This Series:
Part 1 (Intro) | Part 2 (Purpose) | Part 3 (Values) | Part 4 (Roles) | Part 5 (Rhythms) | Part 6 (Goals)
One of the most important thing a leader can do for an organization is focus the entire team's energy on a singular purpose. And that is exactly what goals is all about for us here at risk3sixty.
Focused energy.
It works like this: Purpose gives direction. Values guide behavior. Roles create clarity. Rhythms keep the organization moving. And goals give us focus.
Without clear goals, even great teams can work hard and still drift off course. We've all been there - haven't we? That frustrating place where the work we do everyday somehow becomes detached from any obvious impact to the company. When folks stay in that place too long a dangerous cynicism arises. A futility that kills a culture.
But, man, when people are totally aligned. When they can see exactly how the work they do contributes directly to the company's mission - it is motivating. Alignment creates energy, accountability, and motivation.
It fires people up!
We call our approach Mission to Metrics - a framework that connects every action in the company to our long-term purpose. It ensures that every level of the organization, from the firm to the individual, is rowing in the same direction.
Okay, here is how that kind of alignment works in practice at risk3sixty.
At the top, we start with why. Our BHAG defines the long-term mission the big, audacious outcome that drives us forward. It’s the north star that shapes every strategic decision and keeps us aligned around a shared vision of success. Everything we do is to support this big picture goal.
We talked all about that in the part-1 of this series (Purpose) and you can read more about it there.
Each year, we translate that long-term vision into concrete annual goals. Our annual plan defines what “winning” looks like this year. The plan is formally documented as measurable outcomes that push us toward our BHAG while remaining realistic and actionable.
Our Annual Kick-Off is where we align on these goals as a company, making sure everyone understands the targets, the rationale, and the strategies to achieve them.
We measure progress toward annual goals and make any pivots during our quarterly on-site meetings.
Next, each department defines how they will contribute to the firm’s annual goals. These are strategic commitments that connect the team’s daily work to the company’s big picture.
Every department goal must clearly map back to a firm-level objective. This alignment ensures that no effort is wasted and that each team’s focus contributes directly to the company’s success.
Department leaders have the opportunity to present progress reports to the whole company at our quarterly on-site meetings.
Finally, we bring it down to the individual level. Every team member creates personal goals that connect to their department’s objectives and, ultimately, to the firm’s mission.
This creates ownership.
Each person can see how their work ladders up to something meaningful.
Everyone knows what matters, why it matters, and how their role contributes to the whole.
Individuals have the opportunity to discuss progress toward their goals during their weekly 1:1s with their manager. In addition, we formally document progress twice a year during our mid-year and end-of-year performance evaluation cycles. (The relationship between each individual and their manager is what ties it all together and balances healthy challenge with support.)
Wow, this has been a fun series to wright. Thank you if you have followed along from the start.
My goal has been to provide some transparency about how we run our business at risk3sixty. Specifically, speaking to you: future team members and future customers considering risk3sixty.
I acknowledge that it can be hard to get the full sense of a company in just a few hours of interviews. And this has my attempt to supplement that and give you an insider’s perspective on how we run the company and what we are all about. I hope it has provided some insight and inspires trust that we are the kind of company you may want to work with.
This series we covered a lot of ground:
And I hope you've been able to see how, together, these five elements work together to help shape our culture over here at risk3sixty.
I believe that great companies are built by first people and second systems. And by aligning great people with our management operating system we think we’ve created something pretty special. A place that helps our team do their best work and helps our clients achieve lasting results.
If you’ve followed along through this series, I hope it’s given you both insight and inspiration - not just into how we run risk3sixty, but why we do it this way. Because when a team moves with clarity, trust, and shared purpose, the impact is far greater than any single individual can achieve alone.
Thank you,
Christian Hyatt