Ever write down a goal only to abandon it a week later?
Chances are, that goal wasn’t really yours.
It might’ve been a manager’s priority. A team OKR. A resolution you felt supposed to make.
That’s the difference between assigned goals and self-concordant goals—the kind you actually believe in.
What Is Goal Self-Concordance?
It’s a term from motivational psychology that describes how aligned a goal is with your authentic values and interests.
The more self-concordant a goal is:
- The more effort you’ll put in
- The longer you’ll persist
- The more satisfied you’ll be along the way
And the best part? Self-concordant goals don’t require more discipline.
They just require better alignment.
The Self-Concordance model was developed by Sheldon & Elliot (1999) where they showed that pursuing goals aligned with internal values leads to greater effort, emotional well-being, and goal persistence. More recent work, whose learnings were summarised in a review by Wan et al (2021), reinforced links between goal concordance and mental health, cognition, willpower, and behavior.
Why Most Goals Fail
In fast-paced teams, goal-setting often becomes an exercise in checkboxes:
- Hit X by Y
- Launch by quarter-end
- Improve metric Z by 15%
But this skips over a critical question:
“Do you actually care about this goal?”
When goals are externally imposed—or poorly timed—they’re harder to internalize.
This is especially true if employees are stressed, unclear about their identity at work, or simply not ready to commit.
Why This Matters for Performance
Self-concordant goals have been linked to:
- Higher persistence
- Greater intrinsic motivation
- Better emotional resilience
- More adaptive learning behaviors
They’re the kinds of goals people chase even when no one’s watching.
Reflection Prompt for Managers:
“Are your team’s goals aligned with who they want to become—or just what they’re asked to do?”
Because goals that mean something go further.
How Libra Supports Better Goal Alignment
Libra doesn’t start with goals—it starts with emotional insight.
By allowing employees to reflect after meaningful work moments, we create space for:
- Processing effort, pride, frustration, and insight
- Recognizing what truly matters to them
- Setting or refining goals that align with personal values—not just task lists
In short: Libra helps people set goals that stick, because they emerge from reflection—not obligation.
This post is the last in a series of posts looking at interesting research directions in the field of performance management. Check out our other posts here:
- On Relational Energy: High-Energy Teams Aren’t Just Motivated—They’re Mutually Energizing
- On Epistemic Curiosity: Why Some Teams Learn Faster: The Hidden Power of Curiosity at Work
- On Identity Recognition: You Can’t Be What You Can’t Be Seen As: Why Identity Recognition Matters at Work