Every team needs goals. But not all goals are created equal. Enter cascading goals, a goal-setting method that trickles from the top (in a good way). What are cascading goals? They are objectives established at the highest level of an organization – think, a company’s overall direction and targets. Supporting goals are then created for every level of the company, both in terms of departments and individuals. 

For example, let’s say that a high-level organizational goal is to increase market share. For a marketing team, a supporting goal may be to increase website traffic to attract new customers. For a sales team, a supporting goal may look like nurturing relationships with clients to encourage repeat business. Leaders from each department would then set individual goals with their reports around those targets. 

The benefits of setting cascading goals 

“An organization can gain a lot from setting cascading goals,” according to Seyi Agbede, Principal Consultant at Taysey Consult. First, cascading goals encourages alignment. As a business (and a leader), you want everyone pulling in the same direction. “Your team members are more likely to remain committed, engaged, and focused when they know how their job fits into the overall objectives of the company,” says Agbede. 

Not to mention the clarity that comes with having such an intentional goal-setting process. “Cascading goals help your team members understand what they are expected to accomplish. This clarity ensures that everyone is on the same page and helps clear up confusion and ambiguity,” adds Agbede.

Finally, cascading goals can also foster a culture of accountability. Since everyone on the team is responsible for their own objectives, which then feed into the bigger organizational goals, there is a sense of added ownership among team members. This, in turn, increases performance and impact. 

How to set and achieve cascading goals 

If you’re ready to set – and actually achieve – cascading goals, there are a few important things to keep in mind. 

1. Don’t do it without a tool 

Setting goals without using the right tech can be a waste of time. You and your team will need to visualize your goals and track progress, and a spreadsheet just won’t cut it if you want to be effective. 

Hive Goals helps you create personalized goal dashboards. You can even create “child goals” for each higher-level goal, which gives you a simple and streamlined way to visualize your cascading goals. Thanks to automated tracking and reporting features, you can understand how you are pacing towards a certain target on both a team and individual level. Using the platform also allows you to spend less time chasing updates and more time reflecting on what you can optimize and tweak. 

2. Begin with broad strokes

Once you have a strong tool to support the process of setting cascading goals, you’ll want to start from the big picture without trying to get too specific from the get-go. “Prior to establishing personal goals, it’s critical to comprehend the organization’s overarching objectives. You can use this to determine the main results you want to attain and create a strategy for getting there,” according to Agbede. 

3. Add specificity and measurability 

With a clearer idea of your high-level strategic outcomes, you can now get more specific. Remember that S.M.A.R.T goals are popular for a reason. “Each objective needs to be both attainable and measurable. This will enable you to monitor progress towards those objectives and ensure that your team members are aware of what is expected of them,” adds Agbede. 

4. Communicate often 

According to him, clear and frequent communication is also key while establishing cascading goals. Involve your team in the goal-setting process early on and make sure that objectives are clearly mapped out, communicated and understood. 

5. Keep it simple 

Don’t make the mistake of setting too many goals at once. A certain level of challenge is good, but complexity is the enemy of execution. “Maintain simplicity. It’s crucial to develop goals that will stretch your team members while also remaining straightforward. A person may become confused and lose focus if they have too many goals,” says Agbede. 

6. Support your team 

Once goals are set, your job as a leader is to support your team in achieving them. What kind of help and resources will team members need to meet their goals? “This could involve receiving coaching, training, or access to more resources,” notes Agbede. 

7. Promote collaboration 

“Cascading goals function best when everyone is contributing to a single goal. Promote teamwork among team members and offer opportunities for cross-functional teams to collaborate to accomplish common objectives,” he adds. 

8. Celebrate progress and wins 

Lastly, it’s so important to celebrate progress and wins to keep morale and motivation high. As mentioned above, if you’re using a tool like Hive Goals, it’ll be easy to stay on top of who is doing what and make sure that you give recognition when an important milestone is reached. 

Following the steps above will not only help you foster team focus and engagement through cascading goals, but it will also move the needle forward in your entire organization. 

Using Hive To Set Your Goals

Are you ready to start making strategic goals with your team? You’re in luck — Hive’s newest (and most exciting) feature is Goals. Everyone wants to know how they’re moving their organization forward, and your team is more than just a project. With Goals, you can set various goals, visualize progress, and keep everyone aligned in one centralized dashboard. You can also:

• Create one, ten, twenty, or more goals for your team, so everyone understands what they’re contributing to.
• Centralize and automate your goal tracking and reporting.
• Pull data from other systems into Hive to streamline operations and reporting.
• Share your goal or goals, assign the goal to relevant teammates, track activity, and give yourselves a deadline.
• Understand how your team and organization are pacing towards an individual goal or a set of goals.
• Color-coded designations allow an easy understanding of “on-track” items.
• When it’s time to review progress, accomplishments, and achievements, easily export all relevant information.

Want to get started? Start your free trial of Hive Goals today!