Use learning goals (not performance goals) for novel tasks

For new or complex skills, set a goal around what you will learn, not what you will produce.

Why it works

Locke and Latham introduced the distinction between performance goals (specific outcomes) and learning goals (specific knowledge or skill acquisitions) for cases where the path to performance is not yet known. Assigning a specific outcome goal on a genuinely novel task can produce cognitive load and anxiety that hurt performance; a learning goal keeps attention on understanding rather than on defensive self-protection.

How to do it

1. Before assigning an outcome goal, ask: "Do I already know how to do this?"
2. If no, set a learning goal first: "I will discover three effective strategies for…"
3. Switch to a performance goal once the path is reasonably known.
4. Do not mix the two: learning and performance goals activate different cognitive strategies.

Evidence

Seijts and Latham (2005) demonstrated that learning goals outperformed performance goals for a complex task where participants did not yet know the strategies required. The finding is a direct extension of goal-setting theory to conditions where the theory’s original assumptions do not hold. (rct)

The learning-vs-performance distinction applies specifically when task strategies are unclear. For well-understood tasks, performance goals remain superior.

Sources

• Seijts & Latham (2005), learning versus performance goals: when should each be used? Academy of Management Executive

Common mistake

Assigning a specific performance target to a genuinely novel skill, then interpreting poor early numbers as evidence of low ability rather than as the normal cost of learning.