Stretch goals, without the damage.
Aspirational (stretch) targets deliberately raise the bar to spark step-change thinking. 100% achievement is not expected, success includes learning, effort, and collaboration, judged in the retrospective with graded outcomes rather than pass/fail.
Always label them: "Increase [metric] from X to Y (aspirational)", unlabelled stretch goals drive wrong behaviours. See Target Setting.
BHAGs Through Martins Lens adds the caution: decomposing a moonshot into quarterly targets can degrade the ambition while keeping the poster, keep the aspiration tethered to What Would Have to Be True.
Rumelt pushes back: Proximate Objectives argues for targets close enough to hit, with leaders absorbing ambiguity, a genuine tension worth holding.
Money is the other killer: attach cash to a stretch goal and the floor becomes the target (Aligned OKRs and Cash), which is why aspiration is protected from the bonus plan by design (The SHOP Model).
From the ZOKRI OKR Handbook, the methodology we install and maintain.
Reading about method is not the same as running it. We install this system and build the capability that stays.
Coach your teams to set better targets →