Clear and Challenging Goals: The Key to Employee Motivation and Better Performance

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Stephen Robbins writes in his book “Managing People”: One of my friends, who manages a software company, was recently telling me how great his employees are and how much he trusts them. He said: “When we take on a new project, I just tell them, ‘Do your best—so well that no one can find a single flaw.’”

🔹 When I pointed out to him that saying “do your best” is not the most effective way to motivate employees, he was completely puzzled.

🔹 I explained: To achieve better results, you must set clear tasks and challenging goals for each person or team—not simply ask them to try harder. Otherwise, their effort may go in a direction that is not aligned with what you or your projects actually need.

🔹 I also told him that numerous scientific studies emphasize this point: when a person is pursuing a specific goal, their performance is significantly better than when they are simply working without knowing the purpose behind their effort.

🔹 In other words, clear and challenging goals have a much stronger impact on motivation and performance than vague instructions like “try harder.”

🔹 However, there is a major challenge in setting difficult and ambitious goals for employees: if they believe the goal is impossible to achieve, they will lose motivation.

🔹 That is why the most important challenge for any manager is to convince employees that they can reach the goal—even if it is demanding and difficult.

🔹 What I’ve said about clear and challenging goals may sound obvious or even self‑evident, but in practice, many managers fail to apply it.

🔹 Various studies also show that a very high percentage of employees report that they do not have clearly defined goals in their work.

🔹 They also express dissatisfaction with the lack of proper feedback on their performance and say they often do not know whether they are on the right track toward the intended goal.

🔹 So, if you want to improve your employees’ performance, instead of giving motivational speeches, do these three things:

◽️ 1. Set difficult and challenging goals for your employees. ◽️ 2. Convince them that they are capable of achieving those goals. ◽️ 3. Regularly evaluate their performance and give them feedback on whether they are moving in the right direction.

“What Direction Will Jobs Take by 2030?

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The World Economic Forum recently released its Jobs Report 2025, offering a comprehensive analysis of the global labor market. Published every two years, this report forecasts major trends and transformations expected over the next five years. It is based on a survey of 1,000 employers worldwide, collectively representing 14 million workers across 22 different industries.

◀️ Five Major Trends Shaping the Future of Work

The shifts in the labor market are driven by five major global trends, listed below in order of importance:

▪️ Technological Change Employers expect technological transformation to have the greatest impact on the labor market—especially artificial intelligence and automation, which are driving this major shift.

▪️ Economic Uncertainty Although global inflation declined in 2024 and the economy showed resilience, half of employers expect rising living costs to trigger organizational changes. Additionally, 42% believe slower economic growth will affect their operations. These economic variables have created a cautious hiring outlook.

▪️ Geoeconomic Fragmentation Global tensions have led to fragmented and regionalized trade. With the new U.S. administration, such restrictions have increased even further. Industries heavily dependent on global supply chains—such as automotive and mining—will be significantly affected, while more localized and self‑sufficient industries will experience less disruption.

▪️ The Green Transition The shift toward a cleaner economy remains a priority for many organizations worldwide. Nearly half of surveyed employers believe that efforts to reduce carbon emissions will lead to major changes in business operations. This trend is especially visible in high‑emission industries like automotive, aerospace, and mining, where decarbonization requires workforce upskilling and reskilling.

▪️ Demographic Shifts The report highlights two simultaneous demographic trends: aging populations in high‑income countries and growing working‑age populations in lower‑income nations. These shifts will significantly influence the global labor supply.

◀️ Job Growth and Decline by 2030

The report estimates that by 2030, the number of formal jobs worldwide will increase by 7%. While 92 million current jobs are expected to disappear, 170 million new positions will be created.

◀️ High‑Growth Job Categories

The job with the highest expected growth is big data specialist. Following that are fintech engineers and AI and machine learning specialists. Other high‑demand roles in the coming years include:

  • Software and app developers
  • Data collection and data management specialists
  • Electric and autonomous vehicle experts
  • UI/UX designers
  • Light truck drivers and delivery services
  • Internet of Things (IoT) specialists
  • Data analysts
  • Environmental engineers
  • DevOps specialists
  • Renewable energy engineers

◀️ Fastest‑Growing and Fastest‑Declining Jobs

The report also notes that frontline jobs (such as agricultural workers, delivery drivers, and construction laborers) and care/service roles (such as nursing professionals and educators) will experience the fastest growth. Meanwhile, although technical jobs will be in high demand, manual and physical roles will decline. Postal clerks, bank tellers, and data entry clerks are all expected to face a 20% reduction in job numbers.

◀️ Most In‑Demand Skills of the Future

Unsurprisingly, demand for technology‑related and AI‑related skills is projected to rise sharply, with the top three skills falling into this category. Creative and abstract thinking ranks fourth. Creative thinking, resilience, flexibility, and agility form the fifth group of essential skills. Finally, curiosity and lifelong learning rank sixth among the most in‑demand skills for the next five years.

How Can We Show the Best Version of Ourselves Despite Personal Challenges?

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Seth Godin writes: Professionals show the best version of themselves when they step into their work—regardless of their personal circumstances or the type of audience they face.

🔹 For example, when a professional actor walks onto a theater stage, they perform their role to the highest standard, whether or not their rent is overdue.

🔹 Or consider a doctor who may personally be dealing with diabetes, yet listens to patients with patience and compassion and does everything possible to treat them.

🔹 This principle also applies to professional marketers and salespeople, who maintain completely professional behavior with customers despite any personal challenges they may be facing.

🔹 For instance, when a Starbucks barista smiles at a customer and wishes them a good day, they may be having a very difficult day themselves.

🔹 Therefore, we must always remember that sharing our personal struggles and what we are going through is something reserved for family and close friends—not for our customers.

🔹 In fact, if we fail to follow this principle, we won’t be able to continue our professional work for long, and we will quickly end up upsetting our customers.