This is the Business English Podcast episode 499.
Do you move the goalposts on your English?
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Hey, Michelle, you excited to talk about business today, business English?
I am, I'm happy to be here.
Today, we're gonna talk about setting goals.
Lindsay, what would you say is the best way to go about setting goals as a business owner?
Any advice?
I think trying to root them in reality is important.
So sometimes in the past, I've just set these ridiculous goals that are not rooted in any reality.
And I've kind of learned over the years to just sort of adjust my goals as they go along and make it based on reality.
Like what happened last year?
You know, we can forecast things.
And we've talked about forecasting on this show before.
Yes.
So.
Right.
Right.
I guess.
And the longer you are in, you have your business, the longer, you know, then you have more data.
You can start to see patterns.
And so goal setting is a little different than just at the beginning, probably.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's true.
That's true.
We have much more context once we've been in business for a few years.
But today we're going to talk about an idiom called move the goalposts.
This feels like a soccer idiom to me.
Yes.
I think it is.
I don't know if it's... I think it's soccer.
It sounds soccer-y, right?
It does sound soccer-y.
But Lindsay, have you heard this idiom to move the goalposts?
Yeah, for sure.
I've heard it.
And Sometimes I use it.
You know this idea of the goalposts move right before or as a goal is achieved.
This is something the human mind does too, isn't it?
If you think about in daily life.
It's like this whole sense of like you really wanted this house right and then you did everything you could to save up and you got the mortgage and you finally bid with the other bidders and you got the house and then you get a little disappointed, you know what i mean.
So then, like you need the next thing.
I mean that's not a, it's just, it's kind of a symptom of the human mind, like this hungry ghost thing.
Right right, hungry ghost.
I like that.
Well yeah, where you like Yeah, don't they say you get something and it makes you really happy, but you're always going to go back to the same level of happiness.
Oh, that's true, too.
Yeah, that's true, too.
It's kind of the same thing.
Like you achieve something and then you're kind of like okay, that's fine, but what else can I achieve?
Or what else can I get right?
Yeah.
So, yeah, this comes from sports.
The goalposts, right, they... move right before or as a goal is achieved.
So what it's doing is making the goal different, right?
Or likely harder to achieve, right?
It changes the parameters of what the goals are.
And often this is used in a... It can be used in a negative way because...
Someone is set to accomplish something and all of a sudden the goalposts are moved.
So that can be one situation that's pretty common where you would use this expression.
Yeah, that's frustrating.
I don't know that this has ever happened to me in a structured work scenario.
But I have seen the scenario where like, I'll really be excited about something until I achieve it.
And then I'll be like, moving on.
What's the next thing?
It's kind of similar, I think.
Yeah, right.
Yeah, yeah, definitely.
I mean, yeah, I think in business, this can be common.
And I see both sides of it.
I mean I can understand how maybe an employer would need to make a change or might make the change, because Sometimes I think the goalposts are moved because the goal was easier to achieve than expected.
But I could also see how, for an employee, this could be frustrating and maybe provoke some anxiety, because
You might think you're about to achieve something and all of a sudden your boss is like actually we're doing it like this, or you know.
Yeah, no, that's a good point.
So let's put these into some examples, Michelle, for our listeners so we can see what this means.
So here's the first example.
I thought we had come to a fair price, but then they moved the goalposts and we had to start negotiations all over again.
And this is also when you're dealing with someone who's not in good faith.
We have an expression to be in good faith.
Anytime you're dealing with like a legal issue maybe you're in mediation, legal mediation or you're negotiating over something.
Both parties have to be in good faith, right.
Right.
Yeah, exactly.
Here's another example.
My team had finally finished the assignment.
Then the supervisor went ahead and moved the goalposts.
We had to stay late again.
Mm hmm.
Yeah.
Or I think our team is super close to reaching our fundraising goals.
Should we move the goalposts and try for more?
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, do you think it's a?
When I was doing some research on this expression, I was kind of surprised because it did seem that it was being used in more of a.
That's a bad thing way.
And I actually feel I didn't really think of it in that way.
Sure, it can be, but I don't think it's always that.
I think sometimes it's almost like oh, like we can do more, like we can.
You know?
Oh, I'm lifting weights.
And now I can move from the 10s to the 15s.
I'm moving the goalposts, I'm making it more challenging.
But I guess it could be.
If you know someone's kind of blindsiding you and saying no now, actually I need this, then that's negative.
Yeah, it's true.
If there are like set incentives involved for a team and you know, like a company has said this is, this is the goal, that's kind of unfair, right.
I think they just should be smarter about what, how they set the goals next time right um, but goals are not static.
I mean, metrics are not static in life.
Right, we don't know how we're going to do.
So that's normal in life like uh, trying to lift more weight, for example, is a good example.
Like you don't want to stay at the 10 if you could do the 15.
Right.
Yeah.
You're moving the goalposts.
You're making it harder.
Totally.
So you're about to make a trade based on a friend's text.
But which you do you listen to?
Is it, we could buy a house in Tulum.
Get optioning those options.
We could lose everything.
Or let's do a little research.
Get your head in the trade and make the investment decision that's right for you.
Learn more at FINRA.org slash trade smart.
Okay, Michelle.
So there are other ways we might say this, like raise the bar.
I don't know if this comes from weightlifting or what this comes from.
I don't know either.
Yeah.
But yeah, this is about making something not necessarily more challenging, but something has to be better than standards.
This is about standards.
Yeah.
Expectations.
Right.
So, for example, she really raised the bar for all future hires.
So she was really good.
So now the employer's expectations for a new hire are going to be much higher.
Or I think we should raise the bar and try to add even more visuals to really impress everyone.
So you're just pushing yourself, basically.
Yeah, which I think is a good thing.
That's a good thing.
And then a moving target.
This is interesting.
He's a nice boss, but i feel like working for him is trying to hit a moving target.
He isn't clear with his expectations and some people are like that they're just not clear communicators.
Yeah yeah, and i'm sure that can cause a lot of anxiety because they're like uh, what are we doing right?
Yeah oh, my gosh, yeah.
And then what else?
You could also say change the rules of the game.
So, for example, she's changing the rules of the game.
It's not fair and we should reevaluate promotions.
You know you had to set expectations of what was going to happen, and then you start changing all of them and everybody gets confused and frustrated.
Yeah, exactly.
So this could be a good thing or a bad thing really, depending on the context of what's going on, right?
Yeah.
So let's do a role play, Michelle, and see how it looks in this scenario.
So here we are team leaders and we're having a meeting.
All right.
Here we go.
Okay.
So it seems the project is going really well.
Yeah, maybe we should have them add more research to get the bonus.
I don't think we can move the goalposts like that.
We're just raising the bar.
But we told them what to do to get the bonus, so it's technically changing the rules of the game.
Then they will always feel like they're trying to hit a moving target.
Ah, good point.
You're right.
Yeah.
So you're the voice of reason here, Michelle, trying to make sure our employees stay happy.
Yeah.
I think it's a fine line between being like, oh, I expect more.
I think we can push harder.
We're already doing so well.
And so let's move the goalposts a little bit.
So there's a fine line between that and then just being kind of, oh my gosh, i just scared myself, i just put my arm into like the fake plant and i just thought it was.
Anyway, sorry guys, what you doing over there, i don't know, i don't know, um.
But yeah, there's a fine line between that and like being just kind of hard to understand what are your goals and everything's changing all the time.
Right,
Yeah.
Maybe the thing to do is add an additional goal above the goal, like additional bonus like oh, this is the goal.
But then if we exceed the goal, you get this.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
Yeah.
I don't know.
Yeah.
No, I like that.
I think it's just, you know, being as clear of a communicator as possible.
Yeah, totally.
And making things also, the goals should be achievable, you know?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure.
Not so where people then get disappointed.
Yeah.
Exactly.
And so, again, you are the one who wants to move the goalpost.
Oh, no, I am.
So I'm saying we aren't, you know, we're just raising the bar.
I say we aren't moving the goalpost.
We're just raising the bar, meaning we're upping our expectations.
And then I said, but we told them what to do to get the bonus.
So it is technically changing the rules of the game.
Yeah.
And then you said then they'll always feel like they're trying to hit a moving target.
Yeah.
They won't feel a sense of trust in the company.
Right.
That's really important to think about for sure.
Yeah, definitely.
So guys again, make sure to hit the follow button wherever you're listening to the Business English podcast.
Don't miss anything from us.
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Make it easy on yourself.
Yeah, sounds good.
And by the way, while you're hitting follow, you can also check out Business English 494.
That was feedback that tastes better than a compliment sandwich.
That's a good...
It's a good title there.
Yes.
I like that.
Michelle, where should we leave our listeners today?
Yeah, this is really about communicating with your team.
If you're a leader considering oh, do I just want them to push a little harder, or am I completely changing the rules of the game and making everyone confused and frustrated?
So it's about that connection reading your team, seeing what they need, what you need, and being, you know, understanding and realistic about goal setting.
In my opinion, what do you think, lindsey?
Yeah, and consulting someone we were able to meet with each other and you kind of talk sense into me.
But having someone that you can talk to and right, get a gut check of what i'm about to do, is this okay?
How is this going to come off to the staff or the team?
Right yeah yeah exactly, yes.
All right michelle, you have a good rest of your day and i'll see you back here on the podcast very soon.
All right bye lindsey, bye guys, bye.
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