This post is the first of at least two about Goal Mapping. It’s a technique that I invented, but it’s painfully obvious, so I doubt I’m the first. I’ll explain the simple (but still wildly useful) version of the goal map in this one, then the next article will cover the more advanced mappings you can try.

A definition:

A Goal Map tracks the relationship and topology of your goals and the steps you need to take to achieve them.

Each event that you plan for lives somewhere on this goal map — you have a starting position, an ending position, and all the positions in between. There may be alternate routes, dubious passages, and construction work, but this map will show you how to travel from start, to finish.

There are several ways a goal map might help you:

Not only does this give you clear and explicit goals, but the very act of creating this map will help you see the weaknesses in your own plan.

Imagining your future is very “right brain.” Your creative center hits the highlights, and it puts magical arrows between them as if one leads inexorably to the next. These arrows are sometimes wrong and often gloss over a lot of work that needs to be done to get to “point B.”

Goal mapping is more left brained. The process allows you to see and follow through on contingencies — you might plan for a liquidity event, but how will you be sure it will happen? What if it never materializes? What is your contingency plan?

By the time you finish your goal map, you will know the answer to these questions, and be able to refer to them later.

The Map Key

The basic goal map characteristics:

• Nodes that represent events, actions, or goals.
• Directional Arrows between nodes.
• Colors representing the influence you have over the events and actions on the map

Here is an example goal map that I created for Ken Sharpe in a free flow chart program called Dia:

This is a basic, sample goal map

It’s not rocket surgery. Some things I can control, others I can’t, and this is a map of how to create the success I want. There are few things I want to draw your attention to:

• There are multiple paths to the end goal, and the nodes are totally subjective. You can be as detailed or as general as you’d like to be, and you can add as many alternative paths as your creative mind can generate.
• You should always prefer clear paths over which you have a lot of control. If each step along your path is determined by outside forces, you are practically doomed to fail. If each step is firmly within your grasp, then you’re guaranteed to succeed.
• There are events over which you have only partial control. You can see the green block that represents getting the infrastructure project working really well. It has a red outline — that was my way of saying that I have influence, but not direct control over this event. Those are better than red blocks, but not as good as green blocks.
• It’s ok to admit that you don’t actually know the steps between one node an another. It’s very much to your advantage to mark the cloudy areas because those blocks are similar to red blocks in that you’re not sure what will happen in them. Without those blocks the connection between two events might look like smooth sailing, when it’s in fact a quagmire.

Ken Sharpe’s Map

Creating this map was really helpful to me because it uncovered my assumptions and naivete. I’m salvaging the infrastructure project at this point (a topic I promise to post about), and I think I’m coming out on top. I am free to get Emerald functional, and to publicize my achievements until I’m blue in the face. Realistically though, I don’t know how to convert that into a promotion.

A CTO’s role is different than a development manager’s role. I have to imagine a chain of events that I have maximal control over that will put me in a position of doing the CTO job.

Once I have that role, I don’t know with any degree of certainty I’ll be offered or be able to fight for the options I want.

If I do get the options, I will have only a very small influence over the liquidity event I want, and no control over how large that event will be.

This map has allowed me to see exactly how dubious my plan is. I have to either reinvent my goal of being here, or execute a different plan. Right now the least dubious plan appears to be: become a consultant for lot of cash, and work on building products. Realistically, that’s as dubious as the other paths, despite the fact that I glossed it over in this sample.

I’m going to ruminate over this and come up with a better plan.