Keeping results aligned in business is not easy and requires multiple data points for continual review. First, Peter Drucker described leadership should have a shoulder to the wheel while keeping their eyes on the horizon. A business must focus on the next 100 days to survive, but building the future requires metrics to evolve into the three to five-year projections. Keeping these distinct goals aligned is critical.
In creating the near term goals, it is best to heed the advice of Alan Weiss and set goals as a series of sprints. Rather than having goals set by the calendar, set them by seasons in your business cycle or when circumstances warrant. This allows for leaders to become agile and move when circumstances warrant rather than at fixed periods of time. Changes in the business environment occur quickly and an organization must be nimble enough to move with them.
The longer-term results are a compilation of your long term outcomes. At the end of each sprint, it is important to understand where the organization is toward its long term objectives. The conversation shifts from tactical to strategic and helps craft the next goals for the following sprint. Keeping your results aligned is critical to keeping the organization on its path to achieving its strategic objectives.
