I've overseen teams that spent more than $1B in my career:
Goals matter.
- The right goals galvanize your vision & inspire your team.
- The wrong goals undermine progress & leave your team rushing for the exit.
Here are 20 tactics to set and achieve game changing goals 🧵
Goals matter.
- The right goals galvanize your vision & inspire your team.
- The wrong goals undermine progress & leave your team rushing for the exit.
Here are 20 tactics to set and achieve game changing goals 🧵
I've led goal-setting under a range of circumstances:
- Small teams & large divisions
- Companies growing & cutting costs
- Startup cultures & slow bureaucracies
No method is one-size-fits-all.
Instead, build a system for setting goals that works for you and your team.
- Small teams & large divisions
- Companies growing & cutting costs
- Startup cultures & slow bureaucracies
No method is one-size-fits-all.
Instead, build a system for setting goals that works for you and your team.
1/ Create Quality Goals
I'm over SMART goals. If they work for you, great.
For me, less is more:
- Simple: Everyone gets it.
- Important: It matters. It beat out other options. And it's worth the additional overhead to track.
- Measurable: Success & failure are clear.
I'm over SMART goals. If they work for you, great.
For me, less is more:
- Simple: Everyone gets it.
- Important: It matters. It beat out other options. And it's worth the additional overhead to track.
- Measurable: Success & failure are clear.
2/ Consider Costs
I agree wholeheartedly with @dvassallo, never set a goal without being explicit about the costs.
And the most important costs aren't always financial.
Consider the cost to:
- Your team
- Your family
- Your friends
- Your own health
I agree wholeheartedly with @dvassallo, never set a goal without being explicit about the costs.
And the most important costs aren't always financial.
Consider the cost to:
- Your team
- Your family
- Your friends
- Your own health
https://twitter.com/dvassallo/status/1433035309147586565
3/ Know The Purpose
- Are you setting an audacious target to inspire?
- Perhaps you need on measurable target to synchronize your team?
- Maybe you're about to sprint for a month to critical deadline?
Tip: Work backward from the outcome you're seeking to create.
- Are you setting an audacious target to inspire?
- Perhaps you need on measurable target to synchronize your team?
- Maybe you're about to sprint for a month to critical deadline?
Tip: Work backward from the outcome you're seeking to create.
4/ Consider The Stage Of Your Business:
- Startup? Your goals will need product market fit & recruiting.
- Scaling? Your primary goals will center on customer acquisition.
- Struggling? Cost control is going to be centerstage.
In short: Swim downstream not upstream.
- Startup? Your goals will need product market fit & recruiting.
- Scaling? Your primary goals will center on customer acquisition.
- Struggling? Cost control is going to be centerstage.
In short: Swim downstream not upstream.
5/ Improve vs Run
I find it helpful to think of a function as a factory.
You're either:
- Retooling the factory (improve)
- Operating the factory (run)
Improve goals tend to be milestone driven with timelines & budgets.
Run goals tend to be output based with quality & costs.
I find it helpful to think of a function as a factory.
You're either:
- Retooling the factory (improve)
- Operating the factory (run)
Improve goals tend to be milestone driven with timelines & budgets.
Run goals tend to be output based with quality & costs.
6/ Don't Settle
This is an exercise in ambition.
Don't limit your goal setting by what's easily attainable.
Set the right goal first.
Then get creative with your strategy, your team and your methods to achieve it.
This is an exercise in ambition.
Don't limit your goal setting by what's easily attainable.
Set the right goal first.
Then get creative with your strategy, your team and your methods to achieve it.
https://twitter.com/raydalio/status/1207665919348166657
7/ The Process Matters
How you set goals with you team is more important than the goals themselves.
- Great goals a team doesn't buy into go nowhere.
- Mediocre goals that are mission-driven will improve through time.
Tip: Have everyone draft a version. Compare & reconcile.
How you set goals with you team is more important than the goals themselves.
- Great goals a team doesn't buy into go nowhere.
- Mediocre goals that are mission-driven will improve through time.
Tip: Have everyone draft a version. Compare & reconcile.
8/ Set Or Portfolio?
With a set, the expectation is you'll achieve all of the goals.
A portfolio implies that you expect to achieve just over half. But you'll achieve more by taking on more than you can handle.
Tip: Be explicit with your team & manager.
With a set, the expectation is you'll achieve all of the goals.
A portfolio implies that you expect to achieve just over half. But you'll achieve more by taking on more than you can handle.
Tip: Be explicit with your team & manager.
https://twitter.com/stephsmithio/status/1396877882325098498
9/ Habit Goals
One year, I did 100 push-ups a day.
Many nights I climbed into bed and right back out to knock out a final set.
But I was better for it.
Writing.
Being present.
Making a cold call.
Finding one thing to praise.
Often the best goals are to show up every day.
One year, I did 100 push-ups a day.
Many nights I climbed into bed and right back out to knock out a final set.
But I was better for it.
Writing.
Being present.
Making a cold call.
Finding one thing to praise.
Often the best goals are to show up every day.
10/ Write Them Down.
This is both obvious & such a common mistake.
A team gets together, talk about goals, arrive at a perceived consensus and call it a day.
Invest the time to write it down and reconfirm everyone's alignment.
I promise you'll avoid heartache later.
This is both obvious & such a common mistake.
A team gets together, talk about goals, arrive at a perceived consensus and call it a day.
Invest the time to write it down and reconfirm everyone's alignment.
I promise you'll avoid heartache later.
11/ Try Different Lenses
It's easy to get locked into one way of looking at a problem.
The struggle with groupthink is real.
Tip: ask 1-2 teams to break off and come at the problem in a completely unorthodox manner.
Try Anti-Goals:
It's easy to get locked into one way of looking at a problem.
The struggle with groupthink is real.
Tip: ask 1-2 teams to break off and come at the problem in a completely unorthodox manner.
Try Anti-Goals:
https://twitter.com/david_perell/status/1233170567546703874
12/ Setup Accountability
Individual goals -> tell your friends:
- They’ll immediately confirm which are inspiring & which are lame
- They’ll call BS if you start to drift or hunt excuses.
Teams -> make your goals transparent:
Individual goals -> tell your friends:
- They’ll immediately confirm which are inspiring & which are lame
- They’ll call BS if you start to drift or hunt excuses.
Teams -> make your goals transparent:
https://twitter.com/adammgrant/status/1145315233709379586
13/ Be Cautious Of Long Horizons
The shorter the time horizon, the more clear you should be able to measure the outcome.
Long horizons risk drift. See if you can break it down into clear milestones that generate data.
Sometimes, the best goals help you cut your losses early.
The shorter the time horizon, the more clear you should be able to measure the outcome.
Long horizons risk drift. See if you can break it down into clear milestones that generate data.
Sometimes, the best goals help you cut your losses early.
14/ Measure
Simple >> Complex:
1) Identify the most important outcome.
- What's the ideal metric?
- Not feasible, pick the closest proxy?
2) Remember Run vs Improve:
- Output
- Quality
- Cost
- Happiness
3) Must answer a critical business question
4) Pick no more than 3-5
Simple >> Complex:
1) Identify the most important outcome.
- What's the ideal metric?
- Not feasible, pick the closest proxy?
2) Remember Run vs Improve:
- Output
- Quality
- Cost
- Happiness
3) Must answer a critical business question
4) Pick no more than 3-5
15/ Set Targets
Set 3 thresholds: target, acceptable & break the glass.
- Target -> Winning
- Acceptable -> Learning
- Break the Glass -> Diagnose & Reset
Tip: Don't underestimate the value of the acceptable outcome:
Set 3 thresholds: target, acceptable & break the glass.
- Target -> Winning
- Acceptable -> Learning
- Break the Glass -> Diagnose & Reset
Tip: Don't underestimate the value of the acceptable outcome:
https://twitter.com/adammgrant/status/1408770655777067008
16/ Don't Be Afraid To Reset
Ideally, you set the perfect goal.
Practically, you can't see the future + every day you learn.
If you're off course, change.
Just be mindful of a couple things:
- Reset with the whole team
- Pivot only when you're wrong, not when it's hard
Ideally, you set the perfect goal.
Practically, you can't see the future + every day you learn.
If you're off course, change.
Just be mindful of a couple things:
- Reset with the whole team
- Pivot only when you're wrong, not when it's hard
17/ Bonus goal-setting tips:
Habits Beat Goals (@patrick_oshag)
Big Personal Goals (@chrishlad)
Repetition Goals (@AliTheCFO)
Avoid Easily Manipulated Targets (@SahilBloom)
Habits Beat Goals (@patrick_oshag)
https://twitter.com/patrick_oshag/status/1464996847228014592
Big Personal Goals (@chrishlad)
https://twitter.com/chrishlad/status/1476567963436158977
Repetition Goals (@AliTheCFO)
https://twitter.com/alithecfo/status/1475081965942439943?s=21
Avoid Easily Manipulated Targets (@SahilBloom)
https://twitter.com/sahilbloom/status/1398639349445578752
18/ Reference:
Of all the threads I reviewed, @lennysan had the most comprehensive process to set goals.
Worth it if you need to go deeper:
Of all the threads I reviewed, @lennysan had the most comprehensive process to set goals.
Worth it if you need to go deeper:
https://twitter.com/lennysan/status/1257360074953154562
19/ Summary
- Recognize Quality
- Consider Costs
- Know The Purpose
- Consider Stage
- Improve vs Run
- Don't Settle
- Process Matters
- Set vs Portfolio
- Habit Goals
- Written Down
- Multiple Lenses
- Accountability
- Avoid Long Horizons
- Measure
- Targets
- Bonus Resources
- Recognize Quality
- Consider Costs
- Know The Purpose
- Consider Stage
- Improve vs Run
- Don't Settle
- Process Matters
- Set vs Portfolio
- Habit Goals
- Written Down
- Multiple Lenses
- Accountability
- Avoid Long Horizons
- Measure
- Targets
- Bonus Resources
20/ Now that you've setup great goals, you need a system to implement them.
"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” @JamesClear
I'm working with a small group of managers in February to do just that.
Join us?
skillscouter.com/management-acc…
"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” @JamesClear
I'm working with a small group of managers in February to do just that.
Join us?
skillscouter.com/management-acc…
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