Why Shift the Goalpost?

You might have heard the term ‘shift the goalpost’ before. Shifting the goalpost is often used to describe a negative practice when someone reneges on their promises by changing the requirements.

In the world of work, particularly in terms of productivity and performance, shifting the goalpost is something you will have to deal with from time to time. This is because expectations are always being heightened, particularly for top performers. That means the 50 you did last month that earned you applause may not be good enough to earn you praise the next month.

Why is that? Because the goalpost would have been shifted and 50 is no longer your best. That means you should be aiming for 60 upwards.

Please keep this in mind as you work and put it to practice in whatever you do in a work setting either for yourself or in an organization. You are actually your own competition, and you should be aiming to beat your own record at every attempt.

Another side to this is that, as the post is being shifted for the top performers, it also affects the slackers because they were not even hitting 50 before and will now struggle the more to cope as the bars are further raised for the star performers, thus leading to feelings of frustration and low self-esteem. Whatever you do, ensure that you are not counted among the slackers.

In the words of Jim Rohn, “Don’t join an easy crowd; you won’t grow. Go where the expectations and the demands to perform are high,” and then see what you become some years down the line as you exert yourself in a high-performing setup.

That is the way things work in the world of commerce. That is why the saying goes that, ‘What got you started may not get you going. What got you here may not get you there.‘ Starting is better than waiting. To keep doing it is better than starting; whilst getting better as you do it is superior to keep doing it.

To Your Success!