Establishing Passion-Driven Goals

“All of my traditional approaches to setting goals are falling flat,” my newest client admitted. “My team is going through the motions, but the goals we’re setting have no energy or meaning. I don’t know what to do.” I could hear the frustration in his voice. He wasn’t alone. I’ve had this same conversation with leaders across many industries. Traditional goal-setting methods—SMART goals, annual targets, quarterly OKRs—aren’t enough anymore. They look good on paper, but in practice? They often feel lifeless. Why? Because goals that don’t inspire don’t get achieved. A poorly set goal is like a malfunctioning GPS—it gives you the illusion of direction while leading you nowhere. If you want your team to not just chase a goal, but to own it—to commit with energy, creativity, and resilience—your goals need to meet four powerful criteria: 1️⃣ 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 – The Fire That Fuels Action A goal without meaning is just a task. It won’t ignite passion, and it won’t sustain commitment when the road gets tough. Ask the team: ↪︎︎ Does this goal represent a true breakthrough? Does it challenge us to grow? ↪︎︎ Is the outcome worthy of being our #1 focus? If it’s not, it won’t command our best energy. The most powerful goals feel personal. They connect to a deeper sense of purpose. They make you feel alive. 2️⃣ 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 – The Score That Drives Performance A goal that can’t be measured is like playing tennis without a net. You can exert tremendous effort, but you’ll never know if you’re winning. Ask the team: ↪︎︎ Can we objectively track progress toward this goal? If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. ↪︎︎ Do we know whether we’re winning or losing—both in terms of the result and the timeline? The most powerful goals have clear scoreboards—not just at the finish line, but throughout the journey. 3️⃣ 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 – The Levers That Drive Success Setting a goal without defining the specific actions that will drive it is like planting a seed and hoping for rain. Ask the team: ↪︎︎ Do we know exactly what actions, if repeated consistently, will create success? ↪︎︎ Are those actions within our control? The best goals don’t rely on luck or external conditions. They are moved forward by deliberate, focused effort. 4️⃣ 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 – The Impact That Makes It Worthwhile If you achieve this goal, will it be worth it? Will it have mattered beyond the numbers? Ask the team: ↪︎︎ Does this goal align with our deeper purpose? If not, why pursue it? ↪︎︎ Will achieving it create an impact we’ll be proud of—something that lasts? The best goals aren’t just achieved. They become stories—milestones of growth, impact, and transformation. When goals meet these four criteria—Meaningful, Measurable, Movable, and Memorable—they don’t just exist on a PowerPoint slide. They ignite teams. They create momentum. They change the game. #Heroic #Coaching #ThriveHive #4DX

Met with an entrepreneur here in Tulsa a while back. Fired me up about why I do what I do. He walked into our meeting full of energy, with lots of ideas and plenty of determination to take his company to the "next level". But he was struggling to make meaningful progress. As we dug into his business, there was a familiar story. He wasn’t short on ambition. He was short on was clarity. He felt buried under the weight of 136 issues (give or take), each one screaming for his attention. Sound familiar? Too many opportunities, too many problems to solve, too many competing priorities. And it wasn't just him. His leadership team was in the same boat. So, I asked him a simple but powerful question: 👉 "What do you really want from your business?" His first answers were surface-level: “more revenue,” “a bigger team,” "stability and profitability", the usual. But when we peeled back the layers, the real story emerged: His goal wasn’t just revenue & size. It was about solving a specific, meaningful problem - specifically related to homeowners and their properties. And that’s where the shift happened. Here’s the roadmap I shared with him—the same approach that’s helped so many entrepreneurs find clarity and thrive: 🔹 Start with Your Vision. Clarity comes first. We started with foundational questions: - What are your Core Values? - What’s your Core Focus? - Who is your ideal client? By the end of our conversation, he had a clear North Star—one that aligned his passion with his purpose. That clarity became his compass, simplifying how he makes decisions. 🔹 Gain Traction. Big dreams need execution. We set up a 90-Day World, breaking down those dreams into manageable Rocks—specific, achievable goals that drove his vision forward. Then we introduced weekly Level 10 Meetings, where accountability and progress became part of his team's routine. Every week, his team tackles challenges head-on, moving one step closer to where they want to be. 🔹 Build a Healthy Team. No one builds a great business alone. Using tools like the People Analyzer, he started evaluating his team to ensure the right people were in the right seats. And with a renewed focus on open, honest conversations, his team began to click. Fast forward to today: his business is thriving. His company has grown in revenue and profitability, even while competitors have struggled. But more importantly, he’s thriving. He’s living the EOS Life—doing what he loves, with people he loves, while making a real impact. That conversation stuck with me. It was a reminder that success isn’t about solving everything at once. It’s about having the right tools, processes, and mindset to uncover what truly matters.

Pushing through, no matter the cost, is not Grit. It's a recipe for burnout. It's easy to get these 2 things confused. We think we're working hard and we just need to keep going. After all, that's grit. Right?! Yet, Angela Duckworth defines grit as "the passionate pursuit of long-term goals." There are some keywords to pick out here. Passionate: This is something you are passionate about. You have to do it. You want it. You get excited about it. It keeps you up at night. Passionate is not about a promotion, though it could be (but let's be real, you want the promotion for recognition, not because you're passionate about being the Director of Internal Marketing, AI, and Stockholder Happiness). If you are passionate about marketing because of the way that it impacts people's lives and you see the smiles it brings, then you're on the right track. If you want the promotion because it's been 3 years and your peers have all been promoted, and wouldn't it be nice to have some extra money just in time for the summer vacation, then I'm sorry to say, that's not passion. Pursuit: You are chasing this. When you're in pursuit of something, you desire it even if you never catch it. That pitch deck that's due tomorrow is not something you're in pursuit of. You're working late because of responsibility, to not let down the team, to win the next client (and get that raise). This is short-term, which brings us to... Long-Term Goals: Long-term is not 6 months, though it can feel like it. Long-term isn't even a year or two. Long-term is something many years, decades even. A previous classmate of mine wanted to be a doctor from the time I met him in High School. Even in High School, he studied medical texts, met with various doctors to talk, and mapped out where he wanted to go. After years of study, late nights, and hard work, he made MD, and has never been happier. He still studies, reads, and attends seminars to learn new things about medicine. At age 50, he says he's still learning to be a doctor. THAT kind of long-term. I'm not saying not to work hard. But don't confuse it with Grit. Quitting something because you are no longer, or never were, passionate about it isn't having a lack of grit. When you have a long-term view of your passion, it means you can take breaks, plateau, and even stumble and fail. Grit is getting happily back to your passionate pursuit. Have you confused "grit" before? What do you think? Drop a comment below.

How I reignite the passion of my B2B Founder Clients (by doing the “impossible”): Syncing business goals with personal dreams. So many Founders believe you can’t do it when you reach a certain stage of business growth. So many Founders believe the business growth should become your only dream. But 2 decades of helping B2B Founders taught me one thing: When you align those two, your growth becomes much more meaningful. You actually care about it. You start to cherish it. You become obsessed with it. But how do you do it? Here’s my process: Step 1: Define Your Why Why did you start your business? Passion? Freedom? Financial goals? Reconnect with that initial spark. It’s easy to get lost in daily grind. Step 2: Assess Your Market You think you know your market, but do you? Diving deep can reveal untapped opportunities. Plus, understanding what your market *really* needs can align your goals with their problems. -> Survey your audience. -> Observe competitors. -> Analyze trends and gaps. Step 3: Match Goals with Market Needs Where do your aspirations meet market opportunities? Find that sweet spot. It’s where passion and profit coexist. Example: If you're passionate about sustainability, look for green market trends guests love. Found this useful? Share it with a fellow founder.