – A goal that meets the four
basic criteria for goal setting should be documented:

 Behaviorally specific – State what is specifically to be

accomplished
 Measurable – How will goal accomplishment be
measured? Can someone, other than the person setting the goal,
determine if it has been achieved?
 Realistic, but challenging – If a goal is unattainable,
eventually it will be abandoned and lesser results will be
considered acceptable. It the goal accomplishment is
considered to be a certainty, there is likely to be very little drive
to get it done.
 Time-phased – Goals without a timeline or deadline for
accomplishment provide no sense of urgency and, as a result,
are very easy to put off until later because of other priorities.
7. Develop and implement an action plan – Only after a goal
has been set is it possible to develop and implement a realistic
action plan for the goal’s attainment. This plan should also
consider obstacles and resources for help.

Exhibit 1 – Goal Setting Model

It is not enough to simply write a goal statement. It is
necessary to consider all of the factors that drive people to set
goals and influence their ability to accomplish those goals.
One of the most important factors in Exhibit – 1 is item number
four - understanding the primary motive or need underlying the
goal. In other words, why is it important to go through the
effort to make the change? Just as with a business case or a
project charter, without clearly understanding what is driving
the effort, the results are not likely to be as satisfactory as
desired; or worse the wrong goals might be set.

What Really Motivates Project Stakeholders

Most people are aware of the classic motivational theories –
Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (2010), Frederick
Herzberg’s Hygiene Factors and Motivators (), and Douglas
McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y(n.d.), just to name a few.
The basic principle behind all motivational theories is that
stakeholders’ motives generate a set of thoughts which, in
turn influence their behavior, which will drive them toward
goal accomplishment. This motive – thought – behavior
process is fundamental to why and how people set goals and
take specific actions to accomplish those goals. Everyone
involved with a project will have different thoughts and
displayed behaviors.

Exhibit 2 – Motive-Thought-Behavior Process

Three primary motives

Maslow, Herzberg and McGregor conducted research and

developed theories about human motivation that explored
motivation at all organizational and personal levels. Maslow’s
hierarchy of needs states that there are five motivational
factors, (1. physiological, 2. safety, 3. social, 4. esteem, 5. self-
actualization,) structured in a hierarchy such that the lower
level needs must be satisfied before the next hierarchical level
can become a motivator. Herzberg emphasized that there are
two basic categories of factors that influence behavior –
hygiene factors (similar to the Maslow’s first three levels) and
maintenance factors (similar to Maslow’s upper two levels.)
McGregor’s work focused on the manger’s view of the worker,
(Theory X – workers are lazy and must be coerced and Theory
Y – workers are valuable resources and will do a good job
when given a chance.)
Dr. David C. McClelland’s research and studies on motivation
resulted in the development of a theory about the strengths of
 the three social motives in individuals (McClelland, 1961) His
contributions to the field of motivational study for over 40
years classifications these three motivating needs as the Need
for Affiliation, the Need for Power, and the Need for
Achievement (McClelland, 1961, p. 73; McCle1land 1987, p.
198) and are commonly found in most managers. All three
motives have their relevance to management, leadership, and
organizational dynamics since all three contribute to an
organization’s effectiveness and influence an individual’s
behavior.

 Need for Affiliation – People with a high need for

affiliation are moved to act because of their positive interest in
and concern for others or their concern about being disliked,
disapproved of, or rejected. They tend to think about developing
and maintaining close friendships, being with others to enjoy
their company, being separated from others, disruption or
restoration of relationships, and viewing group opportunities as
social activities.
Those who are motivated by affiliation will typically be very
social. They will frequently be seen socializing and talking with
others. When given the choice they will choose to be with others
rather than alone and join many social groups, clubs, and on-line
network groups. They will generally put people before tasks and
will choose to work with friends over experts. Affiliation
motivated people constantly seek approval, are empathetic and
caring, and often make decisions and communicate based on
what others might think and feel. (McClelland, 1987, Ch. 9, pp.
333ff.)

 Need for Power – People with a high need for power are
motivated by the ability to exercise control and influence. They
think about taking strong and forceful action that affects others.
They often give help, advice, or support (especially when
unsolicited). Power motivated people are continually developing
 strategies to control people, get their opinion accepted, and
shape situations.
Power motivated people are active in the organization’s politics,
seeks positions of leadership, and can be seen networking
effectively to meet organization’s goals. They can usually be
identified by their “I-love-me” walls because they are known to
collect and display objects of prestige. They also seek, withhold,
or use information to control others. (McClelland, 1987, Ch. 8,
pp. 268ff.)

 Need for Achievement – Stakeholders with a high Need

for Achievement not only spend time thinking about
achievement goals, but they think about how to attain goals,
what obstacles or blocks they might encounter, where they can
get help, and how they will feel if they succeed or fail. They
have a strong desire for success and an equally strong fear of
failure. Achievement motivated people have an intense desire to
outperform someone else, such as, performing better than their
predecessors, contemporaries, a competing organization. They
focus on meeting or surpassing a self-imposed standard of
excellence and always want to do things better, faster, cheaper,
more efficiently, or of a higher quality than others – being “good
enough is not good enough.” Achievement motivated managers
rely upon their entrepreneurial spirit in that they think about
doing something unique or innovative.
Achievement motivated people set challenging, but realistic,
goals for themselves and others. Never satisfied with the status
quo, they continuously seek performance-related feedback,
whether positive or negative with the view that any feedback
can be used to improve. They are by nature risk takers who take
calculated risks by analyzing and assessing problems and
solutions. As a result, they tend to take the initiative, are
creative, and are not paralyzed by failure, but learn from it.
When they do fail, they take personal responsibility for their
actions and when given a choice, they will choose experts over
friends in work-related situations. (McClelland, 1987, Ch. 7, pp.
223ff.)
All people have some degree of all three motives. For example,
a project manager who has a deliverable due wants to make
sure that it is delivered on time – Achievement motive. The
entire project team needs to work late to get the deliverable
accomplished. The project manager has a family obligation
and does not want to miss another family activity, but the
manager does not want to let down the team by leaving early –
Affiliation motive. The project manager also is aware that
because the team members have been working late, that they
might need to be pushed to stay. However if they are
successful, then the project manager will increase the
probability of getting a promotion – Power motive.
While a person’s motives to some extent are innate, they can
be increased with focus and effort and may change as the
person moves upward in the organization or to another
position. As a project team member, the primary motivator is
likely to become or remain a group member – a need for
affiliation. As the person moves into the position of team lead,
project manager, or decision maker, there tends to be more
emphasis placed on the need for power (the need to influence)
and achievement (need to succeed), then on the need for
affiliation (need to be liked or accepted.)

Achievement Thinking in a Project

Environment
Motives lead people to have recurrent thoughts that are often
in the form of concerns about what is needed, how to obtain it,
and about the feelings that would accompany reaching or not
reaching the goal. Exhibit 3 illustrates basic set of thoughts
and actions that achievement motivated people consider as
they plan and set goals to move from the current state to the
desired state.
Throughout this process there are specific elements that need
to be considered. In this process not only does the person
express what they want to accomplish, but they need to
clearly understand why it is important to accomplish the goal.
They will generally anticipate their likelihood of achieving or
not achieving the stated goal, as well as, how they will feel if
they are successful or unsuccessful at the end and while
accomplishing intermediate steps. Achievement thinkers
identify obstacles that can prevent them from being
successful. These obstacles might be within themselves or
due to some external force. In both cases, help may be
required to overcome the obstacles.

Exhibit 3 – Achievement Thinking Process (Adapted from

McClelland 1987, p. 193)
The elements to achievement thinking that influence the
ability to accomplish goals and objectives illustrated by an
organizational and personal example are provided below.
(Exhibit 4)
 Exhibit 4: Elements to Achievement Thinking

 The underlying motivational need – N: Achievement

thinkers know what their goals are and they think about how
much and how deeply they want to attain them. (Exhibit 5)

Exhibit 5: Underlying motivation need - N

 Positive Expectations – E(p): Achievement thinkers

expect to be successful. In planning, achievers set realistic and
challenging goals. E(p) comes from the realistic dimension of
goal setting. Because their goals are realistic, achievement
thinkers constantly focus on the thought that their goals will be
achieved. People will base expectations on the level of
confidence they have in their own knowledge, skills, and
abilities, as well as, the perceived availability and quality of
resources and stakeholder support. (Exhibit 6)

Exhibit 6: Positive Expectations – E(p)

 Realistic Expectations – E(r): Achievement thinkers
understand that with any goal there is the potential for failure
because they set goals that are also challenging. Achievement
thinkers have a healthy concern for failure, but are not paralyzed
by it. This makes them work harder to ensure that they do
whatever then can to reduce the probability of failure and
ensure goal achievement. Realistic expectations are not the
same as negative expectations. Someone with realistic
expectations acknowledges potential failure, while someone
with negative expectations assumes failure. (Exhibit 7)

Exhibit 7: Realistic Expections – E9r)

Action steps (ACT): Action thinking is what Achievement
Thinkers do when they plan in advance what they must do to
achieve their goals. (Exhibit 8)

Exhibit 8 – Action steps (ACT)

 Positive Feelings – F(p): Positive feelings arise when

achievement thinkers make definite progress toward their goals.
Feelings of pride, happiness, enjoyment, or satisfaction spur
them on. (Exhibit 9)
 Exhibit 9 – Positive Feelings – F(p)

 Negative feelings – F(n): Negative feelings arise when

Achievement Thinking fails to make progress toward their goals.
Feelings associated with defeat, such as discouragement, leads
them to figure out how to do better. (Exhibit 10)

Exhibit 10 – Negative feelings – F(n)

 Barriers – B(e): When achievement thinkers try to get

ahead, they become aware of and think about things that that
are outside of there immediate control but that could get in their
way. (Exhibit 11)

Exhibit 11: Barriers – B(e)

Internal Barriers – B(i): Sometimes personal shortcomings stand
between Achievement Thinkers and their goals, such as not
having enough knowledge, the right skills, or enough self-
confidence. (Exhibit 12)

Exhibit 12 – Internal Barriers – B(i)

 Help – (H): When achievement thinkers are confronted
with obstacles that they cannot personally overcome, they
identify sources of help. They actively seek assistance and
advice from available resources to overcome these obstacles,
while still maintaining personal ownership of the goal and the
plan. (Exhibit 12)

Exhibit 12 Help (H)

Summary
What motivates a person plays a significant role in how they
think and behave. Generally there are three needs – Affiliation,
Power, and Affiliation – that motivate most managers. By
extension, these motives play a key part in the creation and
management of productive project teams. Much has been
written on the impact of motivation on goal setting and action
planning and the degree to which motivation contributes to
goal accomplishment – success or failure. By applying an
achievement-thinking approach to the goal setting process
managers are more likely to achieve their personal,
professional, and organizational goals.
Motives lead to thoughts about what is needed, how to obtain
it, and about the feelings that would accompany reaching or
not reaching the goal. As part of the achievement-thinking
process, successful managers also think about the probability
of success and failure, internal and external barriers to
success, and resources to overcome those barriers.
Goal setting and achievement thinking does not guarantee
success; but not considering their related factors will almost
always guarantee failure.
douglas mcgregor - theory x y (n.d.) In businessballs.com.
Retrieved from http://www.businessballs.com/mcgregor.htm .
Frederick Herzberg (2010) In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick
Herzberg 
Livingston, J.S. (1988, September-October) Pygmalion in
Management HBR Classic, Retrieved on June 15, 2010
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learningforkids.org/Courses/Coaching_for_Results/res/media/hb
r/88509.pdf 
Locke, E.A. & Latham, G.P. (1990). A Theory of Goal Setting
and Task Performance, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Maslow, A. (2010) Maslow’s hierarchy of needs In Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia. Retrieved
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs  
McClelland, D.C. (1961) The Achieving Society, New York,
N.Y.: The Free Press
McClelland, D.C. (1987) Human Motivation, Cambridge, UK:
Cambridge University Press
This material has been reproduced with the permission of the
copyright owner. Unauthorized reproduction of this material is strictly
prohibited. For permission to reproduce this material, please contact
PMI or any listed author.
© 2010, Lowell D. Dye
Originally published as a part of 2010 PMI Global Congress
Proceedings – Washington DC