Strategic goal setting
One result, one date, and the weekly behavior that feeds it.
Strategy is the choice of what to ignore
Strategic goal setting, or strategy goal setting, means choosing a result that other tasks will be judged against. A list of twelve goals is a wishlist. A strategy names the goal that gets the calendar when there is a conflict. Write one goal as: a result, a date, and a measure. 'Finish the lab portfolio by 12 December, with four complete reports' is a goal. 'Be more organized' is a mood.
Put the measure where you will see it. A vision board can hold the picture. The weekly planner holds the blocks. A roadmap is the same idea for a product team with more than one person.
Worked goal
Result: four lab reports that include data and a conclusion. Date: the Friday before winter break. Weekly behavior: Tuesday, 40 minutes, one section of one report. The behavior is the strategy. The date is the test. If Tuesday is missed twice, the goal is no longer strategic. It is a hope. Rewrite the behavior or the date. Do not add a second goal to compensate.
Questions
- What is strategic goal setting?
- Choosing one result with a date and a measure, then protecting the weekly behavior that produces it. Other ambitions wait.
- How many goals should a person set?
- One that owns the calendar, plus the ordinary duties you already have. Additional goals are a backlog, not a strategy, until the first one has a week.
- Where does the goal live during the week?
- As a repeating block on a weekly planner. A goal that is only on a poster will lose to whatever is due tomorrow.