Ways to Define Team Goals That Actually Work

Your team isn’t overwhelmed because of work. They’re overwhelmed because of confusion. I see this in almost every team I coach: → Everybody's busy and end up working in silos, → Everyone's "running with the ball" but not necessarily towards the same goals → Teams duplicate efforts because no one knows who's handling what → Every request feels urgent because context is missing. Here’s what intentional leaders do differently:👇🏻 1️⃣ Define Goals That Actually Guide Decisions: Not just what we want to achieve - but what we're willing to sacrifice to get there. Clear goals eliminate the guesswork about what matters most right now. 2️⃣ Create a Decision Framework: Who decides what? What needs consensus? What doesn't? Clarity reduces rework. It speeds things up. 3️⃣ Set Bright Focus: Every week, every month, every quarter - name 2–3 things that matter most. Not 10. Not 5. The discipline of saying "not now" is what creates real momentum. 4️⃣ Build Rhythms, Not Just Sprints: Chaos loves irregularity. When you anchor decisions, feedback, and strategy into consistent rituals - chaos has fewer places to hide. 5️⃣ Communicate the "Why" - Not Just the "What"  Without context, people overwork. With context, they align. And alignment is the antidote to chaos. You don’t need to control everything. ❌ You need to architect enough clarity that your team can navigate the unknown with confidence. ✅ Because work doesn't need to feel like chaos - even in a startup. What’s one structure you’ve introduced that made your team calmer and faster? Drop it below - let’s build better together. 👇 Follow Alexandra Erman for more! 🫱🏻🫲🏼

Success isn’t accidental—it’s planned. The best leaders do this to turn their vision into reality. 🔥 Here’s how to set SMART goals that drive real results: 1️⃣ S = Specific:   ➟ Vague goals lead to vague results.   ✅ Be crystal clear about what you want to achieve. Instead of “I want to improve team performance,” try “I want to increase team productivity by 20% in the next 3 months.” 2️⃣ M = Measurable:   ➟ If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.   ✅ Make your goal trackable: “Complete 5 new client projects this quarter” is a goal you can measure and celebrate once it’s done. 3️⃣ A = Achievable:   ➟ Stretch goals are great, but don’t set yourself up for failure.   ✅ Ensure your goal is realistic given your resources and time. Ask yourself: "Can this be done with the time, skills, and tools I have?" 4️⃣ R = Relevant:   ➟ Every goal should align with your bigger picture.   ✅ Don’t just set goals for the sake of it—make sure they’re relevant to your overall vision and business objectives. Ask: "Does this goal move me closer to my leadership vision?" 5️⃣ T = Time-bound:   ➟ Deadlines create urgency.   ✅ Attach a timeframe to your goals: By WHEN will you achieve it? “Launch the new product by December 15th” keeps you accountable and on track. 💡 Why SMART Goals Are a MUST for Leaders: ✅ Clarity: SMART goals eliminate confusion and give your team a clear direction. ✅ Motivation: When your team knows the goals and timelines, they feel more driven to meet expectations. ✅ Accountability: Goals with deadlines keep everyone on track and make it easier to measure progress. ✅ Efficiency: SMART goals streamline your decision-making, helping you prioritize what truly matters. 👉🏻 How to Implement SMART Goals in Your Team Today: 🎯 1. Set Clear Expectations:   ➟ Meet with your team and clarify your SMART goals for the quarter. 🎯 2. Review Regularly:   ➟ Don’t just set it and forget it. Schedule weekly check-ins to assess progress and adjust as needed. 🎯 3. Celebrate Wins:   ➟ When your team hits a goal, recognize and reward them! Small celebrations keep morale high and motivate continued success. 📌 PS... Remember, SMART goals aren’t just for leaders—they’re for anyone who wants to achieve more with less. ♻️ Share this with your team to help them lead smarter, not harder! 🚀 Want a step-by-step guide to implementing SMART goals across your team? Join 5,000+ leaders who read my free newsletter for weekly tips on leadership, team performance, and productivity. No vague recommendations. All backed by science and experience. Join free here: https://lnkd.in/gJr6dcPJ

We tell our sales reps to be gritty, to work smarter, not harder, to smash their quota but don't always do the best job pairing those inspirational calls to action with tools and techniques that allow them to do the things we ask. For years, I’ve loved the GROW Goal Setting Model. It is a great model, but I found myself tweaking it to reflect the things I think are fascinating and that actually work for revenue teams. 🧠 Ideas like: - Neuroplasticity - Harms of moonshot thinking - Value of gratitude and meditation - The frustration reps feel when they work tirelessly and still miss quota. That’s why I developed the PATH. 👉 Steal this framework to help your team not only set goals but achieve them. The PATH framework is a four-step process that helps you and your team set actionable goals, anticipate challenges, and ensure every step aligns with your aspirations. 1. Plan: Setting a Focused Goal Everything starts with a solid foundation. The first step is setting a focused goal. SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound—work well here. This ensures you’re working toward a well-defined target, making it easier to stay focused and track progress. 2. Anticipate: Backcasting Once your goal is in place, it’s time to imagine your desired future state. I love writing goals as if they've already happened and writing out the details of what it took me to get there. This process ensures that you have realistic micro-actions that you can be accountable to on the PATH to achieving your goal. 3. Test: Pre-Mortem Next, you stress-test your plan with a pre-mortem (inspo credit: Annie Duke, Thinking in Bets) This exercise allows you to identify risks before they arise, so you can adjust your plan and stay on track. It also encourages you to uncover opportunities to leapfrog your progress by brainstorming creative solutions. 4. Harmonize: Alignment to Aspirations The final step ensures that your micro-actions align with your larger aspirations. It's a final sense check to ensure you've set a goal you care enough about that you'll put in the hard work required to achieve it. That work will be supported by a clear PATH to success. The PATH framework ensures you don’t just set goals—you achieve them. 💸 Want me to guide your sales or leadership team through this process as part of your year-end planning or SKO? Drop "PATH" in the comments to learn more.

If you want to become a better manager overnight,  I would teach you this one skill: Setting Clear Expectations Why?  It is the single highest leverage activity you can do.  And nearly everyone leading a team does it poorly.  Or not at all. 📌 If you're the Manager: Setting expectations is your number 1 job. Your team will never meet your secret expectations.  Despite their effort, they're always falling short. The vicious cycle builds massive frustration. 💡 The Solution: Make Expectations Explicit - Agree on the What & When (SMART goals or OKRs work) - Agree on How (process, tech, budget, culture all matter) - Agree on KPIs or Metrics (how you'll measure results) Have them send you an email summarizing. Two more tips for managers: ✅ Co-author - Give them the pen on the first draft. - They're more likely to stick to the script they wrote. - You'll also learn how they see their role and can coach better. ✅ Consistency - Expectations are imperfect, so give feedback. - Agree upfront on how and when this will happen. - Use your 1:1 check-ins to review expectation monthly. ----- 📌 If you're the Employee: Why try and guess what your boss wants you to do? If the expectations map above makes sense... 💡 Write them down yourself. - If you're right, you have a written contract.  - If you're wrong, you gain clarity when they fix them. Either way, you gain clarity on how to win. Two more tips for employees: ✅ Synthesize - Focus on the big picture, not every detail - You create more value if you can connect the dots ✅ Empathize - Your manager will not have every answer - You can help them by surfacing the right questions ----- I've seen plenty of employees "win the second half."  But to win, you must understand the game's rules. And clear expectations create the scoreboard. Want my template to set clear employee expectations? Join 45,000 leaders getting my free newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eCvpr7RY And before you go... - Please repost ♻️ if you think this is a better way to work - Follow me at Dave Kline for more practical leadership posts