Why Should You Engage in Goal Pursuit?

Abstract

Chapter 2 begins by covering why everyone in schools and the wider education context should consider goal pursuit, whether leaders, staff, or learners. Links are drawn between the FAR Model and findings of previous researchers on goal pursuit. In this chapter, I also make links to recent evidence from neuroscience and neuroleadership as rationale for goal pursuit and to provide some insight into activity shown in the brain to encourage good goal pursuit. In particular, the response of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in conditions of low (approach) and high (avoid) threat and stress is discussed. Conclusions from the popularized neuroleadership material are critiqued because this field is very new and its claims are not always well evidenced in terms of research. Despite this caution however I discuss how much of the neuroleadership interpretation of this material fits strongly with my own experience on good goal pursuit.