How to Ask the Right Questions Before Setting Goals — A Problem-Formulation Framework
The two earlier posts in this series argued that goal-setting frameworks — OKRs, EOS Rocks, Scaling Up’s Four Decisions — assume a problem has already been agreed on, and that the agreement is usually missing.
Before You Set the Goal, Define the Gap
Ask a leadership team what problem their quarterly goal is solving, and the answer is often just the goal, restated. “Our problem is we need to hit two million dollars.” That isn’t a problem statement.
Your OKRs Aren’t Broken. Your Problem Statement Is.
A rollout goes sideways for a specific, boring reason: two people in the room were solving different problems, and nobody caught it before the goal went up on the whiteboard.
Why Most Goal-Setting Efforts Cancel Out Their Own Power
Goal-setting theory is one of the most tested findings in management science. Here’s why most organizations still get it wrong, and the three failure modes that erase the advantage.
The Coin Isn’t the Problem — Why Training and Change Investments Fail
Every dollar you’ve ever spent on training that didn’t stick proves it — you just didn’t want to call it that.
Why Modern Sales Hires Quit Dogmatic Legacy Teams
Your New Hire Isn’t the Problem. Your System Is Defending Itself.
Sales Training Is a Team Sport
The sales training budget looks like an investment in people. It isn’t, usually.
The Freedom Problem: Why Discipline is the Precondition for Real Autonomy in Organizations
Most leaders think compliance is something that happens to them.