What’s the Right Number of Goals to Set Each Quarter

Does setting more goals equal more ambition? Typically, yes, but setting more goals doesn’t necessarily lead to more success. That’s why startups need to be careful about the number of goals they set each quarter. More goals aren’t always a good thing.

First of all, startups should never set more than five goals per quarter. More times than not, setting only three goals, or perhaps even two or one, is the best approach. It all depends on how much you trust your team to execute and accomplish the goals set each quarter.

In my experience coaching startups, I’ve found that many of them have trouble setting priorities. This directly hinders their ability to reach the goals they’ve set. Many companies I’ve worked with will be ambitious with five goals per quarter. But at the end of the quarter, they’ve failed to accomplish those goals except for perhaps the least important ones.

Why does this happen? It’s because most people tend to focus their efforts on what’s easiest and achievable. They would rather do that than go outside of their comfort zone. This is why the easiest and least important goals are achieved while the more important ones are unfulfilled.

The other problem is that more goals mean more distractions. It becomes harder to focus on the most important tasks and what you actually want to achieve if you always set five or more goals every quarter. This is another reason why it’s best to reduce the number of goals you set each quarter until you can accomplish what you set out to do.

When working with startups, I encourage them to slowly reduce their number of goals until they start to hit all of their targets. For example, if your startup has a quarter in which you set two goals and accomplish both of them, then you can try setting three goals. But even if you’re hitting your goals, never go above five per quarter.

By reducing the number of goals each quarter, you help build discipline and focus in your team. Rather than making things easy, this puts startups in a position to focus on the hard stuff. Ultimately, this is the best way to remove the roadblocks that are preventing your startup from getting to the next level.

If you’re ready to turn your vision into reality, the Midstage Institute’s Scaling Blueprint can help. We’ll help you document and define your vision and then create a roadmap to get you there.