Dr. Edwin Locke On Goals and Prime Movers

Everything you know or have studied about goals is probably resting on the research conducted by Dr. Edwin Locke and his co-contributor in the late 1960s. Dr. Locke has also written a book similar to Good to Great entitled, The Prime Movers. During this interview, we revisit some of Dr. Locke’s key findings on goal theory, and the characteristics shaping the prime movers in the business environment.

Who is Dr. Edwin Locke?

• Early pioneer in goal-setting theory
• Dean’s Professor (Emeritus) of Leadership and Motivation at the R.H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park
• Received BA from Harvard in 1960 and Ph.D. in Industrial Psychology from Cornell University in 1964
• Has published more than 336 chapters, notes and articles in professional journals, on such subjects as work motivation, job satisfaction, incentives, and the philosophy of science
• Author of several books including Goal Setting: A Motivational Technique That Works and The Prime Movers: Traits of the Great Wealth Creators

You can read Dr. Locke’s full biography on his website.

Goals – Interview Highlights

• Dr. Locked did not come up with SMART goals. ” … not innacruate, but incomplete.”
• Peformance and level of difficulty are tightly correlated
• Challenging but reachable, not too easy, not too hard
• The reason why athletes are better at goal setting
• The pragmatics of short-term term goals and the difficulties of long-term goals
• Proximal vs distal goals. ” … very useful as a means-end approach to longer-term goals.”
• The dark side of goal setting
• All goals need a code of ethics

The Prime Movers – Interview Highlights

• Comparing to Good to Great
• Intellect first, then motivation
• What is a wealth builder?
• The seven traits – through inductive reasoning and examining 80 wealth creators
• The Ayn Rand influence
• What is an independent vision?
• Is there a good definition for authenticity?
• Active vs the open mind
• What is egoistic passion?
• The problem with socialism
• Exploring the love of ability in others

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