SET GOALS
WHY IT MATTERS
Good goals give direction, set a course, allow people to plot their progress, and motivate them to give a little more than they maybe otherwise would have. Leaders set goals, but they do so carefully, knowing that when not executed properly goals can discourage people and dishearten the moral and culture of an organization instead of focusing it. A leader that sets and uses goals correctly sets a high standard for performance and encourages a tenacity in those they lead to deliver performance that is above their own expectations, but not beyond their reach. A leader that doesn’t set goals effectively can either create a lack of urgency with non-compelling goals or a feeling of imminent failure because their goals feel unachievable.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that are effective in setting goals recognize the ultimate measure of leadership success is results. They know they will quickly become irrelevant if the end results they strive for remain constantly out of reach. They use goals as a means of setting result destinations and tracking the progress of their journey. They use goals to explain where the organization needs to go, how to get there, and when to get there.
Leaders that excel at setting goals know that if their motivation is right, their use of goals will help propel their organization forward. They also know that if their motivation for setting goals is wrong, goals could do more harm than good. Their motivation for setting goals is to unite and motivate their teams to greater performance, not to selfishly extract from people whatever they can to make themselves look good. Their intent is to help people achieve more than they knew possible, not to instill fear, pressure, or intimidation.
Leaders that set goals avoid setting goals in a vacuum. They don’t create and announce goals randomly. They aggressively seek after the input and participation of the organization in the goal-setting processes. They involve other people to help them more readily understand what the goals should be and why they matter.
Leaders that set goals know most people would rather not be measured. They recognize the real work of goal setting is helping people embrace the goals so they want to give their best to achieve them. They teach the goals, communicate them, answers questions about them, resolve people’s concerns, adjust them as needed, and work to get them into the heart of the organization and make them real.
Leaders that set goals make it easy for people to track their attainment. They define clear metrics and measures. They give frequent updates on progress, put in place visible performance tracking mechanisms, and celebrate milestone victories. They ensure their people know how close they are to achieving the goals they have set.
Leaders that set goals ensure goals are defined at all levels of the organization. They ensure there is clear alignment between both individual goals and those at the very top of the organization. They provide a clear line of sight from one goal to the next. They ensure goals are tied to the strategy and vision, are time bound, achievable, and have clear plans for their attainment.
BELIEFS
BEST PRACTICES
SELF-REFLECTION
WORDS OF CAUTION
Good goals give direction, set a course, allow people to plot their progress, and motivate them to give a little more than they maybe otherwise would have. Leaders set goals, but they do so carefully, knowing that when not executed properly goals can discourage people and dishearten the moral and culture of an organization instead of focusing it. A leader that sets and uses goals correctly sets a high standard for performance and encourages a tenacity in those they lead to deliver performance that is above their own expectations, but not beyond their reach. A leader that doesn’t set goals effectively can either create a lack of urgency with non-compelling goals or a feeling of imminent failure because their goals feel unachievable.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that are effective in setting goals recognize the ultimate measure of leadership success is results. They know they will quickly become irrelevant if the end results they strive for remain constantly out of reach. They use goals as a means of setting result destinations and tracking the progress of their journey. They use goals to explain where the organization needs to go, how to get there, and when to get there.
Leaders that excel at setting goals know that if their motivation is right, their use of goals will help propel their organization forward. They also know that if their motivation for setting goals is wrong, goals could do more harm than good. Their motivation for setting goals is to unite and motivate their teams to greater performance, not to selfishly extract from people whatever they can to make themselves look good. Their intent is to help people achieve more than they knew possible, not to instill fear, pressure, or intimidation.
Leaders that set goals avoid setting goals in a vacuum. They don’t create and announce goals randomly. They aggressively seek after the input and participation of the organization in the goal-setting processes. They involve other people to help them more readily understand what the goals should be and why they matter.
Leaders that set goals know most people would rather not be measured. They recognize the real work of goal setting is helping people embrace the goals so they want to give their best to achieve them. They teach the goals, communicate them, answers questions about them, resolve people’s concerns, adjust them as needed, and work to get them into the heart of the organization and make them real.
Leaders that set goals make it easy for people to track their attainment. They define clear metrics and measures. They give frequent updates on progress, put in place visible performance tracking mechanisms, and celebrate milestone victories. They ensure their people know how close they are to achieving the goals they have set.
Leaders that set goals ensure goals are defined at all levels of the organization. They ensure there is clear alignment between both individual goals and those at the very top of the organization. They provide a clear line of sight from one goal to the next. They ensure goals are tied to the strategy and vision, are time bound, achievable, and have clear plans for their attainment.
BELIEFS
- When goals are used correctly they can unite and motivate. When done incorrectly, they can damage moral and leadership purposes.
- The activity of setting goals is only half the battle. The real work is getting people to believe in them and want to achieve them.
- Goals have to balance not being so hard they demotivate people and not being so easy they become meaningless.
- Goal setting and goal modification have to be constant and ongoing process, not a one-time activity.
- People are unique. The goals people set and the level they are set at need to be unique too.
- Each individual deserves to know how their goals tie to the overall goals of the organization. People need clear line-of-sight.
- People will try harder to turn goals into reality if they can give input into how goals are set and how they will be measured.
- Goals need to always be accompanied by metrics and measures or they will never be more than words on a page.
BEST PRACTICES
- Help people set goals that stretch them.
- Set goals that align to the strategy and vision.
- Follow up on goals regularly.
- Build commitment towards achieving goals.
- Set goals that are both challenging and realistic.
- Tailor goals to the abilities of individuals.
- Make goals time-bound, specific, and measurable.
- Do not set goals so extreme they demotivate.
- Focus people on the goals that matter most.
- Make goal setting a continual process.
- Raise the bar for goals year over year.
- Limit the number of goals you set.
- Determine the fallout for not reaching goals.
- Make goal setting everyone’s responsibility.
- Communicate the goals that have been set.
- Put in place systems to monitor and track goals.
- Involve others in the process of setting goals.
- Be willing to adjust goals if necessary.
- Assure clear line of sight between goals.
- Resolve concerns about goals that have been set.
- Create indicators to track goal progress.
- Ensure each goal has a measure or metric.
SELF-REFLECTION
- Do I have clear goals in place for the organization, or do I fail to set clearly defined goals?
- Do I set goals and then announce them to the organization, or do I involve others in the goal-setting process?
- Do I accompany goals with clear metrics, or do I fail to assign metrics and measures to my goals?
- Do I set too many goals, or too few, or do I set just the right amount to propel the organization instead of stifling it?
- Do I take every opportunity I can to communicate the goals, or do I just hope people will not lose sight of them?
- Do I frequently share goal progress, or do I fall short in keeping the organization appraised of progress?
- Do I align individual goals to those of the overall organization, or do I rely on chance to ensure goals are aligned?
- Do I set goals that truly connect to the vision and direction of the organization, or do my goals miss their target?
WORDS OF CAUTION
- Don’t focus on goals so much they lose their ability to motivate people because their drumbeat is so loud and ever-present.
- Don’t make goals an irritation because you try to set one for and then measure every single employee activity.
- Don’t lose sight of what can realistically be accomplished and set people up to fail by setting goals that are unreasonable.
- I make a list of things I want to accomplish.
- I know exactly what my goals in life are.
- Each employee should have a say as to what goals are made.
- Goals that are easy to achieve are meaningless.
- I make New Year’s resolutions.
- Nothing gets the work done as well as a well-planned goal.