From Glazed-Over Eyes to Fired-Up Momentum: Rethinking Goal-Setting With Your Team

Have you ever kicked off a goal‑setting chat only to watch your teammate’s eyes lose their spark? You’re painting a picture of possibilities… yet they’re mentally checking email. You start wondering, 𝘐𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦? 𝘋𝘰 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘱 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬? 𝘈 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯?

We set goals to inspire action, focus priorities, and rally people toward a brighter future. Done right, they create both 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗺. Done wrong, they drag everyone into “check‑the‑box” purgatory.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹‑𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸

𝟭. “𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁—𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸.” Daily tasks already fill the plate; new goals feel like extra weight, not a ladder up.

𝟮. 𝗟𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. If the work itself doesn’t excite, a shiny goal won’t fix it.

𝟯. 𝗙𝘂𝘇𝘇𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲. Vague language (“increase collaboration”) leaves people guessing what “done” looks like.

𝟰. 𝗦𝗲𝘁‑𝗶𝘁‑𝗮𝗻𝗱‑𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁‑𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗲. Annual goals get filed away until review season—and no one’s surprised by the yawns.

𝟱. 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹. When goals feel like pass/fail tests, people aim low, or even disengage altogether.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙊𝙪𝙩 𝙇𝙤𝙪𝙙 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵

Let's 𝗮𝘀𝗸: “If these goals don’t reflect today’s realities, what should?” Invite teammates to audit their task list and kill the busy‑work that no longer serves.

Let's 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁: Link every goal to your bigger story. “When this lands, here’s how it moves the mission.”

Let's 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲: Co‑design SMART and FAST goals—clear, ambitious, and visible—so the flag on the horizon is unmistakable.

Let's 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲: Keep goals alive: check‑ins, mini‑milestones, loud celebrations. Progress should be a playlist, not a once‑a‑year track.

Let's 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁: Build a risk‑friendly culture. Missing the moon still lands you among stars— if learning is celebrated.

When the landscape shifts (and it will), pause, realign, and keep moving. Goals are living, breathing commitments— not stone tablets.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿

“𝗜𝗳 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹, 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘆‑𝘁𝗼‑𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁?”

Let the team paint that picture first. Their words become the fuel.

𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂

How do you turn goal‑setting from 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘯‑𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘺 to 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩‑𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘺? Drop a comment—let’s learn from each other.

𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗱—𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.