Throughout my career, I have set, reviewed, and achieved many goals – and, of course, sometimes failed to achieve them. I recognized the importance of goals early on, but learning how to formulate them effectively and integrate them into a team setting was a process of trial and error. To help others avoid the same trial-and-error approach, I’m happy to share some key insights I’ve gained on how to successfully formulate, structure, review, and reflect on goals.

1. Ritualisation: Always start with clear goals (performance and attitude goals)

• Meetings and projects should always begin with a clearly defined objective.
• Goals should be set and reviewed regularly. Repetition fosters a goal-oriented culture.

2. Simple and clear formulation

• Complex or unclear goals are difficult to implement.
• Well-defined goals focus on the essentials – as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry put it:
  “Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

3. Keeping distance: Preventing the path from becoming more important than the goal

• It is helpful to step back occasionally and assess one’s actions from an outsider’s perspective.
• People often think in context-dependent ways – creating distance allows for a more objective perspective. External input can also help by bringing in a fresh viewpoint.

4. Balancing Individual and Team Goals

• Individual goals (“I-goals”): Personal performance goals are important but should always contribute to overall team success.
  A sports analogy: What good are three goals from a striker if the team loses 3-4 because he only focused on his own scoring opportunities?