True Goals and Distracting Goals--Keeping Focused on True Goals

In her book, Shaman's Crossing, Robin Hobb introduces a task challenge made to several teams.  Each team is provided with building materials and has to choose a leader and to find a way to cross a stream.  The goal is for everyone on the team to be on the far side of the stream.  Team leaders can trade materials with other teams and, once traded, cannot claim it back.

As the teams explore ways to build a bridge across the stream, one team of nine has three people ford the stream so that they can anchor the bridge on the far side.  They explore several types of bridges and create one that almost works.  The next to the last team member crossing the bridge falls into the stream and the leader (the last one to cross over the bridge) realizes that the goal was not to build a bridge.  The true goal was to get every member of his team to the other side of the stream within a certain time.  He and the team help the next to the last man get to the top of the bank and the entire team reaches the far bank before time is called.

This reminds me of the importance of keeping focused on true goals and not on distracting goals.  Many times we choose a vehicle to try to accomplish a goal.  We can get so tied up with working with the technology (vehicle) we can forget the actual goal.