Which section of this newsletter keeps you reading?
As a quick housekeeping note, our last edition of the year will be released on Thursday, December 18.
Our featured article either offers a behind-the-scenes look at what we’re up to at Empower or provides a fresh lens on how to grow, operate or think differently about business.
YOUR GOALS ARE ONLY AS STRONG AS YOUR TEAM’S COLLABORATION
I had a “coffee” meeting the other day (we were both drinking tea), and the topic of goal setting came up.
Sounds like a December 1 tea chat, right?
The person I was sipping with asked, “What are the common challenges you’ve seen with organizations when it comes to goal setting?”
How much time do you have?
Whether during my time as a manager, functional lead, or the person responsible for integrating frameworks, such as OKRs or EOS’s Rocks, I’ve had a front-row seat to what goes well and where things go sideways during planning cycles.
While I could write a lengthy post about this topic, I’m going to keep this simple and share one crucial reminder:
Make sure stakeholders communicate with one another before solidifying goals.
When teams don’t communicate
No single function or leader should be setting goals in a vacuum. Dependencies and downstream impacts nearly always exist and live horizontally. In the midst of the hustle and shuffle, I’ve observed this key piece gets missed when people are rushed and focused on churning out deliverables for their team.
What transpires as a result?
Misaligned and unrealistic targets.
Duplicated efforts.
Poorly outlined timelines.
Surprise trade-offs mid-quarter.
Burnt time and cycles.
For example:
Sales commits to a pipeline target that assumes new marketing campaigns and product promises that don’t exist yet.
Product publishes a launch plan that requires Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success support. It also doesn’t take into account the Engineering team’s capacity required to maintain the existing product and manage tech debt.
Functions create headcount targets without involving People Ops on bandwidth and lead times.
As the above makes clear, if your planning cycle doesn’t build in slack or encourage these conversations upfront, you’ll burn time later.
How to work smarter through planning cycles
So, how can you avoid this pitfall?
Clear communication from the top: Leaders must understand the strategy first so they can help architect the company’s objectives. It also must be clear that individual leaders own both their function’s goals and the cross-functional alignment required to achieve them.
Build in enough time: Set the 3-5 company objectives first to establish overall focus. Then, make sure you’ve created an appropriate window between that reveal and the deadline for finalized functional goals. That time should be used for leaders to reflect on their department AND engage in structured conversations with cross-functional peers.
Schedule a review: Each planning cycle, set a leader readout meeting. Ask probing questions and call on other leaders to reaffirm that dependencies have been addressed. In other words, do a final check to get the kinks out before setting these in stone and cascading across the team.
This approach requires forward thinking and a steady operating rhythm. The payoff:
More alignment.
Increased focus.
Fewer hurdles to execution.
Shared understanding.
Fewer fire drills.
And this applies to teams large and small.
Your December sanity check
Given we’re in December, you’re likely in the “refinement” stage of 2026 goal-setting. Before everything’s set in stone, do the sanity check:
Are functional goals aligned with the company objectives?
Do the set goals reflect dependencies appropriately, or can you see gaps?
Do the goals reflect the team’s capacity and budget?
Are you able to effectively track success metrics?
Do all the goals pass the SMART test?
Your goals will only be as strong as your team’s collaboration. Make that an early step in the process, not an afterthought.
A peek into another entrepreneurial journey. The wins, challenges, pivots and lessons.
MEET MERAV GOLDMAN, CO-FOUNDER & CEO OF ALL BETTER CO.
Q: When did you know you were destined to build a business?
A: “I have no idea if I am yet, but I am trying.“
Q: What’s the most unexpected thing (+/-) that’s happened along your entrepreneurial journey?
A: “One of the most unexpected things I’ve learned on this journey is how differently men and women see money. We all know about the pay gap, but through starting a business, fundraising, and meeting so many other women doing the same, I realized that one of the most valuable things we can do for our future, and for girls today, is to empower women around money. Not just how we spend it (we’re already great at that), but how we grow it, invest it, and use it to create impact at the highest levels.“
Q: When did you hit your first scaling challenge, and how did you overcome it?
A: “Our first real scaling challenge came when we started fulfilling retail orders. Each retailer had its own systems, requirements, and language, and we were so new to it all. We looked bigger than we were and were learning in real time, figuring out everything from compliance details to logistics terminology. It was the first time we had to see the business through an operations lens, not just a brand or product one. We overcame it by asking a lot of questions, leaning on other founders who’d been there before us, and not being afraid to admit what we didn’t know. That stage taught us how much growth depends on curiosity and community.“
Q: If you were starting all over, what’s one piece of advice you would give yourself?
A: “Pick a channel and go deep on it. I think at a certain point we thought we needed to show growth in multiple areas, DTC, E-Comm, and retail. We spread ourselves too thin and then were not able to show substantive growth in any of them. Since we have redirected our energy to E-Comm, we have seen the numbers go in the right direction, which will help us greatly with fundraising and other forms of growth.“
Q: A fun one, what’s your all-time favorite restaurant and where is it located?
A: “This is a tough question because so many of my food choices depend on my mood, and living in LA, there’s no shortage of incredible options. But one of my most memorable meals was with my family in Florence, Italy, at a restaurant called Il Profeta. Everything was perfect, even the simple bread with olive oil makes my mouth water just thinking about it.“
Want to learn more?
You can learn more about All Better Co. and check out the products @ allbetterco.com.
An approachable tip designed for incremental improvement with outsized impact.
GAINING VALIDATION FROM WITHIN
The Harvard Business Review Management Tip of the Day has been in my inbox for years. This recent one struck me because, especially in entrepreneurship, I’ve seen the propensity to seek external validation. This week’s small move helps frame things differently: Look at yourself for the validation you need.
It’s a quick read, but it may give you a nudge you didn’t know you needed.
Curated reads or listens to spark new ideas or expand your thinking.
MENTAL MODELS FOR BUILDING PRODUCTS PEOPLE LOVE FROM LENNY’S PODCAST
TL;DR
This recent interview with Slack co-founder Stewart Butterfield is full of fuel for thought for those trying to build enduring products and/or facing potential pivots. On the second point, anyone who knows the Slack story knows it’s one of the great pivot stories in tech.
While all of the product-related insights were great, I was actually more struck by the discussion around generous leadership and the anecdotes people who’ve worked with Butterfield shared about his intentional style and unexpected gestures of kindness, empathy and appreciation.
Take a long walk and listen to the full 90 minutes.
Playful and purely for enjoyment.
A LITTLE FUN WITH NANO BANANA PRO
I’ve seen wild images since Google’s recent Nano Banana Pro launch. So, I decided to have a little fun. I provided the model with a recent headshot and prompted it to, based on that image, generate a new picture of how it imagined me looking as a 2-year-old.
I like that it matched the gold-and-white stripes. It’s not uncanny, but passable.
Left and middle are me; Right is Nano Banana Pro. I only provided the image on the left.
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If you’re ready to take the step, reach out to discuss how we can support your goals.
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