How to Build Goal Clarity in Teams

When I spoke at the Naval Academy, they introduced me to a concept called "Commander’s Intent." It’s a military concept. But most leaders don’t realize their teams desperately need it. Here’s how it works: Before every mission, the commanding officer lays out one thing clearly— this is what success looks like. No endless strategy decks.  No overcomplicated objectives.  Just a clear outcome everyone can rally around. JFK gave one of the best examples in 1961:  "We will put a man on the moon and bring him safely home." That was it. No roadmap. No play-by-play instructions. Just a single, undeniable goal. And yet, that clarity was enough. It aligned an entire nation,  Mobilized thousands of people,  And drove one of the most ambitious missions in history. That’s Commander’s Intent in action. And it’s exactly what most teams are missing. When teams are divided, leaders assume it’s about personality clashes, office politics, or competing priorities. But more often than not? It’s just a lack of clarity. Without a clear definition of success, people start fighting over their own agendas. They argue over who's right instead of focusing on "what’s right." High-performing teams don’t have time for that.  They know exactly where they’re going. So if your team feels divided, don’t play referee.  Set the mission. Make the goal crystal clear. Because teams don’t fall apart from too many opinions.  They fall apart when no one knows what "done" looks like.

Are you part of a real team? Or do you sometimes feel isolated, unclear, and disconnected, even though you're surrounded by colleagues? Early in my career, I naively believed that assembling a group of high performers automatically equated to a high-performing team. But reality proved otherwise. Instead of synergy, I witnessed friction. The team wasn’t meshing; it was like gears grinding without proper lubrication. Each high performer, while brilliant on their own, seemed to have their own agenda, often pulling in different directions. The energy and time spent on internal friction was enormous, and the anticipated results? Well, they remained just that – anticipated. It was a stark realization that a team's effectiveness isn't just about individual brilliance—it's about harmony, alignment, and collaboration. With our workplace becoming increasingly diverse, dispersed, digital, and dynamic this is no easy feat. So, in my quest to understand the nuances of high performing teams, I reached out to my friend Daria Rudnik. Daria is a Team Architect - specializing in engineering remote teams for sustainable growth. She shared 5 key insights that can make all the difference: 1. Define a Shared Goal ↳Why? A team truly forms when united by a shared goal that can only be achieved together, not just by adding up individual efforts, ↳How? Involve the team in setting a clear, measurable goal at the project's start. Regularly revisit and communicate this goal to keep everyone aligned and motivated. 2. Cultivate Personal Connections ↳Why? Personal connections hold a team together, boosting trust, support, and understanding for a more productive environment. ↳How? Begin meetings with a social check-in. Let team members share updates or feelings, enhancing connection and understanding. 3. Clear Communication ↳Why? It’s the backbone of a successful team, preventing misunderstandings and building trust. ↳How? Hold regular team meetings and check-ins. Ensure a safe environment for expressing thoughts and concerns. 4. Defined Roles and Responsibilities ↳Why? Clear roles prevent overlap and ensure task coverage, giving a sense of ownership and accountability. ↳How? Outline everyone’s roles at the project's start, ensuring understanding of individual contributions to overall goals. 5. Provide Regular Feedback and Recognition ↳Why? Feedback clarifies strengths and areas for improvement. Recognition boosts morale and motivation. ↳How? Hold regular, constructive feedback sessions. Publicly recognize and reward achievements. Remember, 'team' isn't just a noun—it's a verb. It requires ongoing effort and commitment to work at it, refine it, and nurture it. 👉 Want to supercharge your team's performance? Comment “TEAM” below to grab your FREE e-book and learn how to 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦'𝐬 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 in just 90 days, courtesy of Daria.

If you can commit to clarity for your team, you'll be amazed at the results. Here’s what my HR team trained supeevisors and revamped our organizational approach and how you can take similar action: 1. Clarify Roles: Ensure everyone understands their responsibilities. Regularly update job descriptions to reflect the current expectations and eliminate ambiguity. (We had impact descriptions made for every employee by their supervisors and trained supervisors on creating them effectively) 2. Create SMART KPIs: Develop Key Performance Indicators that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, instead of saying, "Improve customer satisfaction," specify, "Increase customer satisfaction scores by 15% within the next quarter." This gives your team a clear target to aim for. 3. Provide Specific Feedback: Regularly offer constructive feedback and openly praise behaviors you want to encourage. This not only reinforces positive actions but also sets a standard for the entire team. 4. Set Clear Expectations: By establishing clear performance metrics, you allow team members to see how their contributions directly impact organizational goals. This clarity reduces confusion and fosters collaboration. 5. Review and Adapt: Implement a system for reviewing KPIs and job descriptions every six months. This ensures they remain relevant and aligned with business objectives. 6. Transform Performance Reviews: Shift to narrative-based evaluations that include not just performance metrics, but also recommendations for development and a list of stakeholders for collaboration. By embracing clarity and structured performance metrics, you empower your team to excel, reduce frustration, and foster a truly collaborative environment. Commit to this approach and watch your team thrive! #TeamCulture #Leadership #PerformanceManagement #PeopleOfficer #HRInsights #SMARTGoals

Speaking with + working so many CEOs and leaders over the past years, one thing jumps out that separates top performers from the rest: A singular, specific focus for their entire organization. This isn't just important. It's the key that seems to allow the best to thrive in uncertainty, headwinds, and anything else that arises. Here are the advantages I see (and how to replicate): 1. Clarity cuts through noise and chaos    - We live in a world flooded with noise, clarity + the ability to simplify are superpowers    - One clear focus = everyone rowing in the same direction, no matter the storm 2. Decision-making is simplified    - Every choice becomes simple: "Does this support or detract from our focus?"    - Teams make decisions without needing outdated “command-and-control”, so they learn faster, get results faster, and take full ownership 3. Simplicity wins    - Complicated “strategic plans” typically don’t get results, hyper focusing on an outcome does get results.    - Your focus becomes the north star for everything from budget discussions to hiring 4. Motivation goes through the roof    - People crave purpose - give them a clear mission, and they'll come together to move mountains    - Watch engagement and productivity soar, even in challenging environments 5. Execution at warp speed    - Teams move faster when the destination is crystal clear    - Fewer detours = results faster, regardless of obstacles Here's the kicker: This is true whatever “brand” of goal setting you use... OKRs, Rocks, or something else entirely. The magic is in the relentless focus and rhythms of execution,  not any one magical framework. But here's where many leaders are tempted and drop the ball: They keep trying to mix in multiple "top priorities," especially when facing headwinds.  Remember: If everything's important, nothing is. 🚀 Action step for CEOs: Define ONE specific, measurable focus for your org for the next 90 days. Communicate it relentlessly.  Meet weekly to review progress and solve for any challenges, issues or obstacles that arise. Then watch your team navigate any challenge with laser precision. Struggling to nail that singular focus in a complex business landscape?  That's where a platform like ResultMaps shines. We help leaders cut through the noise and rally their teams around what truly matters, even in uncertain times. DM me if you want more on defining your org's singular focus to thrive in any business climate. 

How I made my engineering team 10x more productive, without hiring a single person. I just started beating the drum. Not of velocity. Not of deadlines. But of clarity. Every day, I told the story of what mattered: Who the customer was. What problem we were solving. Why it mattered now. I repeated it in standups, roadmap reviews, code reviews, and 1:1s. I made the vision visible until the team could repeat it without me. And then something changed. Engineers stopped waiting for perfect specs. They started asking better questions. They scoped more intentionally. They stopped building “just in case” solutions and started delivering exactly what was needed. We didn’t change the process. We didn’t add new tools. We just made clarity the norm. The result? Fewer delays. Smarter trade-offs. Less rework. Faster progress. And a team that wasn’t just moving faster, but building what mattered. You don’t need more people to scale. You need more clarity. Especially for engineers. Because when the goal is fuzzy, even the best teams slow down. But when clarity is built into the culture, the whole system speeds up. How do you make clarity unavoidable inside your team?