When Goal Setting Backfires: How Leadership and Career Coaches Are Rethinking Success

Goal setting has long been a cornerstone of coaching practice. From performance reviews to professional development plans, it’s seen as essential — the logic being that what gets measured gets done. Both leadership coaches and career coaches often start here, helping clients set measurable objectives that drive clarity and accountability.

But what happens when goals, instead of motivating, create pressure, burnout, or disengagement? In today’s uncertain workplaces — where volatility, complexity, and shifting priorities are the norm — rigid goal frameworks can backfire. Understanding when (and how) to move beyond traditional goal setting is now a key skill for coaches and HR leaders alike.

The Double-Edged Sword of Goal Setting

Goal setting works best when a coachee feels they have control and agency over outcomes. When stretch goals feel attainable, they can be energising and create a sense of momentum. Yet most corporate realities are more complex. Market changes, restructures, and evolving leadership expectations can make even the best-set goals feel out of reach.

When conditions are unstable, traditional performance goals — especially those linked to KPIs or OKRs — can reduce motivation rather than enhance it. Below are common pitfalls every HR leader and coach should recognise:

• Unrealistic expectations: Overly ambitious targets can lead to frustration and withdrawal.
• Lack of flexibility: Circumstances change — rigid goals often don’t.
• Tunnel vision: Focusing on one goal may cause leaders to neglect broader development needs.
• Stress and pressure: Constant stretch without recovery leads to burnout.
• Competition and comparison: Goal-driven cultures can breed unhealthy rivalry and self-doubt.
  

In both career coaching and leadership coaching, these dynamics appear frequently. A coachee seeking a promotion, for example, may feel demotivated when external factors — not capability — block progress. Similarly, a leader under constant pressure to deliver performance outcomes may lose sight of growth and learning altogether.

When to Shift: From Performance Goals to Learning Goals

When control is low or context is uncertain, learning goals outperform traditional performance targets. These goals focus on inputs (what’s learned or tried) rather than outcomes (what’s achieved).

Learning goals might include improving delegation, building influencing skills, or developing resilience under pressure — all well within a coachee’s control. This shift helps restore self-efficacy and keeps engagement high even when external conditions are unpredictable.

For example:

• A career coach might guide a professional in transition to develop storytelling or networking skills, rather than fixating on landing a specific role within a deadline.
• A leadership coach might help an executive practice empathy-based communication or learn new feedback techniques instead of setting numerical engagement targets.
  

The University of Sydney’s Coaching Psychology Unit has shown that focusing on learning goals leads to more sustainable behaviour change than performance goals in times of uncertainty.
👉 Read more about the research here.

Beyond SMART Goals: The Role of Intentions

Some coachees simply don’t resonate with SMART goals or structured frameworks. For creative, intuitive, or reflective personalities, traditional goal setting can feel constraining. In these cases, experienced coaches pivot from goals to intentions.

Intentions are broader, values-driven statements that guide behaviour without limiting exploration.

For instance:

• “Lead with greater curiosity in team discussions.”
• “Respond to challenges with calm and clarity.”
  

Intentions invite experimentation and self-reflection, encouraging intrinsic motivation rather than compliance. In leadership coaching, this can unlock authentic behavioural change. In career coaching, it can help clients reconnect with purpose and direction, particularly during career transitions or periods of ambiguity.

Practical Alternatives for Coaches and HR Leaders

Not every coaching conversation should end in a SMART goal. Depending on context and personality, coaches can use a mix of flexible, evidence-based frameworks such as:

• Intentions: Directional statements that invite reflection and experimentation.
• Learning contracts: Co-created agreements focused on developing skills or behaviours.
• Milestone mapping: Tracking progress through adaptive checkpoints rather than fixed outcomes.

These approaches allow progress to remain measurable, but with greater flexibility. For HR and L&D teams, embedding these models into leadership programs and coaching engagements can help sustain motivation, even when business conditions shift.

How Organisations Can Rethink Goal Setting

For HR and talent leaders, the message is clear: goal setting should evolve alongside the modern workplace. Rather than enforcing rigid metrics, create a culture that values developmental progress and learning agility.

Try these approaches within your leadership and career development frameworks:

• Replace some KPIs with capability metrics (e.g. confidence, influence, decision quality).
• Encourage leaders to identify learning intentions each quarter.
• Partner with accredited coaches who can tailor approaches in real time to suit individual learning styles.
• Recognise effort and experimentation, not just outcomes.

Organisations that take this more adaptive approach see higher engagement, stronger retention, and more authentic leadership growth. In other words, when we focus on how people learn, not just what they achieve, performance becomes both sustainable and meaningful.

Key Takeaway

Whether you’re supporting leaders through transformation or helping professionals navigate career transitions, one truth remains: goals are not one-size-fits-all. Great coaching — whether leadership or career-focused — requires nuance, flexibility, and psychological insight. Sometimes the most powerful coaching moment isn’t about setting a bigger goal, but about helping someone learn, adapt, and reconnect with their purpose.

FAQ: Goal Setting in Leadership and Career Coaching

Q1. What’s the difference between a career coach and a leadership coach when it comes to goal setting?
A career coach helps individuals set and adapt goals around transitions, promotions, and skills for employability. A leadership coach focuses on behavioural change, influence, and strategic impact within organisations.

Q2. Are learning goals more effective than performance goals?
Yes — particularly when outcomes are beyond a coachee’s control. Learning goals drive growth and resilience by focusing on development, not just results.

Q3. Can goal setting ever harm motivation?
Absolutely. Overly rigid or unrealistic goals can lead to burnout, self-doubt, and disengagement — especially in volatile environments.

Q4. What alternatives exist to traditional goal setting?
Alternatives include learning goals, developmental intentions, and milestone mapping, all of which prioritise adaptability and self-awareness.

Q5. How can organisations benefit from flexible goal setting?
Encouraging learning goals builds agility, confidence, and engagement across teams — leading to stronger, longer-term performance.

If you're interested in learning more about how BOLDLY can help your organisation, we invite you to explore our website or contact us here.