In today's rapidly changing world, setting our goals and achieving success by sticking to them is becoming increasingly complex. The increase in options can lead to indecisiveness in choosing the right goal, as well as frequent changes of plans on the way to the goal. These indecisions make it difficult to achieve success by making long-term focus and commitment difficult.

In this environment of uncertainty, many people may think that it may be useful to prepare a Plan B for a set goal. However, such alternative plans can weaken the commitment to the primary goal and trigger tendencies that can prevent success. Maintaining a healthy level of commitment to goals helps us to understand whether they are realistic or not, and also helps us to maintain focus and balance.

At this point, internal factors as well as external factors play an important role in setting and achieving goals. Recent research into the underlying drivers of individual behaviour has enabled us to establish the link between personality and goal setting. Different personality types indicate not only how we approach preparing for goal setting, but also how we deal with obstacles along the way.

The research ‘To what extent different personalities differ in goal-setting methods’ conducted by the PersonalityPath organisation, which carries out important studies on personality in Germany, with 14,913 participants, offers us data to self-evaluate our own goal management and to draw a new path. In the research, there are 5 different variables in which the participants are analysed. These are;

• Goal tendencies
• Motivation and mindset
• Preparation strategies and resource management.
• Dealing with setbacks and achieving success.
• Target achievement rates

When the general tendencies of people with different personality traits towards goal setting were analysed, it was found that extroverted, achievement-oriented and competitive personalities focused strongly on career-related goals (49%), while people with low emotional adjustment or high cautiousness showed less interest in career goals (35%). In terms of goal adherence, highly motivated, extroverted and risk-taking individuals were found to set new goals more frequently (more than 4 times a year), while more cautious personalities tended to set fewer goals for themselves from the beginning.

Understanding the effects of personality on motivation and mindset is a critical issue for success in work and personal life. The research shows that there are also significant differences in the stress levels of individuals with different personality traits. Individuals high in emotional agreeableness showed a 16 per cent stress level associated with initial goal setting, whereas individuals high in cautiousness showed almost twice the stress response (29 per cent). Similarly, cautious and introverted individuals tend to feel twice as much anxiety and pressure about the possible consequences of new goal setting (38 per cent) than achievement-oriented personality types.

Preparation strategies and resource management also vary greatly, reflecting personality traits. Introverted and risk-averse individuals often prefer minimal preparation to achieve their goals. Such an approach allows them to move forward without leaving their comfort zone, minimising risks. In contrast, individuals with high self-regulatory capacity follow a more analytical and research-based preparation process to achieve their goals (21%). Preparation based on data and information helps them to approach their goals more confidently. Similarly, a preparation strategy such as prioritisation is frequently used by people who are highly determined and have a high achievement orientation (24%). Individuals with these personality traits prioritise their goals in a strategic way in order to direct their energies to the right areas.

When the coping strategies of individuals from a personality perspective are analysed, personality types with more achievement orientation and high self-regulation exhibit a more determined attitude in achieving their goals. According to the data of the research, 51 per cent of individuals with these personality traits continue to stick to the strategies they have determined despite the obstacles they face. On the other hand, individuals with indecision, scepticism and excessive self-criticism tend to give up more quickly when they encounter setbacks. Thirty per cent of these individuals reported that they can quickly abandon their initial plans or even their entire goals. In addition, non-competitive and risk-averse individuals are more inclined to change their goal-oriented approach when faced with setbacks. This reflects their tendency to avoid uncertainty and their predisposition to try alternative paths rather than taking risk.

Finally, with regard to the variable of goal achievement, there was a tendency to complete 51-75 per cent of the goals set by the participants. It was found that only self-critical individuals achieved less than 50% of their goals, while achievement-oriented, optimistic and self-confident personalities achieved more than the average. Achievement-oriented and self-confident individuals were 7 times more likely than high cautious individuals to state that achieving 100% of the goal was natural.

Since we all have unique personality traits, it is worth noting that there is no one-size-fits-all formula for goal-setting strategies. However, in the light of these data, having knowledge about our personality traits will enable us to better recognise our foot ties in the processes and increase our self-awareness about the emotions, thoughts and processes that challenge us.

Source

Greg, Chris, & Zippora, (2023, November 10). The impact of personality types on goal setting and achievement. Personality Path. https://personalitypath.com/studies/goal-setting/

Moran, G., (2019, August 1). How to set (and achieve) goals based on your personality type. https://www.fastcompany.com/90285001/how-to-set-and-achieve-goals-based-on-your-personality-type

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