This stems directly from strategic planning where not having clear cut goals will make execution run amok. Whether you are an individual working for achieving personal goals or a business striving for successful expansion, your goals need to be defined clearly.
For instance, your goal may be as basic as learning a new language, where you may want to appreciate cultural diversity, or give yourself a competitive edge in career choices. You may want to do so as foreign languages open up the door to art, music, dance, fashion and cuisine, if any of those are your forte, or you may simply want to improve your communication skills. Whatever the reason, you need to have a goal in sight to work towards. Once you have the goal established you can then get to work to achieving it, which is all execution.
Likewise, in the business world, goal setting helps you organize your thoughts about what you want to achieve and allows you to come up with concrete steps that will help you get there. When you are clear on where you’re going, it’s a lot easier to make things happen. Having a goal is also motivating as you have a built-in finish line to work towards and you can celebrate when you reach it.
When talking about goals, whether personal or otherwise, these goals should be supportive of the overall strategy. For team members they should be tangible so that everyone involved get a sense of progression as they move along with the plan. Outlined goals should also be specific measurable, attainable and realistic while being timely.
Working with clear cut goals can also be beneficial in the sense that it can help weed out issues such as whether or not your plan is realistic with regards to any resource constraints. It also helps an organization establish whether they have the right individuals and skillset to execute the plan and also gives an idea of how well employees may have understood the company’s overarching objectives.
As such goals become the basis of your ongoing tracking, reporting and performance management, every one of which is crucial in the implementation of successful execution.
Any goal that creates conflict or challenges resources will limit the execution success.