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With Goals, FAST Beats SMART
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With Goals, FAST Beats SMART
In 1954, management guru Peter Drucker introduced “management by objectives,”
In 95% of organizations, according to a recent survey, employees set goals for themselves or their teams.
When it comes to setting goals, most managers follow a
well-established set of practices
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The conventional wisdom of goal setting is so deeply ingrained that managers rarely stop to ask a fundamental question — does it work?
Goals can drive strategy execution but only when they are aligned with strategic priorities, account for critical interdependencies across silos
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Make Goals FAST, Not SMART
Conventional wisdom, goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timebound.
SMART goals undervalue ambition, focus narrowly on individual performance and ignore the
importance of discussing goals throughout the year
To drive strategy execution, leaders should instead set goals
That are FAST — frequently discussed, ambitious, specific, and transparent.
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Make Goals Transparent
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Research, however, suggests that employees across a wide range of organizations prefer transparent goals
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When employees can see top-level goals, they can align their individual and team objectives with the company’s overall direction.
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Discuss Goals Frequently
When we ask managers how often they look at their
goals, most say twice per year
For many organizations, goal
setting is an annual ritual that begins with a one-on-one
To drive strategy execution, goals should serve as a framework that guides key decisions and activities
throughout the year
Set Ambitious Goals
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Ambitious goals minimize the risk that employees will
sandbag by committing to overly conservative goals they