Misaligned Goals

Audience: Leadership, CEO’s, Founders/ Owners

Overview: This article highlights how organizations often prioritize measurable outcomes like efficiency and revenue while overlooking the leadership behaviors that drive long-term performance. It shows how misalignment between goals and behavior—often fueled by anxiety—can undermine culture, execution, and results.

'Organizations often treat efficiency, revenue, and easily tracked outputs as the primary markers of success, even when those metrics are misaligned with long‑term organizational health, culture, and strategy.’' Ari DeGrote, UpwardandInward

This quote is from a friend of mine who does terrific work helping leaders achieve their personal and professional goals. When I read this in one of her most recent posts, it struck me how much truth it delivered.

As individuals, we are generally taught to identify personal goals. For example, we identify exercise and eating habits as two behaviors that can help us achieve our goal of a healthier life.

But what do we actually, consistently do to incorporate these behaviors in our daily lives? How do we track them? For how long? And how committed are we to addressing and dismantling the root causes of obstructive behaviors over time?

This same type of scenario can apply to organizations. Organizational goals generally include ‘efficiency, revenue and easily tracked outputs’ where clear goals are needed and metrics are required.

The question really is: what actions do leaders take to consistently exhibit the behaviors needed to help their employees drive those goals and metrics? 

Consistent supportive behaviors towards their teams are what helps achieve those goals and metrics drive ‘health, culture and strategy’ over the long term.

One of the key players that sidelines the success of any organization is the level and intensity of anxiety throughout the organization. It’s a root cause that impacts goals, strategic achievements, and turnover.  Continual communication and developing trust are two approaches that consistently help develop a healthy organization.

‘Best Place to Work’ lists are published annually, and the majority have employee comments that speak to the consistent communication, trust and feeling ‘cared for’ their leaders provide.

So maybe we should take a cue and include this in an annual organizational goals list.

It’s not too late.

And it certainly can’t hurt.

Cynthia Kyriazis is the Chief Experience Officer at The Culture Think Tank. Her experience includes executive coaching, consulting, and training. Book a 15-minute chat to discuss your people, performance, or profit challenges.