How to set KPIs your team won’t ignore

My 5-Step Playbook

Heyyyy team,

This weekend I ran the Manchester Half Marathon ✅ woop woop. My fifth half, and, being honest, probably my last.

My body seems to collect running injuries for fun. This time it’s a sprained ankle. I’m very proud I ran it, but I think it’s time to find a new way to challenge myself that doesn’t involve limping for weeks before and after, any recommendations, let me know (Hyrox cult members, i’m looking at you).

ANYWAY

Back to the important topic at hand…

I did a training session yesterday morning with a wonderful creative design agency team based out of Shoreditch.

They’re growing fast. New clients, new hires etc. But with that kind of growth often comes a familiar set of challenges: communication gaps and the struggle to keep everyone rowing in the same direction.

It reminded me of a moment a few years back when I was staring blankly at a spreadsheet full of KPIs that looked impressive… but in reality, we were achieving absolutely nothing.

The data was so clearly laid out, but the team just simply didn’t care about hitting the KPIs.

They were clear in my head.
They tied to our company goals.
It made perfect sense on paper.

But we had:

No momentum.
No questions.
No traction.

And I found myself thinking:

Were the KPIs wrong? Am I doing this badly? Why does it feel like I’m dragging everyone uphill?

For a while, I blamed the usual suspects, motivation, priorities, workload.
But deep down, I knew something else was off.

So I took to finding out what. I started researching and asking them for feedback, and very quickly, I discovered that the problem wasn’t my team. It was how the KPI had been set in the first place.

Because when KPIs are vague, top-down, or tied to random KPIs no one actually understands, they become overwhelming and unrealistic.

So let me walk you through the 5 shifts that changed everything for me, and turned our deadweight KPIs into team-owned momentum (the same ones I teach in every management training session I run).

Or you can watch the 6 min YouTube video version on this if you prefer

Step 1 - Ditch the task list. Focus on the outcome.

If your “goal” sounds like a list of tasks, it’s not a goal, it’s a shopping list.

Bad version: “We need to get the newsletter out by Friday.”

Better version: “We’re aiming to increase qualified leads by 20% this quarter. The newsletter is one tool that will help.”

When you lead with outcome, (not just activity), you give your team a destination to aim for. And the freedom to decide how to get there.

Action step: When setting goals, ask yourself: “If we smashed this what would be true at the end?”
Now share that version with your team.

Step 2 - KPIs mean nothing unless they’re linked to purpose

Here’s where managers slip up: we throw numbers at people like they’re self-explanatory.

Let’s say your KPI is: “Reply to all customer queries within 4 hours.”

If your team doesn’t know why that matters, if they don’t see the link to retention, client experience, or brand reputation, it’ll always feel like a stick.

Action step:
Next time you present a KPI, add one line: “This helps us [insert bigger goal].”

Even better… Ask your team: “Why do you think this matters?”

Step 3 - Stop dropping goals on people. Co-create them.

Disengagement toward a goal often comes from lack of involvement from the start.

If a KPI shows up out of nowhere, fully formed and unchangeable, people feel like it’s just another thing being done to them.

You want to flip that.

Before locking anything in, ask:

• “What do you think would make the biggest difference this quarter?”

• “What feels like a stretch, but possible?”

• “What support would you need to hit this?”

Patagonia’s teams were known for high performance during rapid growth.
Their secret was e arly involvement. Managers would test goals with small squads, gather input, then scale up. That buy-in created real momentum.

Action step:
Before finalising a goal or KPI, run a quick session (yes, even 15 mins in a team meeting) asking:
“Here’s the goal, what’s your take? What would be your top three ways to hit it?”

That’s how you move from compliance to commitment.

Step 4 - 3 beats 10

You’ve probably seen a KPI doc like this:

• 9 KPIs

• All urgent

• All unconnected

• Chaos

But when everything is a priority, nothing is.

Instead, have 3-5 core KPIs for each individual, and 3-5 for the team. This gives people mental clarity and lets them zoom out to the bigger picture.

Step 5 - Check-ins should be a rhythm, not a rescue plan

Too many managers only check KPIs when something goes wrong.

So when you do ask about them, it triggers panic, defensiveness, or the dreaded “Oh no, I forgot about that one…”

Instead, normalise it.

Make it part of your team rhythm, not a surprise inspection.

You don’t need a spreadsheet extravaganza, you just need 15 minutes.

Ask:

• “How are we tracking?”

• “What has gone well, that we should do more of?”

• “What hasn’t gone well, that we need to change"?”

Bonus tip: Let someone else lead the update each week. It creates shared ownership and boosts clarity across the team.

Your 5-Step Playbook

1. Start with the outcome
    → “What do we want to be true if this goes well?”

2. Give KPIs a purpose
    → “Why does this number matter?”

3. Co-create, don’t dictate
    → “What do you think will move the needle?”

4. Three beats ten
    → “What are our top 3-5 focus areas this quarter?”

5. Review early and often
    → “What’s working, what’s stuck, what’s next?”

Final Thoughts

Your team doesn’t want to fail. They don’t want to coast. But when goals are foggy, metrics feel disconnected, and updates only happen during crises it’s no wonder motivation stalls.

Great managers make their goals real, meaningful, and shared.

So take a breath. Pick one of the five steps above. Start small.

Every high-performing team didn’t get there by magic. They got there by clarity, focus, and rhythm.

And that starts with you.

Peace,

H

P.S. Whenever you're ready, I’ve written an entire book for you to take the next step in levelling up your leadership career. Get your copy here.

P.P.S We’re running a community webinar next month, and we need help deciding the topic, if you have any suggestions on a topic we should do a deep dive on, I’d love you to comment and let me know👇