💃 2026 Goal Setting For Salesforce Professionals🕺

Good morning, Salesforce Nerd! Say goodbye to 2025, and heeelllloooo to 2026 🎊 🍾!

By the way, did you know the Arizona Cardinals are playing the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday?

Do you think their preparation starts on Sunday? NO 🙅! They prepare in advance so when it’s game time, they’re not scrambling for plays, audibles, and schemes - they’re ready to play right at kickoff 😤.

It’s the same with your 2026 goals! You don’t define your goals on January 1, 2026, you do it now so you get a rolling start, positive momentum leading into game time!

be SMART

Smart Goals

SMART goals are a very popular choice for goal-setting….probably because it’s such a great acronym 😉.

The visual says it all. Here’s an example-

✅ Specific - Yes! Obtain the PD1 cert!

✅ Measurable - Yes! It’s binary, you get the cert or you don’t!

✅ Attainable - Probably! Going from zero tech knowledge to obtaining a notoriously difficult tech cert is a challenge. But 9 full months to make it happen!

✅ Relevant - Yes! As a functional Salesforce professional, the PD1 will increase your knowledge and enhance your standing!

✅ Time-based - Yes! Oct 1 deadline!

L&L FRAMEWORK

Locke & Latham’s 5 Principle Framework

Kicking it off with the L&L framework because it leads with 5 principles that are applicable to any goal-setting exercise.

Here’s an example of the L&L 5 principles using one example and ✅ what to do vs ❌ what not to do-

1) Clarity

✅ I want to make 5 new friends who I can meet up with for a Sunday Coffee

❌ I want to make new friends

2) Challenge

✅ I want to make 5 new friends who I can meet up with for a Sunday Coffee

❌ I want 5 new connections on LinkedIn

3) Commitment

✅ I want to make 5 new friends who I can meet up with for a Sunday Coffee, who love coffee like I do

❌ I want to make 5 new friends who I can meet up with for a Sunday Coffee

^{*when goals are dependent on other people, it is best to align interests with yourself and the others!}

4) Feedback

✅ I have made 3 new friends in 6 months. I am tracking ahead to make 5 friends for the year!

❌ I haven’t made 5 new friends yet

5) Task Complexity

✅ I want to make 5 new friends who I can meet up with for a Sunday Coffee

❌ I want to make 5 new friends who each descend from a unique continent and are an identical twin.

OKRs

Objectives, Key Results

🧠 Invented by Andy Grove.

🧠 Google’s preferred goal framework.

🧠 Immortalized by a best-selling book.

Yup, OKRs are legit 🙌.

OKR stands for Objectives and Key Results.

Here’s what it means-

• Objective = goal definition

• Key Results = specific, measurable

You will have multiple Key Results, and each will roll up to your Objective because they are aligned.

An example straight from the book-

👉 Objective - Win the Indy 500

👆Key Result - Increase average lap speed by 2%

👆Key Result - Test at wind tunnel 10 times.

👆Key Result - Reduce average pit stop by one second.

👆Key Result - Practice pit stops for one hour per day.

^You can see each Key Result aligns perfectly with the Objective 🎯!

FINAL THOUGHTS

Takeaway

💁 There is not an optimal count of goals to have. Rather, you’re time-boxed. Time is your limitation, not your aspirations.

💁 If you hit all your goals, then you didn’t create challenging enough goals. The inverse may also be true.

💁 Change is constant. What may have been a relevant goal in January might not be relevant in June. If your goal was to get the Sales Cloud Consultant cert, but then you get a new job that requires you to obtain the Service Cloud Consultant cert, it’s perfectly fine to change your goal 🙂.

💁 Goals should be impactful to you. A goal of running 1000 miles in 2026 is impactful. A goal of getting a new Briggs & Riley carry-on is not impactful.

SOUL FOOD

Today’s Principle

and now....Your Salesforce Memes