What is the purpose of a private goal?

Learn about why and when to make a goal a private goal on waymaker.io

Learning outcomes:

• Why have private goals
• How to make a goal a private goal
• How to view private goals

Why have private goals

Making a goal private offers several benefits, particularly in situations where confidentiality, personal accountability, or limited visibility are essential.

It's important to note that the decision to make a goal private depends on the specific context, organisational culture, and the nature of the goal itself. In collaborative environments, a balance between private and shared goals may be beneficial to achieve both personal and collective success.

An example of when to use private goals is when a goal contains sensitive or confidential information that should not be shared with others, such as a merger. By making a goal private, you can ensure that only specific individuals have access to the details and progress of the goal. 

Another example is for personal development goals, such as improving certain skills or overcoming challenges. making these types of goals private allows individuals to work on their goals without feeling judged or compared to others. They can also serve as a tool for self-awareness and understanding individual progress, personal growth, self-reflection, and self-assessment.

How to make a goal private

Open the goal editor, click the more button, make goal private and then the private goal toggle. Repeat the process to make the goal public again.

How to view private goals

Private goals can be viewed on the home, roadmap, goals, and goal dashboard pages. 

On the home page, the private goal filter is always visible. On the other pages, open the filter set by clicking the filter button, and click the private goal toggle. Click it again to turn the filter off.