How Do I Set Goals That Truly Motivate My Team?
Goals are the lifeblood of any successful business, but let’s be honest – how many times have you set a goal only to watch it land with a thud? Too often, goals are treated as boxes to tick or simply management mandates handed down from above.
When goals lack meaning, they lead to compliance, not commitment. And when there’s no commitment, accountability quickly disappears. As a business and leadership coach, I believe the secret is shifting your focus: stop setting goals for people, and start setting goals with people.
The goal isn’t just to measure performance; it’s to inspire people to own that performance.
The Accountability Trap: Why Top-Down Goals Fail
The traditional approach relies heavily on external pressure – deadlines, monitoring, and corrective action. While this drives short-term compliance, it completely misses the opportunity for internal motivation. If an employee doesn’t feel connected to the goal, they’ll meet the bare minimum and no more.
True accountability comes from ownership. When your team has a voice in shaping the goals, the goals stop belonging to you and start belonging to them. This shift is a key differentiator between mere management and genuine leadership. If you’re interested in mastering this distinction, you can read more about coaching vs. managing on my website.
The Three Pillars of Motivational Goal Setting
To turn goal-setting from a requirement into an inspiring act of leadership, focus on these three pillars:
1. Connect to Purpose & Embrace the Stretch
To make goals inspirational, you need to first establish the crucial ‘why’. This means linking the team’s actions directly to the company’s broader vision and defining the impact beyond the metric. For instance, instead of just aiming for a 15% increase, explain that the goal is to improve service reputation and retain valuable long-term clients. Next, you must embrace the stretch framework. This requires ensuring goals are specific and measurable, removing all ambiguity. Critically, add the ‘stretch’ element: the goal should be challenging enough to promote learning and engagement, but still realistic enough to be achievable, tapping into the team’s natural adaptability and resilience.
2. Establish Joint Ownership
The final pillar is establishing joint ownership by empowering your team to define the ‘how.’ This means actively involving the team in setting the targets they believe are achievable and planning the steps they will take to meet them. When they publicly commit to the goals, accountability increases tenfold. You also need to delegate authority, not just tasks, giving your team the resources and autonomy to execute their plan. If you’re struggling to let go, mastering delegation is a critical skill for your own development.
The Leader’s Role in Sustaining Accountability
Setting the goals is only half the battle. Your leadership is what sustains the motivation and accountability required for success.
Sustaining that motivational energy requires active leadership long after the goals are set. Leaders must first model accountability by consistently following through on their own commitments and openly admitting when things are off track. Secondly, they must establish a robust feedback loop, providing consistent, constructive check-ins focused on progress and learning, not just failure. Finally, leaders should frequently celebrate and reflect: acknowledge small milestones and take time after a project ends to review what worked and what everyone learned, reinforcing a culture of continuous improvement and psychological safety.
Final Thoughts: Leaders Own the Action
Turning employee feedback into real action is a powerful act of leadership. It demonstrates integrity, competence, and a genuine commitment to creating a thriving workplace. It transforms your culture from one that waits to be told what to do into one that owns its collective future.
If you are struggling to create a high-impact goal strategy or want to build these skills within your leadership team, contact me today to discuss a tailored coaching plan on the website.
FAQs
1. Why do top-down, management-mandated goals often fail to create true accountability?
Top-down goals fail because they rely on external pressure (monitoring and deadlines), which only drives short-term compliance. True accountability requires internal motivation and ownership. When employees don’t have a voice in shaping the goals, they feel disconnected, resulting in them doing the bare minimum instead of fully committing to the desired performance.
2. What does it mean to add a ‘Stretch’ element to a goal, and why is it important for motivation?
Adding a ‘stretch’ element means setting a goal that is slightly challenging and pushes your team just outside their comfort zone, even if it uses the foundational SMART structure. This is important because it avoids boredom, promotes learning, and engages your team’s natural sense of adaptability and resilience, turning the goal into a valuable growth opportunity rather than a routine task.
3. What is the leader’s most crucial role in sustaining accountability after the goals are set?
The leader’s most crucial role is modelling and sustaining the motivation and integrity required for follow-through. This involves consistently modelling accountability yourself (following through on commitments), establishing a robust feedback loop (consistent check-ins focused on learning, not just failure), and frequently celebrating and reflecting on progress to reinforce a culture of continuous improvement and psychological safety.