Engagement Technique: Golden Goals

Big goals can feel overwhelming. That’s why the Golden Goals exercise focuses on breaking them down into something achievable within 4–6 weeks. Goals that feel meaningful, motivating, and worth celebrating as a team.

I ran this with a team once Mid November, who were to achieve the goal before we broke for Christmas. They came up with everything from:

• Completing “Couch to 5k.”

• Learning a specific ice-skating technique.

• Reading five business books.

• Skipping shop-bought lunches to save money and build a new habit.

The best part was how people supported each other. When two team members chose Couch to 5k, they went running together to make sure they both succeeded. Others shared encouragement, tracked progress, and celebrated milestones.

How it works

1. Ask each person to choose a “golden goal” — something achievable within 4–6 weeks that they’d be proud of.

2. Print cards where they write their goal and name. Pin them up in a visible place.

3. Add a stamp space to mark when a goal is achieved, and even a bell to ring for celebrations.

4. Encourage peer support, accountability, and shared success.

The visual element is important. Seeing progress pinned up in the office creates energy and accountability. For hybrid or remote teams, you could use a shared online board or spreadsheet.

Why it works

• It builds accountability through visibility.

• It sparks collaboration when people share similar goals.

• It creates a culture of encouragement and celebration.

• It provides stories teams can share externally, supporting talent attraction too!

The Golden Goals exercise is an opportunity to build habits, celebrate progress together, and create a buzz in the workplace.

 

This post is part of our Engagement Techniques series of practical, low-cost ideas to bring more connection and meaning into work. Find the rest here.

👉 Want to explore techniques like this in more depth? I run interactive employee engagement workshops where we bring these ideas to life.