Stretch Goals.

[Eamonn]

I first heard the term "Stretch Goals" a couple of years back. Seems a little dumb to me but I'm hearing it more and more.

Do you think that these Stretch Goals are hurting Scouting?

 

Eamonn

[Fat Old Guy]

If by "stretch goal", you mean an outcome with no definite time of accomplishment, it depends.

 

What is the goal in mind? Reopening a camp? "We're going to work on it" doesn't work too well there. You need, "we're going to be open in two years" You might not make it but you need to work toward it.

 

On the other hand, saying "We want to improve Council-Unit relations in one year," doesn't make sense. You just need to keep working to improve that.

 

YOu might also want to avoid saying things like, "we want to double the number of Eagles by 2005." Maybe a better statement would be, "We want to work to increase the number of Eagles with an ultimate goal of 10%"

 

Like many things, a good idea often goes awry (example: Outcome Based Education).

 

 

 

 

[Proud Eagle]

I don't know what a "stretch goal" is. I have a few ideas, but they may not be correct.

 

On the other hand I am familiar with SMART goals. I personally like SMART goals, but I can't pass judgement on "stretch goals" since I don't know what they are.

[scoutldr]

Stretch goal: if you make it, you can claim credit for it. If you don't make it, it must not have been realistic, and it's not your fault.

[Eamonn]

Over the past few years we as a council or shoild I say the Scout Exec. has set stretch goals for number of Scouts attending summer camp. He set this after a year where we had a record attendance thanks to a lot of out of council campers. We didn't make it and it messed up the budget.

He has set stretch goals for the district FOS. Again they were not met and the money wasn't there. He has done the same thing with popcorn.Again with poor results.

Our last District Chair and the Scout Exec. spent many happy hours fighting over these. The Chair said that it was better all round to have a goal that could be reached and he thought when he agreed to these that the budget would be as such that the income would be spent. His opinion was that it was better to have a goal that would bring in more then expected and this would act as a bonus for the council. The Scout Exec. feels we need goals that stretch people. As I said they have not been met and do not only mess things up they also dishearten those who don't meet them.

Eamonn

[dsteele]

I think that all goals should have a bit of stretch in them, but they should be achievable without having to forsake everything else. In pro-speak, the stretch should be at the Far Exceeds level -- not at the expected performance level.

 

Some examples of stretch goals:

 

When Kennedy said he wanted a man on the moon by the end of the decade -- that was a stretch goal.

 

When Roosevelt said, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." That was a strech goal. We had plenty to fear.

 

When Kruschev beat his shoe on the table at the U.N. and said, "We will bury you." about the United States, that was a stretch goal. Thank God that one wasn't met.

 

When a Scout Executive says, "We're going to have a 20% increase in (what have you) popcorn, camp, etc. it's probably not going to happen unless the volunteers and professional staff buy into it. That isn't a stretch goal . . . it's a set-up. Unless everyone buys into it. If that happens, anything is possible.

 

DS