What's the goal?

There’s a question my dad used to ask me every time I was preparing a presentation:

What do you want to achieve? What’s the point? How will you know when it worked? What’s going to make you proud at the end of this?

At the time, it annoyed me a little. Now, I think it’s one of the most important questions anyone can ask.

Because the older I get, the more I work with teams, the more I realize:

People need a goal.

Not just something to do.

Not just a purpose statement or a set of brand values.

A goal.

Something we’re all working toward ... together.

Years ago, I read about what makes a strong team. One of the very first principles? A common goal. Without it, collaboration becomes scattered. People do their best ... but not in sync. They run, but not always in the same direction.

And lately, I’ve felt that.

I’m part of a team with all the right ingredients. We have vision. We have purpose. We have values. We even have a mission statement, a plan, and a sense of excitement.

But when you ask, “What are we trying to achieve this year?”

There’s a pause.

Not because people aren’t smart. Or passionate. Or committed.

But because we haven’t picked the one thing. That simple, concrete, shared outcome we’re all building toward.

It doesn’t have to be grand. It doesn’t have to solve world hunger.

It can be:

“We want to launch our first product.”

Or

“We want 1,000 active users.”

Or

“We want to hit €X in sales.”

Just something that makes people say: “Okay. I see it. I get it. I know what I can do to help.”

Because without it? There’s movement, but no momentum. Work, but no cohesion. Progress, but no celebration.

And over time ... that lack of unity shows. Not in passion (that’s still there), but in involvement. In how people show up. In how they prioritize. In how much they care about not just doing, but moving something forward.

It’s not about motivation. It’s about alignment.

And that alignment? It’s surprisingly easy to create. Pick a goal.