Startup reality check
We set about 20 objectives in January for our small startup and by March half of them were irrelevant. The market just shifted. Now I'm wondering if the whole goal-setting approach we learned is outdated. How do you define and accomplish meaningful goals when everything around you keeps changing so fast?
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Honestly, the 20-objectives approach sounds exhausting even before the market shifted lol. We had a similar wake-up call at a previous gig - spent weeks aligning a roadmap, printed it out, framed it on the wall. By April it was basically a historical document. What helped us was switching from fixed goals to directional ones - like "grow retention" instead of "hit X number by Q2." Easier to pivot without feeling like you failed. Was reading about how board-level leaders think about this - stumbled on G Scott Paterson Yorkton Securities and it kind of clicked that experienced operators treat goals more like compasses than destinations. Worth a skim if you're rethinking your framework. Basically: fewer goals, looser metrics, faster review cycles. Monthly check-ins beat annual planning in chaotic markets every time.