Clear goals help leaders focus effort, but moving goalposts can make progress feel unfinished.

In mission-driven work, “more” can sound noble until it becomes “never enough.”

When success does not count, leaders can stay psychologically on the field even after the goal is reached.

Sustainable leadership means defining “enough” so they can stop, recover, and begin again.

In one of my research interviews with a nonprofit leader, I heard a story that sounded familiar to anyone who has ever worked hard toward a goal only to watch the finish line move.

The organization had agreed on a goal. The plan was in motion, the teams were working, and they were on track to “beat the original goal by about 20 percent.”

Then someone with influence asked, “Why aren’t we doing more?”

There was no new number set… just the sense that the work already underway was somehow no longer enough. The leader described it like a football game:

“Imagine if you were playing a football game and you’re marching down the field… and then someone suddenly says, ‘Oh, no, it’s a two-hundred-yard field.’”

That was the feeling. The team had been getting closer to their goal, but suddenly they were no longer almost there. They were way behind. The leader described it as exhausting.

The Problem With “More”

In mission-driven work, “more” sounds noble. More people helped. More students reached. More patients served. More families supported. More impact created. “More” is a great goal.

But “more” becomes a problem when it’s “never enough.” A leader can watch the team hit the target, exceed expectations, and still feel as if the work failed because no one defined what “enough” would look like.

Research on goal setting has shown that specific, measurable, and achievable goals can improve motivation and........

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