Goals-to-Action: Why Is This So Hard?

A dear friend and colleague told me recently I'm good at putting action to goals. I took the kind compliment at face-value, yet it made me wonder why this perception existed in his mind? While I try to bury this emotion as much as possible, my impatience has often been the jet fuel to "get it done" when goal statements are expressed, yet absent of any tactics. It's absurd to say "we want" or "we need" without someone also offering "here's what we're going to do...". Maybe my desire to not live in a fuzzy world compels me to push for a "black or white" stance. Like hockey coaches tell their players, "Go out there and make something happen - check someone on the boards and see what happens!" You have to find a tangible starting point to make goals a reality.

So why do we struggle with the execution of goals? My field experience reveals a few recurring reasons that prompt me to inspect for starting delays. In building new products, new analytic approaches or developing large sales assets like proposals or pitch decks, I've seen some undermining factors across clients, co-workers or teams I've led. Usually three barriers to getting off the starting line present themselves (and sometimes one or more may be present):

1. No time
2. Not willing
3. Don't know how

I'll come back to the above, but notice that I didn't say "lack of clarity" (which may the biggest barrier)? For this discussion, I assume a clear goal statement is present. I wrote an earlier article titled Work Backwards that I've found to help get alignment on goal-setting. In my mind, the kicker is activating the work.

The research on SMART goal-setting is prolific. It's also a helpful framework (i.e., good goals are: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound). But sometimes just getting started paralyzes Step One. Back to the above three areas I've witnessed.

#1 - No Time

One of my high-tech customers told me in 2021 that "you can't drop software off on us thinking we're going to look for reasons to use it during the free trial." That was a major moment for my learning in how enterprise companies even consider adopting new technology - even when it's free. In this case, the opportunity cost is the trade-off of time. If Ms. Leader tells her teams to "go try this new AI/ML software", what do you think Mr. Data Scientist is thinking? "Do this, plus my day job? Sure thing, Boss." Often, the lack of capacity prevents good work from being started. I've seen companies deeply want to apply new, available technologies, yet they get hung up on this goal because they don't have the allowance to go innovate or experiment. If you're partnering with another team or with your customer, ask up front:

• Is there a champion to initiate this project?
• Is there a point person who will own this?
• Will someone be allowed to work on it and let us check-in with them?

From a sales cycle motion, the cliche phrase "time kills all deals" is readily true. From an innovation viewpoint, I've unfortunately seen a "fast no" behind a pushed goal simply because other priorities aren't shifted. This is often the case with product development efforts.

#2 - Not Willing

This is the most problematic one, in my view. You're dealing with goals not beginning because there's an attitude or some negative emotion that's deterring the start of a project. There's a case where I've felt that I was doing someone a favor in exposing them to a new cross-functional team and asking them to be part of it. They dug in and said, "no thanks." I was confused and admittedly irritated. I started pushing them to "just do it" because I could see how it was good for them. They still resisted. So now what?

I hate working out. I have the room in my garage and the equipment to do so. But when my son asks me, "Working out this morning?", I say "Maybe." He gives me the look that knows that I'm just going to finish breakfast and hit my desk instead of the weights. What's going on here is I just don't want to be uncomfortable. Taking this same un-motive, I've learned to inquire about someone's comfort should they be pushed into another assignment or experience. Here's what I ask:

1. What benefits can you see for yourself (besides what I think they may be)?
2. If you were part of this project, what would you want to control or greatly influence so you get unique recognition?
3. How does your view of stretching into this assignment change knowing that other leaders also have confidence in you? (only say this, if true)

While the above are in a personal, one-to-one context, advising clients who have a leader that wants something done, but their direct reports "just don't want to do it" is tricky business. In 2017, one of my clients said, "Help our team build out an analytics strategy for next year." We approached his team of 3+ departments and they all basically said, "Screw that! We don't own that type of strategy." The leader's looking at you, the outside partner, to light a fire. We had to find the comfort levels that need to be in place. Maybe it's time or knowledge (see above and below). Maybe it's a lack of perceived reward for the behaviors. Regardless, call this out and know if resistance to starting a goal is born out of a poor attitude. In the case of the 2017 engagement, we drafted the outline and asked them to think of the gaps that we listed as an easy way of them to feed us unique inputs that we'd help them package as a strategic analytics plan. Having a template was a break-through for all involved! Eventually, they came around after they knew we were on their side and wanted to make them look like heroes to their V.P.

#3 - Don't Know How

Here's a life-lesson that bit me in the behind when I ran our professional services teams. I asked one of our analysts to build a benchmarking database so we could catalog predictive variables that were used in "peer models" for our customer's direct marketing campaigns. We built logistic regression or survival analysis-based models to help automakers find the best targets to whom they could solicit their new vehicles or new service programs. We had dozens of models over the last seven years to learn from and I wanted this intelligence to convert into a consulting tool for our Sales teams and our other customers. Given this "goal" (that wasn't written out for the analyst), I asked her to put together a project plan. Days went by without a single word hitting a plan. I'd check in and all I'd ask was, "How are you doing?" and the poor analyst said, "Getting there." When I pushed for what her next steps were, she'd say she'd get me the plan soon. After a month, I got into the weeds with her and essentially asked why nothing had started yet. She finally admitted, "I haven't a clue what to do on this - I get the end-goal, but I have no idea how to even think about starting this." I felt like a jerk. In confiding with my peer in HR, she asked me if I had considered jump-starting a project plan with her that allowed some mini-phases to be documented. That was another "ah-HA!" moment for me. In the end, the initiative was never realized due to other business priorities and staff changes that thwarted an unsolicited initiative. But I learned to ask:

• Can you tell me what your starting steps will be to support this goal?
• Would it help if we brainstormed on some of the initial steps?

One last item on this: Asking someone to play-back or repeat back to you what you believe is expected of them is phenomenal. It gives them a chance to translate it and validate it in front of you. A silent, nodding head of agreement is a potential pitfall for believing if someone "gets it." If you read Patrick Lencioni's book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team , this point is amplified.

How do you activate goals? Add to the above. We'll all be better for your input.