Don’t Just Set Goals...Build Standards That Exceed Them

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Goals provide direction, but standards determine consistent execution and results.
Co-creating standards with your team builds buy-in, ownership, and alignment.
Sustainable success starts with internal accountability, what you uphold, not just what you aim for.

There’s a dangerous illusion in business: that goals alone will drive success. That setting the right quarterly targets, the right KPIs, the right revenue numbers will somehow pull the organization toward excellence.

But here’s the truth...goals don’t drive performance. Standards do.

We’ve been conditioned to idolize goals. Hit the target. Check the box. Celebrate. But what if the target was never the point? What if the real leverage was in the standards you set that make hitting the target inevitable?

At MIT45, we’ve been testing a shift in how we operate. Instead of obsessing over outcomes, we’re asking a deeper question: What standards must exist to ensure we exceed our goals—consistently? And more importantly, what happens when those standards aren’t just handed down from the top, but co-created with the people who live them every day?

This isn’t theory. This is a philosophical pivot rooted in logic. You see, goals are external. Standards are internal. Goals give you direction. Standards give you identity.

Anyone can chase a goal. But not everyone holds the line when it’s inconvenient. That’s where standards come in. They define what’s acceptable, what’s required, and what’s non-negotiable—especially when no one is watching.

The power of this approach is exponential when it’s collaborative. When your team isn’t just being told what the standard is, but co-creating it—owning it, refining it, and defending it—something shifts. The mission becomes real. The values become actionable. The culture becomes alive.

It’s easy to set a goal and miss it, then rationalize why it didn’t happen. It’s much harder to look in the mirror and admit the standard wasn’t upheld. That kind of radical accountability is what separates elite teams from average ones.

And look, we’re early in this experiment. I’m not here pretending we’ve cracked the code or have a ten-year case study. But I do believe in the power of the principle. I believe that when people agree on the standard—and commit to it daily—the outcomes take care of themselves.

It’s not just about the language we speak to each other in meetings. It’s about the self-talk that runs in the background. The internal agreements we keep. That’s what culture is built on. That’s what trust is built on. That’s what success is built on.

So here’s the challenge: audit your goals—but more importantly, audit your standards. Ask yourself: What would have to be true, every day, for these goals to not just be hit, but surpassed? Then start defining that as the standard.

And don’t do it alone. Bring your team into the process. Let them speak into what the standard should be, what great looks like, and where the gaps currently exist. Co-create the rules you’ll live by, not because you have to, but because you choose to.

When your team owns the standard, they protect it. When they protect it, they elevate it. And when they elevate it, they outperform every time.

Goals are a byproduct. Standards are the cause. Start there.