There are certain kinds of goals where the target number is zero. You’re awarded if things don’t happen. If you’re trying to avoid the flu, then the correct number of “times you get the flu” is zero. The same for “number of times this store gets robbed” or “number of times I crash this car.”
Those are good goals, of course! But they can’t – they can not – be your only goal. They can’t even be your primary goal. Ever. Or you’re screwed.
Consider: If my only goal is “crash this car zero times,” then that’s super easy. All I have to do is never drive it. In fact, that’s the best strategy – every course of action that involves even going near that car is a bad move.
Let’s consider that you’re a guard at a bank. Your goal is to have the bank robbed zero times. But if that’s your only goal, then your best move is to lock the doors 24/7 and never open them. Guess what, you’re the best guard in the bank’s history! Of course, the bank won’t do any business, but that’s not how you’re evaluated. As the bank closes up in bankruptcy, you can apply for your next job as the “Best Bank Guard Ever” with a perfect rating.
Defensive Goals have to be tempered by ambitious ones. In an organization, the bank guard can’t ever be in charge. The person in charge has to be someone with a revenue target or some other affirmative goal – because otherwise zero of anything is easy to reach. And within a single person, you always have to temper defensive goals against, you know, life. It’s easy to catch zero colds and crash a car zero times. Just never leave your house.
The Opportunity Machine 