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Rigid Constraints vs Guiding Principles: Focus on "What", not "How"

Writer's picture: Pier MartinPier Martin

Yesterday, I was asked a question about "how do I set goals for my team and hold them accountable" - it was a great question and it had me thinking about the contrasting ways organizations implement goal-setting and accountability and ultimately, I've seen two very contrasting approaches..


The "Rigid" Approach

This top-down approach treats goals as an exercise in hitting prescribed numerical targets:

  1. Executives cascade broad objectives down as rigid goals (OKRs, KPIs etc)

  2. Managers translate those into strict metrics for teams

  3. Individuals commit to specific numerical targets for their performance

  4. Performance is measured heavily on whether targets were achieved. Success or failure is based on if they did their targets.


While well-intentioned for accountability, this rendition often disconnects technical teams from delivering true customer value. Their dynamic work gets treated like manufacturing outputs and is less about meeting true business objectives.


The Guiding Approach

The alternative philosophy treats "Management by Objectives (MBO)" as a framework for alignment and outcome-driven work:

  1. Executives socialize high-level strategic objectives - big picture items

  2. Teams collaboratively set supporting achievement targets - smaller projects to help meet objectives

  3. Individuals align projects/responsibilities to those targets

  4. Performance evaluates against driving meaningful outcomes


Here, MBO acts as a pragmatic guiding force. The objectives are overarching tenets rather than constraints, allowing ambiguity while keeping people focused on impact. So you can imagine the answer, I provided to them, definitely the MBO approach!


For tech leaders, this guiding approach lets you communicate priorities effectively across technical and non-technical stakeholders without getting bogged down in weeds. Focus on the "What", not the 'How"!


Ultimately, MBO should focus efforts through principles - not restrict them through rigid constraints.


WHAT CAN YOU DO? Advocate for this guiding philosophy by asking for context, offering solutions, and constantly aligning everyone to the "why" behind the "what."



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