How to Set Goals People Actually Care About
- Eduard Lopez
- Jan 20
- 4 min read
After 25 years in multinational companies, I’ve been on both sides of the goal-setting table.
I’ve been the manager who had to “sell” goals.
And I’ve been the employee sitting there, nodding politely, already knowing what comes next: we take last year’s goals, add a small improvement, attach a couple of development items, and move on. Everyone plays along… but nobody feels inspired.
This is not because people don’t care. It’s because many goal-setting processes are designed for cascading, not for commitment.
When goals are “done to” employees, they might accept them. But acceptance is not the same as ownership. And ownership is where motivation, initiative, and resilience come from.
The good news: you don’t need a new performance system. You need a better structure for the conversation.
Here’s a simple model that helps goals do three jobs at the same time: serve the business, develop people, and create real buy-in.
The 3-part goal model
1) Business goals (individual + team)
Business goals matter. We can’t remove them, and we shouldn’t.
But there’s one rule that changes everything: the goal must be something the person (or team) can influence through daily actions.
A common mistake is giving goals that sound important but feel powerless.
For example, telling someone to “increase market share by 5%” might be relevant to the company, but most employees can’t move that lever directly. They can’t control pricing strategy, product roadmap, or marketing budgets.
A more motivating version keeps the business intent, but brings it down to earth:
reduce lead time in a process they own
improve quality in a specific step
increase conversion in a stage they can influence
remove bottlenecks in a workflow they touch every day
A quick test before you finalize any goal:
Ask: “What are the weekly actions you control that would move this number?” If the answer is vague, the goal is not ready yet.
2) Development goals (individual): three layers, not one
Most development goals are well-intended, but narrow: “attend training X”, “improve skill Y”. That’s fine, but it often feels like “the company’s wish list.”
To make development motivating, I like to separate it into three layers:
Short-term performance development (helps now)Hard skills or knowledge that improves today’s work. This is the “be more effective in your role” part.
Long-term capability development (investment for the future)
Skills like strategic thinking, problem solving, stakeholder management, leadership. These don’t always pay off next month, but they build stronger professionals.
Personal growth aligned with the employee’s career path (even if not urgent today)
This is where motivation often spikes. Speaking skills. Confidence. Time management. Emotional regulation. Presence. Communication style.
This third category is often missing—yet it’s the one that makes people feel the company is investing in them as humans, not just as resources. And that changes the emotional tone of the year.
A question that works well in a 1:1,“What do you want to get better at this year that would help you in your career, even if it’s not urgent for us today?”
Then try to include at least one goal from that space.
3) Team aspiring goals: a shared project people feel proud of
The third type of goal is rarely used, and it’s a missed opportunity.
These are goals achieved as a team. They can be business-related, but not necessarily “business as usual.” Think:
an improvement project the team chooses
a small innovation experiment
a cross-functional collaboration challenge
a community initiative
The point is not the category. The point is ownership.
When a team proposes, organizes, and delivers something together, they learn self-management, accountability, and real collaboration. And they feel pride, not because they complied, but because they created.
As a manager, you can set boundaries, coach, remove blockers, and hold standards. But ideally, the final proposal comes from the team.
A simple question to start:“What’s one project we would be proud to present a year from now?”
The 30-minute rewrite.
Make your current goals more engaging.
Take the goals you already have and run this quick rewrite. No new templates needed.
Sort goals into three buckets
For each employee: Business goals / Development goals / Team aspiring goal.
Fix employee “powerlessness”.
For each business goal, write one line:
"What can this person directly influence?"
If you can’t answer, rewrite the goal until you can.
Upgrade development.
Make sure development is not only “what the company needs.” Aim for:
one short-term performance goal (A),
one long-term capability goal (B),
one personal growth goal aligned with their career (C).
4. Add one team aspiring goal
Even a small team project can change the atmosphere of the year.
Three questions for your next goal-setting conversation. If you want a simple script, use these:
“Which of these goals do you feel you truly own?”
“Where do you feel you don’t have influence—and how could we make it influenceable?”
“What growth would make this year feel meaningful for you, not just productive?”
Goals that only motivate because they impact salary don’t create commitment. They create compliance.
If you want different energy this year, don’t start by adding more metrics.
Start by redesigning the goal conversation so people can see themselves in the goals: serving the business, growing as professionals, and building something together.
Eduard
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