Measured progress toward personal goals is wasted if you quit before the ultimate end is achieved.  This assumes you know what the desired outcome is.

A boss I worked with years ago (one whom I really admired) would frequently prompt us during strategy and planning sessions with a simple question, “What does done look like?

 Clarity

For me the question was about both clarity and measurability.  If you are not crystal clear as to the destination how can you assess whether you have arrived or not.

This is a simple intuitive concept, yet I frequently observe (more often than not) people declaring success by morphing outcomes  to appear as meeting the goals.

Example of Project Success

One of my favourite examples  of slipper goals is measuring project success based on schedule and budget.  Frequently unexpected events occur and schedule or budget are modified accordingly.

In the end the project maps to the final timeline and budget, albeit miles from the original schedule and cost.  Without baselining it is easy for this success measure to be achieved but is this really what done was intended to be?

Accountability

To be truly accountable for outcomes you must be both fully in agreement as to what they are as well as buying in to their achievability Iif you aren’t convinced success is within your grasp can you really get it done?).

Absolute clarity as to what done is coupled with buy-in to feasibility will  not guarantee you will arrive where intended but it really increases the odds.