Why Hiding the Finish Line Kills Team Motivation
Stop telling your team “it’s not far” and start giving them the transparent roadmaps, cadences, and trail markers they need to win.
I’ve just climbed out of a town called Villa de Leyva. Behind me stands a statue of Jesus, and looking down, I’m reflecting on what it actually took to get up here.
To be completely honest with you, it was a brutal climb. I’m at altitude, I didn’t bring any water (not very smart of me, I know), and I had absolutely no idea I was even coming up this high today.
But as I was hiking up with a new mate, stopping to catch my breath, it got me thinking about a fundamental question: How do we actually motivate people?
3-Minute Summary: The Quick Trail Guide
- Stop hiding the finish line: Leaders often hide the destination to avoid overwhelming their team, but a lack of transparency actually kills motivation.
- Pacing requires cadences: Achieving a 12-month endpoint requires deliberate “breathing room”, strategic stops, reviews, and recovery.
- Track your trail markers: Keep your eyes on the two critical guideposts, Purpose (the boundaries and the why) and Strategy (the flexible how).
The Myth of “Protecting” Your Team from the Destination
Back when I used to ride mountain bikes, I’d often ride with people who were much faster than me.
Whenever I’d start to struggle, I’d ask them: “How far is it to go? What’s the end point? What’s the goal?”
And almost every single time, they’d look back and say: “Oh, it’s not far, mate.”
They were worried that if they told me the absolute truth about how far we still had to climb, I’d get completely demotivated and give up.
But they had it completely backwards.
I am someone who is highly motivated by goals. I need to see the end point. And the truth is, most of your people are exactly the same.
“Sometimes we tend to hide the end point in the hope that our team will just keep coming along for the ride. But if you’re hiding that end point, or maybe you don’t even know what it is yourself, you are actively draining their motivation.”
If your team doesn’t know where you are going, it’s because you aren’t communicating it. And when people walk in the dark, they slow down.
Rhythms, Cadences, and Catching Your Breath
Last year, I focused on developing a program called Unlocking Your Most Successful Year Yet.
The core idea is simple: let’s set a clear, highly visible end point for the next 12 months. Let’s get to that single point, do it exceptionally well, and only then worry about multi-year plans further down the track.
But setting the destination is only half the battle. You have to actually survive the hike.
On the trail today, I had to stop quite a few times. The mate I was with does this all the time, he could have gone up and down and lapped me five times in the time it took me to reach the top.
But I had to set my own rhythm. I needed regular pauses to breathe, adjust, and pace myself to survive both the fitness gap and the altitude.
Your business strategy needs the exact same thing.
These are the cadences and rhythms of how we structure ourselves. When you have a visible end point, you can pace your organization better.
Even better? When you start hitting those smaller, incremental goals along the way, you actually start to feel good. Momentum builds. You hit the next milestone, you feel even better, and suddenly, the steep climb doesn’t feel so impossible anymore.
The Two Core Trail Markers
When you are out on the trail, you can’t navigate by guesswork. In my world, we look for very specific trail markers to make sure we are still on track.
1. Purpose
This is your first and most critical trail marker. Purpose is where you look at the landscape and declare: This is why we are doing what we are doing. It establishes your boundaries, defines your values, and clarifies exactly what you are set up to achieve.
2. Strategy
Once you have your purpose, you look at the second trail marker: Strategy. This is the practical roadmap of how you are going to get to the summit.
But here is the secret most leaders miss: your strategy does not have to be 100% accurate. You don’t need a flawless plan; you just need to pay attention to the terrain. Stop for your regular breaks. Stop for your water. Understand the natural cadence of the track you are on.
Are you communicating the summit?
I want you to take a hard look at your team right now.
Are you actively communicating your end points? Or are you just looking back at them while they struggle up the hill, saying, “Oh, we’re not there yet, just keep pushing”?
Don’t do that. It will demotivate even your best people.
Show them the summit. Tell them how far is left to climb. And then, give them the grace and the rhythm to pace themselves to the top.
Enjoy the journey.
Thanks for reading The Forged Leader!
This article was unpacked further in a recent Monday Myth Check.
Watch the full conversation below: