It is one thing to talk about what needs to be done. It is quite another to ensure it actually happens. Many organizations and teams spend enormous energy defining objectives, drafting KPIs, or debating strategy, yet somehow execution lags. Often, the missing link is not clarity of intent, nor even effort - it is alignment. Alignment around meaning, identity, and daily action. And alignment, as I have argued throughout The Communications Project, is fundamentally a communication challenge.

If Chapter 7 (of the Communications Project) showed how we navigate high-stakes, tricky conversations, this article explores the next step: turning those conversations into real outcomes. And here, the framework of TEA - Trust, Empathy, Active Listening - is not just a set of principles, it is the foundation for making goals stick.

The Bridge Between TEA and Goals

Goals are often treated as a planning exercise - something you write down, measure once a quarter, and hope people remember. In reality, goals are behavioral practices. They live and breathe in the conversations we have every day. TEA provides the conditions under which goals can thrive:

• Trust gives people the confidence to commit honestly, without fear of punishment if progress stalls.

• Empathy ensures goals respect real human needs, constraints, and motivations.

• Active Listening keeps goals alive and adaptive, allowing for course corrections before small problems become big failures.

In other words, if you want goals to succeed, TEA cannot just be an ideal - it must be operational, embedded in habits and daily routines. And the heart of habit formation, research shows, is small wins repeated consistently over at least three weeks.

The Six Planks of Effective Goal Setting

Drawing on research in behavioral science, organizational psychology, and habit formation, successful goals rest on six interlocking planks, each of which can be seen as an extension of TEA in action. Small wins and habit formation run through every plank, forming the bridge between intention and sustained action.

1. Purpose - Why This Goal Matters

Goals are powerful only when people understand why they exist. Purpose is what turns a task into a mission. Without it, even the clearest target feels arbitrary. Alignment through frameworks like the 7-S process can guide leaders in setting goals consistent with strategy, structure, and values - but it is the meaning behind the target that motivates sustained action.

Scientific grounding:

• Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan) shows that purpose fuels intrinsic motivation.

• Harvard research shows purpose-driven employees persist longer and handle stress better.

Teaching takeaway:

If people cannot explain the purpose of a goal in one sentence, it will struggle to form a lasting habit.

2. Identity - Who We Are Becoming

Goals are most durable when they reinforce identity. They are not just things we do - they are the people we are becoming. “I want to exercise three times a week” becomes far more compelling when framed as “I am someone who prioritizes health.” In organizations, hitting a sales target is far more motivating when framed as “We are a team that builds trust and delivers solutions for our customers,” rather than a number on a spreadsheet.

Habit connection:

• Daily routines aligned with identity are more likely to become automatic behaviors.

• Research by Phillippa Lally (University College London) shows that forming a new habit typically requires at least three weeks of repeated daily action to start feeling self-sustaining. Some habits take longer, but the first three weeks are critical for building the initial “stickiness.”

Teaching takeaway:

Identity is the anchor; habit formation is the engine.

3. Clarity - What Exactly We Will Do (Small Wins at the Heart of Habit Formation)

Clarity is not just about defining a goal - it is about breaking it into achievable daily actions that become habits. This is where small wins are absolutely central. Research consistently shows that people are far more likely to stick to goals when they experience visible, incremental success in the first few weeks.

• Small wins reinforce belief and momentum. Each step signals to the brain that progress is possible, releasing dopamine and motivating repetition.

• The 3-week window is critical. Repetition over three weeks of daily effort begins to embed behaviors as self-starting routines. Without this concentrated early practice, even the clearest goals struggle to stick.

Scientific grounding:

• Locke & Latham: specific, challenging goals outperform vague ones.

• Amabile & Kramer (The Progress Principle): small wins consistently drive engagement and motivation.

• Habit research: repeated, achievable actions over days and weeks form automatic behaviors.

Teaching takeaway:

Big goals inspire. Small wins, repeated daily for at least three weeks, make them happen.

4. Environment & Enjoyment — Making the Right Behavior Easier

Even the clearest goals fail without a supportive environment. Willpower is unreliable; behavior is shaped by systems, cues, and rewards. Pairing effort with enjoyment (e.g., listening to a favorite podcast while exercising) or designing workflows to minimize friction turns desired actions into habit loops.

Scientific grounding:

• “Temptation bundling” research (Milkman et al.) shows combining required effort with immediate reward increases adherence.

• Habit research emphasizes that environmental cues are essential triggers for repeated behavior.

Teaching takeaway:

Habits form when the environment supports them and the effort feels rewarding—make the right behavior easy, fun, and repeatable.

5. Feedback & Progress - Knowing It’s Working

Goals are living entities - they require feedback. Without it, motivation decays, and habits fail to solidify. Regular check-ins, progress tracking, and open conversations allow for early course correction, ensuring habits develop correctly.

Scientific grounding:

• Control theory of self-regulation: feedback is essential for adjusting behavior toward goals.

• Habit research shows that repeated action paired with timely feedback dramatically improves automaticity.

Teaching takeaway:

Active listening is the feedback mechanism that transforms intention into consistent habit.

6. Alignment & Safety - Making Goals Sustainable in the System

Finally, goals must be anchored in the system. They succeed when they respect constraints, model success, and exist in a culture of psychological safety. Stretch goals require support, not fear. Misaligned or unsafe environments sabotage habit formation, no matter how well-intentioned the goal.

Scientific grounding:

• Amy Edmondson: psychological safety enables risk-taking, learning, and sustained effort.

• Bandura: modeling success accelerates adoption of new behaviors, reinforcing habit loops.

Teaching takeaway:

Habits are social as well as personal. Alignment, modeling, and safety create the ecosystem in which goals naturally embed.

Bringing It Together

The six planks - Purpose, Identity, Clarity, Environment, Feedback, and Alignment - are interlocking, with small wins and daily repetition in the first three weeks forming the engine of habit formation. TEA is the glue:

• Trust enables honest commitment to new routines.

• Empathy ensures goals and habits respect real human needs.

• Active Listening allows for course correction before behaviors stall.

Communication does not succeed when messages are delivered. It succeeds when goals are understood, owned, repeated, and ultimately embedded as habits.

Small wins are the engine; 3 weeks of consistent repetition is the ignition; TEA is the road that makes the journey possible.