How misaligned goals drove me out
The leadership blind spot
Heyđ, Iâm Kristina from Effy AI. Welcome to my first edition of the High-Performing Culture newsletter.
My former employer didnât believe in aligning individual goals with company goals. It didnât come as a surprise that my motivation to perform was low and I eventually quit. So, managers, hereâs what you shouldnât do (and tips on how to avoid that).
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In the early days of your career, youâre so focused on proving yourself that you donât even realize something is off until itâs too late. Without knowing the right terms, itâs hard to put into words what exactly is bothering you. So, when communication with your managers is poor, finding a solution becomes an impossible game.
Today, Iâm going to take a trip down memory lane, explaining how misaligned goals led to my exit from the company and share some tips for HR specialists and executives on how to prevent this from happening in your organization.
My experience with misaligned goals
One of the worst aspects of employment is when you love what you do and work hard to make things perfect, but doubt whether your job even matters.
At the time, the culture of goal-setting wasnât exactly in place. I knew what my tasks were and understood how they were meant to be completed. However, the lack of proper communication from my superiors left me wondering if my work contributes to the success of the company.
Answering satisfaction surveys, I continuously requested feedback on the impact of my job. The result? I was reassured that my work meets expectations and there was no need to involve me in company goals.
As you can imagine, such communication leaves no room for improving the alignment of my goals with business objectives. So, I stopped trying, letting my motivation hit an all-time low.
A few months went by, I became disengaged from my tasks and decided to quit before I lost the appreciation for my profession. Shockingly, my managers were baffled by my exit.
So, what kind of lessons can you learn from this experience?
What went wrong
Working in any department means youâre a piece of a puzzle that shapes the strategic direction of the company.
But in this situation, itâs like being asked to assemble a puzzle without knowing what the final picture looks like. Youâre just doing pieces of work, but you have no idea how it fits into the bigger picture. Thatâs when you realize: youâre just a cog in a machine, with no purpose beyond hitting âgoâ on your tasks.
Whatâs important for managers to understand is that goal alignment directly correlates with retention. You canât expect a disengaged employee to remain interested in their job and bring 100% of their energy into work. Ultimately, this leads to resignation or termination.
Letâs summarize what went wrong in three digestible points:
Lack of clear alignment. Working in any department means youâre a piece of a puzzle that shapes the strategic direction of the company. However, when that direction is unclear to you, the purpose of your job gets lost in the context. This is a major demotivator for any position.
Vague feedback. Asking for feedback is always a good signal to supervisors that an employee is open to improvement and growth. But when that feedback is vague or doesnât add any value, like âYouâre doing wellâ, the problem remains unchanged.
No support from the manager. There was no goal-setting framework to bridge the misalignment. I continued to deliver my tasks without understanding the impact of my contributions.
All three points snowballed into an unsustainable environment, leading me to seek employment elsewhere.
Why goal alignment would have changed the situation
Looking back, itâs glaringly obvious: if my goals had been aligned, I wouldnât have felt like a ghost in the office. I wouldâve felt seen, heard, and most importantly, valued. If my concerns had been taken into account and measures were taken (we will discuss what you can do to avoid this later), I might not be posting about my experience after all.
What I can do for you is outline the steps that should have been taken and how they could have influenced the case so that you can learn from the mistakes of my past employers.
Direction
You and your superiors canât be on the same page about your personal direction if you have no idea about the overall business strategy. This means that establishing a clear roadmap that drives the company's success and communicating it to employees is crucial.
Goal alignment ensures that the workers are on the same path as the executives, which also boosts productivity.
Purpose
A sense of purpose is a fundamental factor in keeping your employees engaged. Nobody wants to work in a corporation if it feels empty or like a waste of time. I expected that my managers would break down how each of my individual goals ultimately contributed to company growth, but that never happened.
Motivation
Most organizations strive to increase work performance, but how can staff perform well if the motivation is running low? In my experience, enthusiasm and focus wane when workers lack a clear understanding of their role within the company. A seemingly small detail like that can cascade into higher turnover rates.
Unconventional tips for managers to avoid this
You've seen what can happen when goals aren't aligned. This isnât just about ticking boxes, itâs about creating an environment where your employees actually thrive.
Now, here are some counterintuitive approaches that go beyond typical management advice:
The "Reverse Mentoring" approach
Instead of just cascading goals downward, create sessions where employees explain their understanding of company objectives back to leadership. This reveals gaps in communication and ensures true alignment rather than assumed alignment.
Implement "Impact Storytelling" sessions
Monthly meetings where employees share specific examples of how their work contributed to company goals. This isn't just reportingâit's connecting the dots in real-time and celebrating meaningful contributions.
The "Goal Archaeology" exercise
When employees seem disengaged, don't just ask about their current goals. Dig deeper: What originally excited them about their role? What impact did they hope to make? Often, realignment starts with rediscovering original motivations.
Create "Mission Moments"
Weekly 5-minute team check-ins where someone shares how their recent work connects to the bigger picture. This makes purpose tangible and keeps alignment top of mind, without the need for lengthy meetings.
For more insights on goal alignment and how to drive better performance management in your team, feel free to check out our blog, where we dive deeper into these topics and share actionable strategies.
The brutal truth most managers ignore
Here's what most leadership advice won't tell you: Goal alignment isn't just about clarityâit's about acknowledging that your employees are intelligent adults who want to contribute meaningfully, not just complete tasks.
The most damaging assumption managers make is that employees should be grateful just to have clear instructions. But today's workforce, especially younger professionals, won't tolerate being treated like sophisticated task-completion machines.
They want to understand the "why" behind their work, and if you can't provide that connection, they'll find someone who can.
Your next move
If you take anything from my experience, let it be this: goal alignment isn't optionalâit's the backbone of a successful, motivated workforce. When your people feel like their work has meaning, they'll move mountains.
But here's my challenge to you: Don't wait until your team quits to get it right. Start tomorrow. Ask one employee to explain how their current project connects to the company's objectives. If they can't answer clearly, you have work to do.
The question isn't whether you can afford to invest in goal alignmentâit's whether you can afford not to.
Because somewhere in your organization right now, there's a talented employee staring at their computer screen, wondering if their work actually matters. What they decide next could change everything.