The Strategic Sweet Spot Will Change the Way You Set Goals
If you’re a senior professional and are setting goals for the upcoming quarter, year, or considering your annual review - this strategic sweet spot framework is for you.
So often the senior leaders I work with are navigating strong emotions around work. They’re handling the fires in the day-to-day, barely thinking about performance reviews until it’s 9pm and they’re scrambling. They’re struggling to see the forest through the trees. They’re getting frustrated that they’re feeling isolated and overwhelmed at work.
From hundreds of hours coaching and partnering with creative leaders, operation strategists, powerful generalists across so.many.industries. like agencies, services, consultancies, FAANG, tiny start-ups, solopreneurs… I created this seemingly simple framework that helps.
THE STRATEGIC SWEET SPOT
WHAT IS IT - AND WHY IT WORKS
What is the strategic sweet spot? It’s finding the trifecta in goal-setting that considers you, your team, and the organization you work for.
The strategic sweet spot is a measured approach to finding alignment between the goals of the organization, the needs of the team, and your personal and professional goals as an employee. When you’re thinking about those three in conjunction, the magic occurs.
Seems simple, right? Consider goals in accordance with the team goals, the business goals, and your personal goals. That’s it. That’s the whole thing.
That’s why it works.
Work is often emotionally charged. We’re frustrated and Susan from accounts is making us furious. We get clouded in our thoughts, we lose sight of the big goals.
We think we’re being strategic, that we’re considering the long game, but more often than not we’re only focusing on two things - and that’s a problem.
HOW ONLY 2 COMPONENTS LEADS TO DISASTER:
TEAM + YOU: You’ll be supportive of your team’s initiatives, and you’ll be finding your own path to growth. Fantastic! But! If you’re not considering the overarching organization’s goals, you may discover that you’ve been spending your time on a pet project that isn’t bringing in the right revenue, clients, or senior leadership buy-in. Suddenly you - and your team - are at risk at work.
YOU + ORG: You’re crushing your goals, you’re looking good to the higher ups in meetings. Amazing! But! If you aren’t considering the team you have in place, you may find they’re less than willing to go along with your next project idea. They’re suddenly switching to different teams, finding managers and leaders that are thinking about the overarching success of the team - not just one person.
ORG + TEAM: The team is doing great, it’s delivering high-value for the organization and everyone is happy. But… where are you in all of this? Burnt out, exhausted, and feeling pretty disengaged. You still need to find ways to grow, feel challenged, and get to explore your own path to success, too.
WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE IN PRACTICE:
As you’re thinking about goal-setting, performance reviews, etc, pull out a pen and paper.
Review the “north star” of your organization: whatever they’ve been setting as the strategic direction of the organization. Start to capture the areas that your team - and you - can influence. Don’t have that? Close your eyes. Reflect on the past 6 months. What have been the “big wins” of the org. What did they touch? What did the highlight?
Consider the strength of your current - and future - team: how do the members of your team, your freelancers and service providers serve the goals of the organization? How can you tailor these overarching organizational goals into real projects for your team - that may even ladder up with their personal goals? Don’t know yet / don’t have a team? That’s okay, you can think about your business unit, your cross-functional partners, too.
Think about YOU and your goals: when you progress from your current role - whether that’s to a new organization, or to a more senior position - what are the stories you want to tell? How do you want to highlight your experience and expertise? Which of these projects and goals would give you the space to attempt to build those stories?
Put it all together. You have a first draft of your goals that deliver value to the organization, highlight your powerful team, and, give you the space to grow into the next iteration of your skillset.
Looking to up your performance reviews in general?