Goal Setting: A Blueprint for Business Executives

What do you want to achieve this year?

As a business leader, you already excel at driving results in the professional sphere. But true success requires balance; a commitment to thriving across all aspects of life. To achieve this, you must master the art of goal-setting, focusing on what I call the "4 Fs": Fitness, Finances, Family, and Faith. I'm going to share my thoughts below on how you can adopt a more structured and effective approach to setting your personal goals.

The Process vs. Outcome Distinction

Before we dig in, it's worth clarifying the type of goals you should set. It's easy to gravitate toward a big lofty ambition—I've certainly done that in the past. But here’s the thing: success lies not in the outcome alone but in the habits and systems you develop during the journey. Why? Because let’s be clear; achieving an outcome isn’t fully in your control.

Let’s say you set a goal of being promoted to VP this year and you do everything in your power to push for it:

• Make it clear to your boss that's your aim
• Set regular check-ins to assess your progress
• Take extra leadership courses
• Step up and take on the extra responsibilities now that come with the role
• Network with existing VPs in your firm to understand the role better and garner support

But come November 2025, leadership decides that there isn’t a budget/need for an additional VP this year and they’re delaying all promotion decisions. So, when you look back, it might seem that you "failed" to hit your goal, but in reality, you stuck to the process, achieved a huge amount of personal growth, and developed new skills that you otherwise wouldn't have; sounds like a win to me! (And a springboard to pursue the outcome even harder the following year, perhaps outside your current company…)

To summarize:

• Outcome Goals define the destination: shedding 20lbs, gaining a promotion, or spending more quality time with family.
• Process Goals create the map: completing four weekly gym sessions, taking a course to learn/refine a new skill, or scheduling family time every evening from 7-9pm as a non-negotiable appointment.

Outcome goals provide clarity, but process goals are where the real work, growth, and behavior change happens.

So how does this play out across each of the 4 Fs with some examples?

1. Fitness: The Foundation

Your physical health underpins every facet of your performance, which is why I recommend you start here. Without energy, focus, and resilience, your ability to lead and execute suffers. And I’m not just talking about work; I mean at home too. Whenever I've let my standards slip—compromising sleep, becoming inactive—my wife has been quick to call me out on how I've become more irritable and less focused around her and the kids. The first step to fixing this has always been to fix my own health routine, and the rest naturally follows.

Physical health is directly tied to improved productivity and emotional regulation. Regular physical exercise is associated with higher cognitive function and improved decision-making, both critical traits for business leaders1. Moreover, maintaining a consistent sleep routine boosts creativity and problem-solving skills, essential for executive decision-making2.

Example:

• Outcome Goal: Lose 20lbs and lower body fat to under 18%
• Process Goals: Commit to strength training three times a week, establish a weekly meal prep routine, leveraging a tool like MyFitnessPal to track calories, set a consistent sleep routine to achieve 8 hours/night from 10pm to 6am

2. Finances: Mastering Your Career Journey

When I talk "finances," I don’t just mean wealth accumulation but rather ensuring sustainable success in your career. Doing something that aligns with your values and continuing to see personal growth in your skills, responsibility, and impact—that is the path to true satisfaction at work, rather than simply the relentless pursuit of more money.

As research from Harvard Business Review notes, executives who focus on purpose-driven leadership, not just financial success, report higher levels of fulfillment and employee engagement3. These individuals often lead teams with higher morale and better business outcomes. Embracing personal financial growth through continuous learning and applying those principles to career growth leads to sustainable success.

Example:

• Outcome Goal: Transition from strategy team into operational P&L ownership role
• Process Goals: Communicate this goal to your manager and co-develop a plan to achieve the transition, meet with relevant leadership (e.g. COO, VP..) once/month to network and demonstrate your suitability for the team, expand your financial literacy by taking a relevant financial education course

3. Family: Strengthening Bonds Amidst Competing Demands

For many executives, family life becomes an afterthought. Not intentionally, of course—it's just that the pursuit of career success can become so all-encompassing that family gets put on the backburner. Don’t fall into the mental trick of thinking that your sole job is to provide for them financially; yes, that’s important, but your family values your time and attention more than anything else. And on a personal level, deep, meaningful relationships are essential for long-term fulfillment.

Example:

• Outcome Goal: Spend more quality time with partner and kids
• Process Goals B lock family time on your calendar as a non-negotiable commitment 4 evenings a week and communicate this to your team/boss, create a weekly family tradition: a game night or dinner out, turn phone notifications off for set periods to ensure you're fully focused and actively engaged

4. Faith: Cultivating Self-Belief and Certainty

Faith provides the grounding and clarity necessary to navigate life’s complexities. This doesn't necessarily mean through religion, although that is of course one outlet that is central to many of us. Spirituality, meditation, reflection, or community are all examples of paths; the key is to find the one that resonates most with you. As psychologist Carol Dweck argues, cultivating a growth mindset is essential for navigating uncertainty?. Faith, in whatever form, fosters a mindset that allows us to believe in our capacity for growth and change.

Example:

• Outcome Goal: Develop greater self-confidence (side note, it can be VERY difficult to set an outcome-based faith goal, see how "fluffy" this one is; how do you measure self-confidence? This is where process goals really show their value)
• Process Goals: End each day by noting three positive things you've achieved, set aside 30 minutes at a regular time each weekend for meditation, attend one community event or gathering each month

The Compound Effect

The key to transformative change lies in incremental improvement. As James Clear illustrates in Atomic Habits, improving by just 1% daily creates exponential growth over time?. These small, consistent wins compound to deliver remarkable change, even if you don’t hit the desired outcome. Success is not about big, overnight changes but about harnessing the power of everyday actions; enjoy the process and you will achieve your goals

PS. Here are two ways I can directly help you achieve your health and performance goals:

1. Grab a free copy of my Metabolic Adaption Protocol?, the exact process that's helped busy executives lose 15-20 lbs over 90 days in less than 2 hours / week - here

2. Book a free 15 min discovery call with me, no sales, no obligation to buy anything, just pure value, advice in the best way I can - here

Citations

1. Mandolesi et al (2018). Effects of Physical Exercise on Cognitive Functioning and Wellbeing: Biological and Psychological Benefits. Frontiers in Psychology, 9 Link
2. Hirshkowitz et al. (2015). National Sleep Foundation’s sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary. Sleep Health, 1(1), 40–43. Link
3. Harvard Business Review. (2020). How to lead with purpose. Harvard Business Review.
4. Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House.
5. Clear, J. (2018). Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. Avery.