The same goes for organizations. In order to become as effective as you can possibly be as an organization, everyone from the top down needs to be motivated. And it has to be genuine motivation – not some fake, ra-ra crap put on at a ‘corporate rally’. In organization development, it is said that change won’t occur unless there is a felt need. The same goes for achieving an optimal level of effectiveness – the organization has to realize that improvements can and should be made, and individuals are willing to commit to make these changes a reality. That is where the true motivation comes from. It is a result of commitment to change and improvement.

Being the best – whether it is being the top firm in your industry or reaching a maximum level of effectiveness (which very well may lead you to the top of the industry) – takes work. People, and organizations, rarely make it to the top by luck only. It takes hard work. It takes effort. It takes commitment. And it takes motivation to keep working towards the goal. Tiger Woods has a goal in mind, and dedicates himself to reaching that goal and motivating himself to achieve his goals. The same should go for you and your organization. Set goals to improve effectiveness and stay motivated to achieving success and reaping the rewards of achieving your goal.

How did our world become so focused on the short-term? It has really become a “what have you done for me lately” culture that has gripped our world. Yes, to be successful a company needs to have some short-term success. But it isn’t the only thing that matters. Companies and individuals not only have to look at the short-term, but more importantly make sure that those short-term goals are aligned with long-term objectives. If what the company has set out to do in the short-term will not help achieve its long-term vision, it doesn’t matter.

This isn’t a view that is only for organizations – individuals need to take this view also in terms of their performance and development. Let’s, for example, look at the performance review. I’ve railed on about my annoyance with how performance reviews are handled. Managers need to not only look at what the individual has done in the short-term in terms of decision making, but also take a long-term view on whether the individual has improved their performance, knowledge, and skills from one year to the next. Short-term issues need to be handled immediately, so that it can help their development over the long-term in becoming a better employee.

Let’s get away from this short-term mindset. As an organization, what are you doing to improve overall performance and effectiveness over the next 5 years? Do you have long-term objectives, and if you do, are your short-term goals being used as stepping stones to reach those 5 year goals? Long-term performance and sustainability cannot be achieved by looking through a short-term windshield – you won’t see that cliff three miles down the road, and you won’t see a long-term trend of improvement.