Moonshots are big lofty goals, like when President Kennedy said we’d go to the moon. In the area of management, Gary Hamel has called for Moonshots in Management (HBR, Nov, 2009, pp. 91-98), cultivating a paradigm shift in how the future of the management profession must continue to evolve within the shifting social structures, technologies, and volatile business environments. Similarly, Jim Collins in exploring corporate strategy in Good to Great, likened moonshots to Big, Hairy, Audacious, Goals, or BHAGS, which become a “unifying focal point of effort, galvanizing people and creating team spirit as people strive toward a finish line” (p. 202, 2001). Learning leaders need to do the same for measurement within their own business contexts.
Moonshots and BHAGS become critical touchpoints in the narrative learning leaders must build for a transfer-driven mindset in their organization. Setting such stretch goals for ourselves, our teams, and our organizations, in better measuring the impact and value of the investments in learning, enables the business to accelerate forward. A movement from a train and hope, to an intentional and business-results mindset takes hold. Measurement is hard work, and it often does not involve flipping a switch off and on. That is why it is, continues to be, and will remain a dominant and prevalent theme in the corporate learning literature and consulting domains. Time, investment, and senior executive buy-in are critical in building a robust measurement ecosystem. Remember, from little things big things grow. Establish a blueprint and strategic plan of the initiatives and investments you’ll make over the next three years. Articulate how these investments align to and support the overall business goals your firm has targeted. Demonstrate the linkages between what you have done in previous years, achieved in 2010, and how these accomplishments integrate into your future plans. Overtime you can establish the foundation you need, the structure you require, and the accessories you desire: all in fulfilling the moonshots you set for measurement.
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