HBR On Leadership Setting Goals for Your Team When the Path Isn’t Clear
19 snips
Dec 10, 2025 Explore the challenges of leading teams when the road ahead is uncertain. Discover strategies for defining success and reverse-engineering goals. The discussion emphasizes the importance of maintaining momentum amid shifting priorities and external collaborations. Learn how to balance planning and flexibility while prioritizing meaningful conversations. Find out about setting measurable milestones that align with long-term visions, and embrace the concept of 'realistic optimism' as a guiding principle in leadership.
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Treat Goals As Testable Hypotheses
- Create a hypothesis for your goals and treat it as a testable plan that you can adjust later.
- Move now by reverse engineering outcomes and be ready to pivot if new leadership changes direction.
Reverse-Engineer Long-Term Outcomes
- Reverse engineer long-term outcomes into concrete short-term milestones with dates and numbers.
- Estimate conversion rates for collaborators and use those assumptions to plan outreach volume.
Inform Timelines With Context
- Check the container and context for your goals (institutional strategy, leader priorities) before fixing firm timelines.
- Use that context to inform realistic timeframes and what to test first.
