When the Goalposts Move

Conditions sometimes change. 

As things shift in the marketplace, the environment, in short-term financial results, and with customers and competitors, the goalposts often move. Sometimes, markedly so. 

This is an uncomfortable pivot for everyone, but especially for team members who depend on goal stability to make progress.  Even teams that handle change well generally react poorly to goals that change mid-stream.

Refocusing and adjusting work to accommodate new goals is both painful and difficult. Those below feel yanked around and often judge higher-ups as having been less truthful or implicit in the process of unnecessary change. 

They reluctantly begin to alter their efforts and work to align with the new targets and goals. But their enthusiasm for reaching the new goals takes a hit in the process. Leaders have to rally the team and set the record straight. 

Team members often whine about changing goals and with good reason. They are often a surprise and thrust upon the team with little or no explanation. Leaders too often presume everyone already understands the changing conditions and the reasons for new goals. 

They don’t. 

Explaining the reasons why the goalposts have moved is a good start, but not enough. Good leaders give the team the full context behind what has changed and why the organization or team must adapt. 

If leaders don’t have that context themselves, they get it. Without the complete picture of how things have changed, why they have changed, and what is needed from the team, leaders will fail to build the conviction necessary for achieving the new goals or reaching the new targets. 

This is always best as a two-way dialogue. By mapping out the changing dynamics and discussing them in a give-and-take format, leaders create the context team members need. Only after painting a detailed picture will good leaders lay out what the new goals are and how they can be achieved. Leaders who skip this context-setting often meet more resistance than they expect. 

Treating team members as partners in the change process is a good idea for any significant change in an organization, but this is especially the case when goalposts have moved. A sudden change to targets and goals shakes people up and makes them question what they have been working so hard for. Giving this surprise more background and context is what good leaders do.