When I was getting established as a young adult, and I purchased my first apartment, I set up a household budget. Each month I thoroughly monitored expenditures and balance.

I have often wondered about company goals that are set 10 -15 years in the future.  Does anyone take them seriously when they are set so far in the future?

In my country we recently had the national election. What amazes me is that all the political parties are so positive about the results. Each party claim to be the winner. Quotes like "we improved compared to the last pol", "we improved compared to last election","we improved in the western part of the country", "we are the winners." All found something positive to focus on when commenting the result of the election.

Dreams are an important aspect of our lives and keep us moving forward. The same driving forces like dreams can also be applied to business. One concept that I like is the strategic destination statement.

In times where business environments are changing rapidly, it is important to choose the right medicine bottle for your company. Many companies pick the “budget medicine bottle” and believe that budgets and strict budget discipline will solve their problems. But strict budgets can destroy value creation.

Do you remember last year’s budgeting process-- how time consuming and detailed it was?

This Easter I went skiing. During my trip thought about old Norwegian heroes who traveled by skis to the North and the South Poles. Wow - those were long journeys.

When I consult with companies I always look for the type of perspective of the people I meet. I encounter many different people, and what strikes me is that they often hold a very narrow view of performance.

Many managers appear to believe that the right way to manage a company is to put a lot of control mechanisms in place. This thinking is driven by the idea that all people are lazy and need to be closely managed. Balanced Scorecard can also be implemented as a system of control and follow up. In Western countries I have observed that this often leads to the failure of BSC projects.

How many times have you seen the above scenario take place— a manager who sets an unrealistic goal?   What does this do to the motivation of the team?  How does this affect their performance to achieve other, more reachable goals?