Goal Setting has proved to be a very powerful for me as a leader. With having concrete aims and goals, and with having a plan to meet those goals, I have achieved much success and achieved more than I dreamed possible. Goal setting is a major part of any leader's job description. Without setting goals for yourself, your employees, and your company; you will have a difficult time knowing what strategies to employ and aligning the activities of the team.
Goals provide a measuring stick with which you can determine whether you are on the right track and making progress in a timely manner. But in addition to being a measuring stick, goals are far more important for the sense of achievement that you and the team gain once a goal has been reached. Achieving just one goal, which at one time seemed too far beyond your reach, will give you such immense satisfaction that it will spur you on to set even tougher goals and work that much harder to reach them.
1) Put your Goals on paper: It is essential that you write your goals down. Make all goals very visible. Have team goals posted on the wall for the team and have your personal goals in your planner. I write my goals in two places: 1) in my daily planner and 2) on a set of index cards that l have posted in my office and at home. As Brian Tracy, in his book, Create Your Own Future, reveals "A full 97 percent of adults have no written goals. When you make out a list of 10 goals that you want to accomplish in the next 12 months, you move yourself into the top 3 percent of people living and working today. By the simple discipline of committing your goals to paper, you join the elite." Keep your goals in front of you and the team.
2) Make Deadlines:When putting your goals down on paper, specify a date by which each one should be met. Both for my company and individual goals I set five year and one year goals. I work backwards from the goals furthest out and set dates then seem more realistic and not overwhelming. Too often we try to cram too many goals into too short of time. Be realistic with yourself and your team. Do not create a very tight deadline which is unachievable, but also do not give yourself two years to accomplish something that can be done in one.
3) Deliver Results: Once you have set your goals, set dates for achieving, begin identifying and acting on the tasks that support each goal. Begin to deliver results one task at a time. I would outline major tasks for achieving goals over the four quarters of the year. At the end of each quarter, March, June, September and December I would review my progress and the progress of the team making adjustments or adding new goals if appropriate. This quarterly review of progress allowed for changing circumstances, a sense of real accomplishment and ongoing action.
4) Celebrate: When you do reach a goal, irrespective of how big or small, take the time to celebrate your achievements and that of your people! I love celebrating what I call the small victories of achieving a milestone toward a goal and the victory of achieving the goal. Simple celebrations include a special lunch out, a gift of a night out to the movies, or an afternoon off to meet friends for a glass of wine. Take the time to plan your celebrations and enjoy them!