Success Advice
What Is Missing in Most People’s Goal-Setting Strategy

If you ever want to make progress, you need to have a goal-setting strategy. But I find that a goal-setting strategy alone isn’t enough for us to achieve our goals, you need to be creating a goal-getting strategy as well. This is a hack designed to help you from merely setting goals to knowing fully what actions you need to take and getting them done. There are several elements to this strategy that I find people time and again forgetting about.
Below are the core elements and why having these parts of a goal-getting strategy is so important to your overall growth.
A SMARTER Goal
Having a goal in mind isn’t something that takes a lot of time. We all have various desires and dreams. However the challenge at times is finding the right motivation to get to that goal. What has helped me in the past was setting a SMARTER goal.
SMARTER goals are built on SMART goals. The idea is that goals should be:
- Simple – Is direct and to the point.
- Measurable – Something that you can note your progress on.
- Achievable – Is something you can achieve right now.
- Realistic – Be grounded on your own performance and pacing.
- Timely – Can be achieved within the time you give yourself.
SMARTER goals build from that by adding two questions:
- What is the ONE thing you want the most now?
- Why do you want it?
To help you with answering those questions, I use the 5 Whys framework to dig into a deeper desire. When I first used this strategy it was around the time where I believed it was important to sacrifice one aspect of your life to dedicate time to another. I spent a lot of time working at my job and spent little time looking after myself, or spending time with my wife, and kids.
When my life hit a breaking point – severe back pain from poor posture – I knew I had to get my life back on track. And so amongst many goals, I wanted to work on regaining my strength and not suffer from back pain.
This is the framework I used:
- What is my current goal? To exercise once per day.
- Why do I want this? Because I want to be healthy.
- Why… do I want to be healthy? Because it hurts to do physical activities that last longer than 15 minutes.
- Why…? Because I don’t have time to exercise or I’m too tired at the end of the day.
- Why is that a problem? Because my two sons are young and energetic and I don’t want to have issues keeping up with them.
- Why is this important? Because I want to be there and be involved in their upbringing. It’ll hurt me more to be on the sidelines due to physical reasons.
The 5 Whys framework helped me in finding my true intentions behind the activity. As a result, I was able to make specific actions that would make achieving this goal easier. For example, I set new morning and night routines that focused on boosting my energy levels.
Milestones
Another aspect that I find people are missing is milestones. Setting a goal is fine and having deep personal reasons to achieve them helps. However if you’re not setting markers – or milestones – then it’s hard to see if you’re making progress or not. Based on your SMARTER goal, you’ll want to be setting 12 milestones – one per month. Every single month your focus should be on completing that milestone.
When you’re thinking of a milestone, you of course want each milestone to bring you one step closer to your ultimate goal. You can also adjust the milestones if you realize it won’t take you a year to achieve that goal.
Regardless, a milestone should meet the following criteria:
- It has to be challenging.
- It can be completed within 3 to 4 weeks.
- It has to be concrete.
If you’re unsure how to set necessary milestones, the following can help you:
- Look for people who’ve done what you’re looking to do. Pay attention to people who have a track record of achieving those goals too. Ask for feedback from them. Most people are happy to give you pointers.
- Find online communities like Quora, Facebook groups or Reddit. Asking feedback there can help you get more specific milestones.
- Look for roadmaps that share some proximity of your own and modify it. There is no shame in copying or finding inspiration from others roadmaps.
An Action Strategy
While people know what they want and how to get there, sometimes the day to day activities can be tricky. Sure, people know what action to take, but what specific actions should you take? When I started exercising, I didn’t go to a gym to workout my back. Instead, I choose to do stretches at home. Why I went with that strategy over any other option was due to an action strategy.
It helps you to look at possible options and pick the one that’s most sensible to you. After all, your time is valuable and you want to make sure you are putting time in the actions that give you the results you’re looking for. For me, I’m not looking to tone my body or develop muscles. I wanted to be strong enough that I could keep up with my kids. How I reached this conclusion was by asking three questions:
- What are my intentions? To be healthy and not feel drained from doing simple physical activity.
- What actions can I take? Stretching in the morning and night, and playing with my kids.
- Why take these actions? Because stretches don’t take up a lot of my time and provide enough for me to get the results I need.
Another way to look at this is having the actions fulfil three criteria:
- It tells you why you’re doing it.
- It shows you the benefits of the activity clearly.
- It shows you what you need to give up or invest to achieve that benefit.
A Reward System
The final part people need to work on or lack is a reward system. Even though a goal is more about the journey than the conclusion, you still want to celebrate in some fashion. But how much is too much?
What I find helps is solid and lasting rewards fulfil two criterias:
- You’re getting the same amount of positive reinforcement that you’re getting for each reward.
- The overall size is in direct proportion with the effort you’ve used to complete the milestone.
Also remember that there is no shame in using the same reward over several milestones. If they’re spread out enough, they are just as rewarding.
With so many people focusing so much on goal setting and making sure everything is perfect, people forget about the other details to getting the goals completed. Between you and the completed goal, there is a long road ahead. But by applying these strategies, getting to your goals will be easier.
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In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”
While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.
Why This Gap Exists
Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.
What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.
Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap
Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.
1. Practice Mutual Empathy
Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.
2. Maintain Professional Boundaries
Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.
3. Follow the Golden Rule
Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.
4. Avoid Micromanagement
Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.
5. Empower Employees to Grow
Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.
6. Communicate in All Directions
Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.
7. Overcome Insecurities
Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.
8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship
True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.
9. Eliminate Favoritism
Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.
10. Recognize Efforts Promptly
Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.
11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews
When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.
12. Provide Leadership Development
Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.
13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles
Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.
The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role
Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:
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Build diverse talent pipelines
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Embrace flexible work models
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Design compelling career paths
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Simplify HR processes
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Redefine the value HR brings
The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.
Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff
When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.
Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.
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