Being a leader can be an enriching experience, but it can also be challenging and even overwhelming at times. Multiple aspects of leadership must be continuously improved to ensure that your organization is always growing and succeeding in the industry. One of the most important leadership tasks is setting goals for you and your team so that you can track your progress. As stated in this article on About Leaders, 70% of a team’s engagement level is determined by the leader. With this being said, how you construct goals within your organization can determine your companies’ success level.
The number one reason why goals are so important in a company is that it helps everyone to stay focused. A workday can be completely consumed with reports, emails, meetings, and other responsibilities, so it can be easy to lose track of what might be the most critical task of the day. When you set goals, you remain focused on what must be done in a certain period, and it prevents your priorities from becoming lost in the wind. The best way to structure goals is to set them as daily, monthly, quarterly, and annually and then to have continuous goal reviews as they are being completed.
Next, setting goals provides a positive example for the rest of your team. People who are working in an organization will often look towards the leader as a guide for how to operate. If you are setting goals and following them, your team will likely follow. If you do not set goals, or you do not achieve them by the desired date, your team will see that and be conditioned to believe it is okay to lack accountability and operate in an unorganized manner. Allowing your team members to set goals for themselves instills a strong sense of independence for them as well.
Lastly, goals push a team to remain motivated and engaged throughout their work. Completing small goals builds momentum to meet medium ones, and sooner than later, the team is achieving significant goals with minimal obstacles. This also aids in enhancing employee engagement and keeping happy employees around. When employees are properly engaged, they feel more connected to the company and are more likely to seek future opportunities with the organization.