A stretch goal is an ambitious and challenging target or objective that goes beyond what is typically considered achievable or expected.
Unlike regular or incremental goals, which can be easy to achieve, stretch goals are set to push individuals, teams, or organisations outside of their comfort zones. Imagine setting a goal so lofty that it feels almost out of reach.
Yet, it’s this very magnitude that sparks innovation, resilience, and exponential growth. Stretch goals aren’t mere checkboxes on a to-do list or mundane targets in a planner. They are aspirational visions that pull you out of your comfort zone, encouraging you to venture into uncharted territories. Properly set stretch goals can be the breath of fresh air your team needs to get out of their comfort zone and enhance their performance.
Stretch goals inspire you to innovate and strive harder than you might have with more modest aims. The idea is that even if you don’t fully achieve a stretch goal, the momentum and effort you put in trying to reach it can lead to substantial improvements.
While they are not for everyone, teams that are already performing well may get a boost from stretch goals. Besides inspiring and motivating your team, stretch goals can also positively impact your company’s performance and increase your chances of success.
Even if you don’t hit your stretch goal, it’s the perfect way to get out of your comfort zone and reach for the stars. No matter if the stretch goals are met or missed, it can be a metric to calibrate new goals.
Process
Ask yourself open-ended questions to define your stretch goal. Think about what the best case scenario of reaching your stretch goal could look like. How can your team improve their current work processes? How can you positively impact your business?
These types of questions will help you determine what kind of stretch goal to set. Gather your team for this process so they feel in charge of this big goal. Together, you can brainstorm how to allocate additional resources, establish a timeline, and create an action plan with stretch targets.
Track your progress and shoot for the stars. While your stretch goal isn’t always going to be the highest priority for your team, it can be a great motivator. Track your team’s progress and celebrate every time they hit a milestone.
Keep in mind that stretch goals shouldn’t cause your team to spend more time at work than they already do in a desperate attempt to hit the goal. Rather, stretch goals should be a source of motivation that help your team feel inspired and productive.
Not for everyone
Stretch goals aren’t for everyone. Before setting one, it’s important to evaluate if and when your team is ready for this goal setting tool. Funny enough, stretch goals often work best for teams that are already doing well.
If your team is on a roll, they won’t feel as intimidated by a stretch goal and are more likely to feel inspired and encouraged to shoot for the stars. Instead of focusing on stretch goals, a struggling team should focus on small wins or even small losses until they are in a better spot.
After this happens, then you can focus on getting the resources you need to accomplish stretch goals. If your sales team has consistently been achieving sales targets, setting a stretch goal of 120% is ambitious but not impossible — exactly what you want out of an inspiring stretch goal.
Benefits
Stretch goals can breathe new life into a stale work environment. If your team has been lacking the creativity and spirit to drive a project or your organisation forward, a stretch goal can help them feel inspired again.
Stretch goals can be the perfect motivation for a team that’s in need of productivity. Ambitious goals help your team focus on their highest-impact work, which is exactly what you want from them.
Stretch goals are often ambitious because they are directly linked to your company’s mission. When your team feels like they are contributing to the overall success of your business, they are more likely to work hard because they want to see those results.
An inspiring stretch goal can encourage your team to leverage available resources and get more creative when it comes to finding problem-solving methods and work more enthusiastically. Most importantly, all of these benefits can increase your team’s and organisation’s chances of success. The more committed, productive, enthusiastic, and innovative your team is, the more likely you are as a business to reap the benefits of your team’s performance.
Watch points
Stretch goals can be challenging. If you don’t set them right, you risk making them a problem rather than a solution. If you set vague, ambiguous, or outrageous stretch goals, they can make your team feel disconnected, discouraged, or even frustrated.
Do not set stretch goals outside of your team’s skill set. Teammates who feel like their goals are unattainable may lose motivation. Once set, communicate that stretch goals are a chance for your team to acquire and learn new skills. It’s important they know that you don’t expect them to do everything perfectly right away.
Stretch goals aren’t necessarily meant to be met. If your team feels like they’re failing simply because they didn’t hit a goal, you may get the exact opposite of what you were hoping for: an unmotivated and stressed out team. Clearly communicate what a stretch goal is and that nobody is going to get in trouble if you miss it. While it would be a great success to hit the goal, it’s mostly here for inspiration.
If you are a leader thriving for breakthrough results, encourage thinking big, inspire creativity, and achieve more. This can lead to breakthrough performance and innovation. Be careful not to demotivate the team with unrealistic and continuously unattainable goals be it stretched or otherwise.
The big Idea is to achieve a win win and not to beat your team. Remember, by definition, stretch goals seem impossible at the start, and it might be difficult to envision how you will achieve them before you get started. You don’t always need a clear picture leading you from start to finish – sometimes, just being able to see the first few steps is all you require.
Be honest with your team members about the goal’s difficulty but express your belief in their skills and expertise. Explain why you chose them for this project, and make sure that they understand how you will measure success.
Importantly, encourage them to take risks and learn from their mistakes. Help them to see failures as experiences that they can learn from, rather than as wasted time. Keep one thing in mind – do not punish failure to achieve stretch goals.
