What are Stretch Goals? How to set ambitious, achievable targets

A good goal strikes a balance between challenging and achievable. It always feels better to overcome tough challenges than a million easy ones. Not only that, if you never challenge yourself, you’ll never really stretch the scope of what you think is possible. That’s (literally) where the term stretch goal comes in.

In the workplace, stretch goals are ambitious targets that push individuals and teams beyond what’s easily achievable. They’re the kind of work goals that drive innovation, create momentum, and help you uncover what’s truly possible—if they’re used the right way.

You can’t just go shooting for the moon and set outstretched expectations for your team. You don’t want them to be demoralised by always coming up short. 

The solution? Structure. A good goal system doesn’t just throw out a big number and hope for the best. It defines a realistic target, sets a threshold for acceptable performance, and outlines the stretch that you’re truly aiming for. In this article, we’ll show you how to build that full range—and how to track progress the right way.

What is a stretch goal?

A stretch goal is an outcome that goes beyond your usual expectations. It’s not just “doing your job well”—it’s doing something extraordinary. Whether you are doing OKRs with your team, or setting personal goals for work, these goals are designed to push boundaries, spark new ideas, and help teams discover what they can achieve when they go all in.

But stretch goals aren’t magic. If you treat them like regular targets, they’ll often miss the mark. They need the right context, support, and tracking to be effective.

Examples of stretch goals:

• 🚀 Product team: Launch 3 features in one cycle instead of 1.
  
• 📈 Sales team: Hit 140% of quota during a tough quarter.
  
• 📣 Marketing team: Triple newsletter growth in 3 months.
  

They should feel a little uncomfortable. If it seems completely achievable, it’s probably just a target goal—not a stretch.

Threshold, target, and stretch: building a goal hierarchy

When setting effective goals—especially in a business context—it’s not enough to define a single number. If you always set stretch goals, and nothing else, you often feel like you’re always in the red. Doing this also may lead you to overcorrect and make goals that are too easy. 

It’s easier said than done, but you want to feel a healthy balance between challenging and achievable. 

A good way to achieve this balance is by setting a range for your goal. There are three types of goals you can use: threshold, target, and stretch.

This layered approach provides three levels of success:

Defining a single number might seem simpler, but it doesn’t reflect how performance actually plays out in the real world. Work is rarely binary. Results live on a spectrum. A well-structured goal range acknowledges that and gives your team the tools to measure progress more fairly and effectively.

Here’s why that matters:

• Clarity and focus: Everyone knows where the range is and what the team is really aiming for. The threshold gives the team a sense of urgency when needed, while the stretch gives them something to keep pushing for. 
• Boosts motivation: If your only goal is a stretch, you’re almost guaranteed to fall short. That can quickly lead to burnout or apathy. But with a clear target and threshold, your team can see that they’re on track—even if they’re not smashing the stretch (yet). This builds confidence, not stress.
• Reflects real performance: Success is not often binary. With a range, you analyze and have a richer conversation for your OKR review: Was the result below the threshold? Then something went wrong and needs a review. Did we land near the target? That’s solid. Did we hit stretch? That’s excellent.
• Reduces overcorrection: Without context, teams might pivot too soon (or not soon enough). A threshold helps define when intervention is necessary, while the stretch helps you know when to double down on what’s working.
• Makes feedback and reviews fairer: It’s easier to talk about outcomes when you’ve defined what good, acceptable, and great look like in advance. It shifts performance conversations from emotional to objective.

In short, ranges give your goals more texture. Instead of a vague finish line, your team gets a dashboard—something they can monitor, adjust against, and stay motivated by as they work through the quarter.

How to write stretch goals

Writing stretch goals isn’t just about aiming higher—it’s about aiming smarter. You need a clear goal, a defined range of success, and a gut-check to make sure it all makes sense.

1. Start with a solid goal

Make sure the core goal is:

• Specific and outcome-focused
• Measurable and time-bound
• Aligned with your team or business priorities
  

Need help? Start with our SMART goal template or read more about how to write OKRs.

2. Define your threshold, target, and stretch

Once the goal is clear, define the performance range:

This makes it easier to set expectations across the team. Everyone knows the floor, the aim, and the ceiling.

3. Gut-check your numbers

Now ask the hard questions to validate your range:

• What outcome would we consider a success? That’s your target — achievable with good execution.
• At what point are we in trouble? That’s your threshold — the floor. Missing this should raise red flags and prompt serious review.
• What result would make us stop and say, “Damn, that was impressive”?
  That’s your stretch — the moonshot that drives innovation and raises the bar.

Use your instinct and your data here. If a goal feels off—too easy, too ridiculous, too vague—it probably is. A well-written stretch goal should feel uncomfortable, but not unhinged.

Now what? Tracking your stretch goals

Setting a stretch goal is one thing. Staying on track is where the real work begins.

One of the biggest mistakes teams make with stretch goals is treating them like “set and forget” ambitions. But if you’re not checking in regularly, you’re just hoping for the best. Without visibility, even well-structured goals can drift off course or lose relevance entirely.

Here’s how to track stretch goals properly and make sure they stay alive throughout the cycle.

Check in frequently

A stretch goal should feel present, not abstract. That means:

• Do weekly check-ins to update progress
  
• Owner accountability so each goal has a clear point of contact
  
• Clear status signals (e.g. on track, at risk, off track)
  

This kind of cadence builds momentum and makes it easy to catch issues early—before they become bigger problems. It also reinforces that the goal isn’t just a line in a doc; it’s a living part of your day-to-day work.

Watch for signals, not just scores

The benefit of frequent check-ins on your goals is that you’ll always be up-to-date on the latest numbers and understand where your progress is trending.

In your check-ins, you can ask yourself:

• Are we trending above the threshold? Do we need to take action?
• Are things going as planned? Are we closing in on the target?
• Is the stretch still possible if we adjust the course?
• What has happened, and what needs to change to achieve our goals?

This kind of thinking encourages adaptability without abandoning ambition.

Use tools that make progress visible

The easier it is to see your goals, the more likely your team is to stay engaged with them. A good progress tracker and goal-tracking tool should:

• Let you visualise the current performance against the target
• Nudge teams to update status regularly: Tools like Tability have automated reminders to keep teams focused on their goals.
• Make it easy to spot risks early and maintain a sense of urgency

Tability is built specifically for this kind of progress-first workflow. Instead of leaving goals buried in a slide deck, you get a living, up-to-date view of where things stand—so everyone can stay focused on the outcomes that matter.

Conclusion: stretch with structure

Stretch goals can be powerful tools for growth—but only when they’re grounded in structure, tracked consistently, and tied to meaningful outcomes.

If all you do is aim high, you risk setting your team up for disappointment or burnout. But when you define a full goal range—threshold, target, and stretch—you give your team the clarity and context they need to stay focused, motivated, and confident in their progress.

The key isn’t perfection. It’s momentum.

So don’t just set goals. Track them. Talk about them. Adjust when needed. And celebrate the wins at every level.

And if you want an easier way to stay on top of your goals week after week, Tability can help you keep that visibility front and centre—so your team can stop guessing, and start achieving.