Why goal quality matters: the hidden impact of poorly defined goals

When it comes to goal-setting, quality matters. We’ve crunched the numbers, and out of 18,000 goals set in our tracking system, fewer than 35% meet the measurability standard. Nearly half lack focus. And while 50.3% are specific, that means almost half are still too vague to provide real direction. Since merging with YakTrak, GRIST now has access to rich data on how goals are set and achieved—giving us new insights into what drives high performance.

What does this mean for teams and individuals? A lot, actually.

The impact of poor goal quality

1. Motivation and engagement take a hit

Unclear goals can make it difficult for people to stay motivated. When there’s no clear sense of what success looks like, it’s easy to feel like progress is stalling. The result? Lower engagement, waning momentum, and frustration.

Imagine a contact centre agent with a goal to ‘improve customer service.’
What does that actually mean? Are they supposed to focus on reducing wait times, solving problems faster, or being friendlier? Without clarity, motivation drops, and progress feels impossible to measure.

2. Tracking progress becomes difficult

With only 34.1% of goals being measurable, many people may struggle to assess how far they’ve come. Without tangible checkpoints, it’s tough to know whether efforts are making an impact or just maintaining the status quo.

3. Skill development stalls

Our analysis shows that only 47.1% of goals target specific behaviours. Without a clear focus on actionable skills, opportunities for development may be missed, making it harder to reinforce desired behaviours and build long-term capability.

A new hire’s goal is to ‘get better at handling objections.’
Without a behavioural focus like, ‘use active listening and three solution-based responses in every objection-handling scenario’—it’s hard for their manager to provide targeted feedback that builds capability.

4. Efforts get scattered

 Half of the goals lack focus, meaning that attention and effort may be spread too thin. Without a clear direction, it’s easy to get sidetracked, diluting energy and resources. Focused goals help drive deeper, more meaningful progress.

5. Frustration and dissatisfaction rise

When goals aren’t clear or measurable, it’s harder to feel a sense of accomplishment. This can lead to frustration, uncertainty, and a lack of confidence in the goal-setting process.

The solution: smarter, better goals

At GRIST and YakTrak, we analyse real-world goals using our micro-behavioural expertise to provide insights into how to improve the quality of goals and make it easier for people to achieve them more often, and we’ve found:

• Be Specific – goals should clearly define what success looks like. Instead of "improve customer service," a stronger goal would be "increase customer satisfaction scores by 10% over the next quarter."

• Include a measure Measurable – progress should be trackable. If you can’t measure it, how will you know when you’ve succeeded? For example, "Conduct three one-on-one coaching sessions per week."

• Make them Behavioural – goals should focus on actions that can be seen and repeated, not vague aspirations. Instead of "Improve first call resolution (FCR)," a stronger goal would be " Confirm understanding by summarising the customer’s situation before offering any solution."

• Have a clear focus area Focused – a great goal zeroes in on one key area, preventing scattered efforts and wasted energy. Instead of "Process claims faster by reducing errors and improving turnaround time," a stronger goal would be "Ensure 95% of claims are processed without errors by double-checking policy details before submission."

Taking the next step

By embedding better goal-setting habits into daily workflows, organisations can create faster, smarter pathways to success. If your team is setting goals, make sure they’re structured to drive results—not frustration.

Want to see how YakTrak’s AI Goal Feedback Bot helps improve goal quality? Visit YakTrak’s website to learn more and start setting goals that truly make an impact.