Are goals really necessary?

Colleagues,
 
After creating a mantra, mission, and vision, we are now ready to dive into goals. Goals are the things that, if you achieve them, will lead to making your vision a reality. Goals lead to fulfillment of the vision, not the mission.
 
Goals should be few (three). SMART goals are nice, but not necessary for an MVP. In a traditional strategic plan, SMART goals are essential because they provide measures for determining success. However, the MVP is process driven and we will focus more on what we do daily than on the outcome at the end.
 
Step 1: Ask yourself what needs to happen in order to achieve the vision. If I do x, y, and z, that should lead to the vision. Try to keep it to three. You will need to decide how far out you want your goals to be. Typical timeframes are 3-5 years, 12 months, 3 months, and 1 month.
 
My goals:

1. Grow email list to 10,000 subscribers with 25% open rate
2. Publish consistently in a variety of formats
3. Grow APEx into a sustainable subscription program with 100+ users 
4. Remain engaged in the field (direct consulting)
5. Diversify and stabilize income

Obviously, I broke my own rule of three, but in this case, it works for me. There is some interplay in my goals. For example, goal 2 actually is essential for achieving goal 1.
 
Before you go… one of the most difficult things about writing the daily email is knowing whether or not my efforts are fulfilling my mission of helping you lead strategically every day. Please consider hitting reply here and letting me know what you think of this week’s activities.
 
Cheers!
 
Frederick