Why Having a Boss Makes You Hit Your Goals

Why having a boss works.

We didn’t design Boss as a Service in a lab. Our method grew organically, by observing what worked on us, and then what worked on other people. But along the line, we realized the real science behind why it works so well, and we got more intentional about how we weave it into our method.

Research shows we follow through on our intentions barely a third of the time.1Sheeran, P. & Webb, T.L. (2016). The Intention-Behavior Gap. No amount of apps or to-do lists closes that gap. So what does? Decades of research point to the same answer: other people.

A 2016 meta-analysis by Harkin and colleagues2Harkin, B. et al. (2016). Does Monitoring Goal Progress Promote Goal Attainment? A Meta-Analysis of the Experimental Evidence., covering 138 studies and over 19,000 participants, found that monitoring progress toward goals significantly increases the likelihood of achieving them. The effect is strongest when that progress is reported to another person, not just tracked privately. Oussedik et al. (2017)3Oussedik, E. et al. (2017). Accountability: A Missing Construct in Models of Adherence Behavior and in Clinical Practice. confirmed this: it doesn’t need to be advice, or coaching. Just the knowledge that someone will ask is enough to improve your performance.

☞ This is why your Boss checks in every day. The check-in itself changes behavior.

In 1965, Robert Zajonc4Zajonc, R.B. (1965). Social Facilitation. published foundational research on social facilitation: we perform better in the presence of others. On tasks you basically know how to do, which is most of the stuff people procrastinate on, performance improves when someone's watching. Bond and Titus confirmed this in a 1983 meta-analysis of 241 studies.5Bond, C.F. & Titus, L.J. (1983). Social Facilitation: A Meta-Analysis of 241 Studies. It doesn’t even require feedback or expertise. Someone simply has to be paying attention.

☞ Think about any job you’ve had. You got things done, simply because someone was paying attention. BaaS recreates that dynamic.

When we tell another person what we plan to do, we create what behavioral economists call a commitment device.6Bryan, G., Karlan, D. & Nelson, S. (2010). Commitment Devices.7Milkman, K.L., Rogers, T. & Bazerman, M.H. (2008). Harnessing Our Inner Angels and Demons. Breaking a promise to yourself is easy. Breaking one to another person is harder.

☞ When you send your Boss your goals for the week, you’re making a promise to another person. That’s a commitment device.

Gollwitzer and Sheeran’s 2006 meta-analysis8Gollwitzer, P.M. & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation Intentions and Goal Achievement: A Meta-Analysis. of 94 studies found that goals in the format “I will do [X] at [time] in [place]” dramatically outperform vague intentions. The difference in follow-through between “I’ll work on my project this week” vs. “I’ll write chapter 3 by Thursday at 5pm” is enormous.

☞ “I’ll work on my project” is not enough for us. Your Boss is going to ask: what exactly, and by when?

Ariely and Wertenbroch (2002)9Ariely, D. & Wertenbroch, K. (2002). Procrastination, Deadlines, and Performance: Self-Control by Precommitment. showed that self-imposed deadlines help somewhat, but external ones are far more effective. Parkinson observed the same in 1955, in a famous essay everyone who's ever worked a job has watched come true:10Parkinson, C.N. (1955). Parkinson’s Law. work expands to fill the time available. Without a real deadline, one that someone else is holding you to, tasks drift. And eventually vanish into the ether.

☞ When you set a deadline alone, it’s a mere suggestion. When you set one with your Boss, it becomes real. Because someone’s going to ask about it on Friday.