Putting It in Writing

We're in goal-setting season. Across the organization, people are writing down what they aim to accomplish this year and how they'll know if they're on track. And I've heard from some of you that this process brings up anxiety.

I get it. Putting goals in writing is a vulnerable act. You're saying out loud: these are the things I'm committing to. These are the outcomes I'm accountable for. You're putting a stake in the ground where others can see it, which means others can also see if you miss.

That vulnerability is real. But I want to reframe what goals are actually for, because I think the anxiety comes from seeing them as a trap rather than a tool.

What Goals Are Actually For

Goals aren't about catching people falling short. They're about alignment.

When your goals are visible, we can make sure they connect to the team's priorities and the organization's direction. We can check that we're speaking the same language about what success looks like. We can surface conflicts early, where two people are working toward things that don't fit together, and sort them out before they become problems.

Goals also create a shared information set. When I know what you're working toward and you know what I'm working toward, we can support each other better. We can spot opportunities to collaborate. We can avoid duplicating effort or working at cross-purposes.

And goals clarify how you should spend your time. If you're ever unsure whether something deserves your attention, your goals are the filter. They help you protect the main thing.

The Stretch Is the Point

Here's something I want to name directly: if every goal you set feels completely achievable, you're not pushing hard enough.

One or two goals should feel like a stretch. Not impossible, not demoralizing, but genuinely challenging. The kind where you're not 100% sure you can hit it, but you're committed to trying.

If every quarter we limit ourselves to things we know we can knock out of the park, we stop growing. We optimize for looking good instead of getting better. That's not the culture I want us to build.

I'd rather see someone set an ambitious goal and fall short than watch them play it safe to protect their record. Falling short of a stretch goal teaches you something. Hitting a safe goal you were always going to hit teaches you nothing.

Goals as Hypotheses

The other thing I want to emphasize is learning.

A goal is a hypothesis. You're saying: based on what I know right now, this is what I think I can accomplish and how I think I should focus my energy. That's your best thinking in this moment.

But your best thinking will evolve. You'll learn things. Circumstances will change. The hypothesis might need to adjust.

That's not failure. That's the process working.

We'll have a formal opportunity at midyear to revisit goals and recalibrate based on what we've learned. And in between, you should be leaning into communication and feedback with your manager. If something isn't working, don't wait six months to say so.

My Accountability

I want to be clear that I'm not asking you to do something I'm not doing myself.

The board has set KPIs for me that I'll be tracking and evaluated against all year in addition to our broad organizational KPIs that we'll dig into further in January. I'm linking them here. Some of these I think we can accomplish comfortably. Others will be a challenge but doable. And a few feel like a genuine stretch, the kind where I'm not certain we'll hit them but I'm committed to pursuing them.

That's how it should be. If my goals didn't include anything that made me a little uncomfortable, I wouldn't be pushing hard enough either.

If You Don't Know Where You Stand

One more thing. If you're unsure whether you're on track, whether with your goals or your performance overall, don't wait for a formal review to find out.

You can initiate that conversation with your manager anytime. A simple framework that works well is the 2x2: you each share two things going well and two areas for growth. It takes twenty minutes and gives you clarity you can act on. You should also anchor your 1:1s on your goals.

Feedback shouldn't be a once-a-year event. It should be a regular part of how we work together. If you want to know where you stand, ask. That's not a sign of insecurity. It's a sign of someone who wants to get better.

What's Coming

We're building org-wide systems to track goals and promote transparency between teams. We'll roll those out in January at our Q2 meeting. Later in the year in Q3, we'll also add more clarity around the skills, competencies, and mindsets that define what it looks like to be a great employee here, not just what you accomplish, but how you show up.

For now, the focus is on getting your goals down. Be honest about what you're aiming for. Include some stretch. And know that putting it in writing isn't about setting yourself up to be judged. It's about creating the clarity that helps all of us move in the same direction.