We love talking about how to hit goals: vision boards, KPIs, strategy decks, accountability frameworks. But we focus less on pinpointing what sabotages them.

As someone who has FUTURE SUCCESS as a top motive and who has spent years in my coaching practice learning and obsessively reading everything about goal-setting, I’ve noticed there are a few patterns that can quietly sabotage even the best of intentions.

Here are three goal saboteurs and how you can take action to stop them from holding back your team from success 👇

1. We Focus on the Bright Side of the Goal & Neglect the Dark Side

“Every time you commit to a bigger future, you’re simultaneously giving something up. And that something is always your past.” – Dan Sullivan

Every goal has a cost

Want more innovation on your team? That might mean tolerating more failure and messiness.

Want to be a more courageous leader? You may lose popularity points. 

Want to grow your team? You may need to let go of being the sole decision-maker.

The cost that comes with the goals? We don’t always want to pay the price. That resistance stops us from going all in. When we set goals, we tend to focus on the bright side and don’t reckon with the dark side. And yet, naming that cost and anticipating the discomfort is what helps us move through it.

Take Action:
When setting goals with your team, name the trade-offs and be honest about them.

Ask: What are we giving up to get what we want?

Then shift the focus: How will the gain be worth it?

2. Lesser Goals Are Stealing From Greater Ones

“We are kept from our goal, not by obstacles, but by a clear path to a lesser goal.” – Dr. Ben Hardy 

Lesser goals are the goals that seem important in the moment but actually pull you away from your bigger, more meaningful vision.

They tend to be more familiar, expected, safe, and comfy. They give you quick wins and short-term validation. And that’s exactly why they’re so tempting, and so dangerous.

They’re not “bad,” per se. And sure, not every goal is going to be a “greater” one. But these lesser goals can be the biggest roadblocks between where you are now and where you actually want to go. The obstacle to you and your team’s true potential. 

It looks like this:

→ Launching yet another program because it feels like the logical next step—when deep down, you know it’s time to launch a whole new brand… or shut down your programs completely to make space for something better. 

→ Spending hours chasing metrics that don’t matter, simply because that’s “what your team is expected to do” even though those numbers don’t connect to real purpose or move the needle.

Greater goals are scarier. Riskier. They may catapult you into the unknown. But they’re the ones that unlock transformation and innovation for you and your team. You can’t build a high-impact team when most of your energy is going toward low-impact goals.

Take Action:
Make space to get honest with yourself and your team:

• What are our greater goals?
• What lesser goals are stealing time, energy, and focus?
• What needs to change, and who needs to be on board to help us make the leap?

3. We Have Misaligned Motive Goals 

“The bottom line is this: if you really want to lead, you just have to get good at aligning people.” –  Patty Beach

You can set the smartest, clearest, most strategic goals in the world, but if they don’t align with what truly fuels your team’s progress it will always feel like a push instead of a pull.

That’s where motive alignment comes in.

The 28 motives are the human needs that drive our motivation and well-being at work. When you leverage our Motives Met Human Needs Assessment™ you uncover the motives that matter most to each person. Each of us is driven by different motives that shape how we work, what we value, and why we care.

When goals line up with people’s deeper needs, goal motivation and momentum happens. People aren’t just showing up—they’re bought in. They’re not pushing, they’re pulled forward by something that matters. 

But when goals ignore or contradict those core drivers? Motivation suffers,

If your team values WORK-LIFE HARMONY, but the goal demands 24/7 availability, they won’t be inspired; they’ll be exhausted.

If someone’s top motive is PURPOSE, and the meaningless goal feels disconnected from impact? They’ll lose their spark.

If someone craves GROWTH, but reaching the goal won’t help them advance in their knowledge or career? They won’t be as engaged.

If CLEAR EXPECTATIONS is a top priority for your team, and they lack clarity on how to achieve the goals you set? Then they’ll feel defeated. 

Take Action: 

Use a tool like the Motives Met Human Needs Assessment™ to understand what fuels your people and work with your team to make sure goals are aligned with those motivational drivers. 

and design goals that tap into those drivers.

When setting goals with your team make sure you are addressing these blockers, the cost associated, the sneaky lure of lesser goals, and the motive misalignment that can happen. 

When we tackle what’s in the way, we clear the path ahead.

Here’s to setting goals that move us forward.