Goal Management System

Strategy Execution by Design Series

Lever 3: Execution Management System
Element 2: Goal Management System

How confident are you that your people are focused on the goals that truly move the dial?

Many years ago, I was working with a large government organisation that had just set its strategy.

On paper, things looked good.
Projects were moving. Teams were busy. Every initiative had a purpose.

But under the surface, effort was scattered.
Projects were duplicating work.
Teams were delivering in directions that didn’t match the outcomes the organisation actually needed to achieve.

The problem wasn’t capability.
It was the absence of a real goal system.

No shared language.
No rhythm.
No line of sight on what success tangibly meant.

I worked with the leadership team and we built one from the ground up.
We used OKRs as the framework (I prefer this as its outcome focused) but it could’ve been KPIs, or something else.

The point isn’t the tool.

It’s having a consistent, connected system, one that links strategy, projects, and people. A system that defines what success looks like and aligns effort to how value actually flows.

We didn’t cascade goals down the org chart.
We mapped them to the flow of work.
And we rewired the performance system to reinforce shared outcomes, not just individual delivery.

The key shift?
Within months, duplication dissipated, alignment strengthened, and Leaders and teams had visibility into how their effort translated into impact.

Since then, I’ve seen the same pattern across dozens of organisations.

Strategy doesn’t fail. The goal system behind it does.

Below, I’ve broken down what I see as the key design shifts that separate high-performing goal systems from the ones that quietly stall execution.

Here’s what matters most:
- Calibrate for culture, how goals live depends on how people work together
- Design goals around the flow of value, not the reporting lines
- Pair leading and lagging indicators, manage the future, not the past
- Build a predictable rhythm of review, what’s not reviewed, dies
- Keep goals focused and connected across teams, focus is a leadership discipline
- Create safety, high-performing systems grow capability, not compliance

If your organisation feels busy but progress feels flat…
You don’t have a performance problem. You have a connection problem.

If you pulled up your top five strategic goals right now, could you draw a line from each to the work on the ground?

For more content including tips and tricks to consider, review the supporting content with the post: 
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rebecca-reti-4582433b_lever-3-goal-system-activity-7394162029441261569-t28Z?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAhmYsQBKppHDyfPTxqHXXgP5MmXRjB7WJs