Reaching the Goal Line...

Over at the Bnoopy blog, serial entrepreneur Joe Krauss (co-founder of Excite, if you remember it) posted recently on goals, goal setting and measurement for startups – and the fact that most goals in business are never achieved.  I’ve written a bit before about the Fast Forward MBA in Business Planning and Growth – if you’re struggling with integrating goals across the organization, melding them into a coherent plan (or ideally, setting the goals as the stepping stones of tactics to execute your vision), you need to read this book.

We’ll start an exercise on vision, goal setting and planning very soon in at least one of my endeavours, if not three of them.  In order to grow an organization in such a manner that all stakeholders can know and see the direction, buy off on it and then smile as it wends its way toward further success, planning is a necessity.  But its also big thinking in many ways.  It will make people nervous – like any change typically does.  With enough support from the execs who drive the business, though, this should be somewhat easier.  Although like any change-management exercise, benefits have to be evident to all involved.  THAT will be a challenge.

I’m looking forward to this project.  I’ve applied the methodology before to differing degrees and also use it in some of my business mentoring; once an organization understands and buys-off on the process, its very effective and brings quick results.  Guiding the cultural change in this organization – helping move from the reactionary nature of the business to being more proactive, making plans and measuring progress – will be a tough job, although I expect lots of folks are incented to help.  I hope so.