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As we enter the second half of the calendar year, it is a natural time to pause, assess progress against performance goals set at the start, and determine what adjustments may be needed. It is even a time when new goals are added. If these additions are not managed intentionally, they can create competing priorities that outpace capacity, putting both original and new objectives at risk. This is often referred to as goal creep: goals gradually expand without recalibrating priorities and resources. To help teams address this, here is my one-page cheat sheet for evaluating any new goal and clarifying what will change to make room. It starts with a simple premise: when a new goal is added, either resources should be added, or an existing goal should be deprioritized. It also includes questions such as: What changed in business priorities that justifies adding this goal now? What are we willing to deprioritize? What minimum viable version can we commit to this cycle? Rather than being prescriptive, it is a strategic exercise to help teams stay intentional about what work is taken on in the second half, protect critical priorities, and increase the likelihood that goals translate into outcomes.
