Most great teams would agree, there’s nothing more powerful for executing on big ambitions than a clearly defined and well-communicated goal. But sometimes the stakes are much higher than usual. In these instances, a goal requires even more focus, execution, and clarity. All of these can be achieved through a framework that I have come to call SuperGoals, which I’ve relied on heavily throughout my career.
What’s a SuperGoal?
A high stakes, focusing goal for a team. It has a clear and urgent timeframe, an open-ended method of achievement, and a single measure of success that everyone can understand.
- SuperGoals temporarily transcend all other goals by instilling a sense of urgency that reinforces clarity and inspires creativity.
- They must meet three specific criteria
- Clear & Urgent Timeframe
- Open & Endless Method of Achievement
- Single Measure of Success Everyone Can Understand
High stakes spark ambition
SuperGoals have an open-ended delivery mechanism, so ideas can come from anywhere
You have to be willing to solicit requests from users, even if they violate some of your prior product principles
Create your own superGoals
SuperGoals unlock exceptional outcomes for teams when the stakes are highest. Three templates to get you started
- Choose your goal
- Ideas for your supergoal
- Achieve your goal
Meet daily to check in and discuss new ideas.
SuperGoals drive urgency
Few goal-setting frameworks deliver the singularity of SuperGoals — you only get one, it’s not aspirational, and it must be accomplished.
When using SuperGoals, nothing else matters: they temporarily transcend all other goals by instilling a sense of urgency that reinforces clarity and inspires creativity.
Sharp, aggressive goals are motivating
For example, this is what we did at Anchor:
- Set an aggressive monthly active user number, roughly 4x our current amount, that you have to achieve by August
- Setting an MAU goal for a three month period gives you only three data points to showcase dramatic growth
- Achieving an absolute number as a goal makes it harder to track progress and gauge progress
- Achieve 10% week-over-week growth
