How (and Why) to Craft Really Good, Impactful Objectives for Your Company

A Practical Guide to Setting Clear, Measurable, and Actionable Company Goals

By Alex Ford, CEO and Founder

As a leader, one of your most important jobs—if not the most important—is to chart the course for your company and ensure all stakeholders including your exec team, company, board and investors are aligned and engaged in that direction. That means clearly articulating and consistently reinforcing where the company is headed in the medium and long term and making sure everyone knows what matters – and why.

To that end, well-crafted, widely understood objectives are an essential tool for CEOs and founders. Unfortunately, too often, objectives are unclear, siloed, or non-existent. Many companies operate without a guiding framework, leaving teams rudderless. In some cases, long-term goals exist only in the CEO’s head or are buried in strategy documents that never see the light of day.

When done right, companywide objectives serve as a powerful force to drive alignment, focus, and momentum. The key is crafting objectives that are not only ambitious but also clear, actionable, and adaptable.

Why Strong Objectives Matter

Effective objectives provide:

• Clarity and focus: They define what matters most and prevent distractions.
• Alignment across teams: They ensure all departments are working toward a shared vision.
• A framework for decision-making: Prioritization becomes easier when objectives serve as a north star.
• Measurable progress and accountability: With clear success metrics, teams can track and celebrate wins and you as a leader can create clear, teamwide accountability.

In 2015, I set a series of companywide objectives aimed at scaling my business from $12M to $100M in annual revenue. These goals—ranging from increasing SaaS recurring revenue to improving go-to-market execution—became the foundation for our strategy. They were formalized, integrated into company communications, and reviewed monthly with my leadership team. 

The impact was undeniable: these objectives drove execution, alignment, and ultimately helped fuel our eventual $1B exit.

How to Set Strong, Impactful Objectives

Setting objectives isn’t just writing down a list of goals; strong objectives should be well-defined, measurable, and adaptable as the company evolves. They must be ambitious enough to inspire action but structured enough to ensure accountability.

Here’s how to craft objectives that truly move the needle:

1. Set ‘SMART’ Goals

Work with your executive team to define five to eight objectives that align with long-term growth and can be achieved within 3 to 24 months. Each should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) with a clear “as proven by” success statement. Keep them concise and memorable to ensure company-wide understanding.

2. Define Success and Accountability

For each objective, clarify:

• Ownership: Who is responsible for success?
• Contributing Domains & Functions: Which departments play a role or own sub projects?
• Key Initiatives: What specific actions or tasks will drive progress?
• Metrics for Measurement: How will success be tracked?

Clearly defining these elements ensures accountability and makes objectives actionable.

3. Align Objectives with Business Growth

Great objectives should support key business drivers, such as:

• Evolution of business strategy and market expansion.
• Product innovation and customer value.
• Revenue growth and financial health.
• Operational improvements and efficiency.
• Company culture and leadership development.

4. Avoid Objective Creep

Less is more. Keep objectives focused—five strong objectives are far more effective than fifteen weak ones. Use cascading objectives, where high-level company goals are supported by function-specific goals (e.g., improving sales and marketing efficiency, crafting product enhancements).

5. Make Objectives a Living Part of the Business

Objectives should not be a one-time exercise. They must be reinforced regularly through leadership communication, company meetings, and performance tracking and be periodically modified as objectives are met and the needs of the business change.

By keeping objectives focused, measurable, and adaptable, you create a framework for long-term success and alignment.

A sample set of company objectives

Objectives will differ based on a company’s size, stage, market served, and business model. A sample set of objectives could look like the following:

1. Hit annual plan and achieve cash flow positive by July
2. Restructure pricing to drive growth
3. Expand addressable market by opening up adjacent verticals and new customer sets within existing markets
4. Scale and improve revenue engine by increasing team and spend while improving processes and procedures
5. Improve product platform by adding additional features and decreasing service requirements
6. Increase net retention through price increase, enhanced customer support and stronger product value proposition
7. Strengthen company culture, reinforce mission and values to support growth

Each objective should have the appropriate supporting detail, including owners, timelines and key results. 

In the next article, we will look at how to effectively manage objectives.