Short-term business goals are the clandestine component of achieving long-term business goals. Short-term goals bridge the broad, strategic vision of the C-suite and the focused tactical lens of managers and employees by breaking the big picture into smaller parts. They allow employees to take on manageable workloads while demonstrating progress toward that larger goal.
If the goal is the goal, then the goals are the directions. Goals are tactical steps taken to achieve an outcome. Just like directions, there can be more than one way to get to a destination. It’s important to remember that, unlike fixed goals, goals can be changed. How a goal is achieved is not as important as how it is achieved. If something doesn’t work, try something else.
Goal setting should be a group effort. Managers should involve their teams in a brainstorming session and collect as many ideas as possible. Write them all down, from the logical to the improbable; There are no wrong answers.
Goals must be clearly defined before they are implemented. There should be clear instructions on how the work will be done, what investment it represents, what expected results, and how long it will take. This clarity is necessary to be able to measure progress. You need to know what you are looking for and how that result relates to the work done.
All goals must be measurable. If it cannot be measured, it cannot be managed. You have no idea if your efforts are paying off without a way to measure progress. Measuring a goal should be part of the definition process before implementation. This usually takes the form of a KPI, but establishing a measurable baseline is sufficient if one cannot correlate to a goal’s progress.
Measurement should be a continuous process, not a one-off task. A goal may seem promising at first but slows down halfway through. For this reason, regular checks are essential.
Refine your short-term goals using these components to transform strategic planning into tactical execution.