Goals without plans are just wishes, or not - 1 January 2024

Annual cycles are common in nature.  The migration of whales and birds.  The leaves that drop in the Fall and come anew in the Spring.  Snow skiing gives way to water skiing gives way to snow skiing.  Corporations across America have employees complete a self-assessment of the prior year and start to write goals for the coming year.  In many situations, at the beginning of a new cycle, we are encouraged to think of goals for the coming year and we are reminded that "goals without plans are just wishes", but I choose to challenge this supposed wisdom.

We are told - without proof - that goals can only be achieved by careful planning so that we can follow that plan to success.  Random motion can only lead to stagnancy or regression.  If the drunk starts from a lamppost and proceeds along a random walk, they can only end underneath the same lamppost.  But this is not so.  Science tells us this is silly.  Practicality tells us not to expect to follow a plan.  Military strategists tell us that a plan is perfect until the first shot is fired.  Planning has its place, but it is far from a guarantee.  Let us explore a bit.

It is a common joke in research science, mathematics, and engineering that the most interesting results come when someone says, "Huh, what's that?" when they notice an anomalous result.  Clearly, science and engineering try to create predictable results most of the time.  However, it is not the expected results that are interesting, but the unexpeceted results that lead to new questions, new answers, and new insights.  Thus, one can plan a series of experiments or design stages, and they will often play out, but the results are not always very interesting.  When the results stray from the plan, they create moments of insight - aha!  This does not mean that someone should head off with no ideas, skip over some degree of planning - afterall, one has to assemble the right equipment to make any progress - but the planning does not ensure success.  In fact, an interesting result will often cause the investigator to toss the plan and follow the new results to uncover the insight.

Similar tales abound in the military world.  All the soldiers line up and go at the enemy, but most plans are quickly replaced with improvisation after the first engagements.  In fact, the enemy will put great effort into creating surprises to distrupt the plans of the opponent.  Yes, this is planning, but it is also likely to be quickly tossed if the results are not as desired.  

In short, make a plan, but be prepared to ditch it.  the plan is not required for success nor does it provide any assurances of success, even petty success.  So where does that leave us with goals?

Goals should describe the desired results.  The goal should describe a faster process, a cheaper process, a better position, and may identify some of the steps to get there.  There are many guidelines about how to write good goals - "S.M.A.R.T." is common and well-know - but nowhere is there any requirement for a plan in the goals.  Aha!, you say, that is because goals and plans are separate things! and I will agree.  That is precisely why goals without plans are still goals, not wishes.