Goals, by nature, are big, lofty ideas. They help organizations move as a unit and set a clear course, but on their own, they don’t offer much direction, which is why we create objectives to measure our success.
By definition, objectives should be specific and quantitative. They are the most effective when paired with a goal. For example, if you want to “Grow your social media presence,” then, you could use any combination of the following objectives to support this effort:
- Increase Twitter following by 5 percent in the next six months.
- Add 100 users to Instagram by year end.
- Gain an average of 30 likes per post on Facebook this month.
While goals are wide and inspiring, objectives make finding the right strategy simple. By crafting specific ones, you and your team know where to focus your efforts. This approach helps align your actions with your goals, while building a tangible to do list.
To set objectives, look at your goals and consider how you’d gauge success for each one. Write them down, making sure they are measurable and there is some sense of a timeline. When you review your list, do a quick check.
- Are these achievable?
- Do you have the right resources in place?
- Will you need help?
- Do they align with your long-term vision for the company?
- Are they playing to your competitive advantage?
If your response is “no” to any of these, make adjustments until you can answer “yes” to all of them. When your objectives are finalized, it’s time to create a plan of attack. Next week, we’ll share how to begin doing that with our take on choosing strategies.
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