Leadership is a continuous journey of personal and professional growth, and self-improvement. One of the most effective ways to enhance your leadership capabilities is through intentional goal setting. By identifying areas for your development and creating actionable plans you actually work through, you can be a more effective and inspiring leader.
Let’s first talk about identifying your leadership style. There are many leadership styles out there but determine the one that bests showcases how you wish to lead. Now review your strengths and weaknesses as these do provide you with the starting point of creating goals for development. If you need assistance, there are many different tools such as DISC assessments, self-assessments (be honest), to doing a 360 peer or employee review. Pick whatever works for you.
You now have that list of strengths and weaknesses…now what? Take a look at them and identify those you really excel in. Is it communication? Decision-Making? Team Building? Now take a list of those weaknesses…these are areas that may work as improvement ideas. Could it be goal setting? Follow through? Being inclusive? If you are stuck, going to your peers or employees can work very well as feedback.
When deciding on what goal you want to set, look at those weaknesses and pick a goal you know you need to work on or that your peers or employees feel would be a great goal for you. Now, we want to ensure that the goal does align with whatever your business or departmental goals are. For example, if a goal is to increase sales by 5% as a company and your weakness is follow through, then you may want to start there. You want to prioritize what makes sense for you and the company.
Next is the well-known SMART goal. You can’t just say you want to be better at follow through. You need to be specific around this. Is it that you want to follow through with your employees on the marketing strategy? Then you need to ensure the goal is measurable. This basically answers the question of; ‘how do I know I have achieved what I set out to?’ This may mean that your department has helped increase sales by 4% – using this as a Key Performance Indicator, as an example. Next is to ensure that your goal is achievable. For example, if you require $10,000 in training, but your budget is only $5,000, is this possible? (The answer is likely yes here, as you can find training that is lesser and learn a lot. 😉)
Next is ensuring the goal is actually relevant. If you decided to pick one of your strengths, you may need to question yourself here. Perhaps you are looking for a refresher and it makes perfect sense to learn more about decision-making, as an example.
For us at Twin Life Coaching & Business Services, we like to add another R. Resources. Can you find or access the appropriate or needed resources (this can be budget, training, time (but not used as an excuse), etc.
The last is Time Bound. Your goal needs to have a due date. If we do not have this, our goal may just continue to be pushed back, or you may procrastinate on getting it done. Rewards can work great here too. From providing yourself with motivation for meeting certain milestones to rewarding yourself with something when the goal is achieved (this can sometimes be attached to wage raises for leaders or employees).
Next is to ensure you have a plan that you can execute. Goals mean nothing if we just write them down. You must create smaller action steps that are manageable for you and your situation. Perhaps step one is to find that awesome leadership course to help you (we have a great one 😉) or discussing with your team what your goal is to keep you accountable, or to hiring a coach to help you stop procrastinating. List all the actions out and then prioritize or put them in order. This creates your roadmap and increasing the likelihood of your goal coming to fruition.
Next you need to use those Key Performance Indicators or Measurables from your SMART goal and track them. You may need to evaluate what is working and what is not. You may even need to adjust the goal itself. Goals are usually not a linear path for ward, so prepare yourself to pivot and turn when you need to, and refine the goal as you go.
As you grow, look for opportunities to mentor others in goal setting and how they can stay on track to success. Sharing your experiences and lessons as a leader not only solidifies your skills, but also contributes to a culture of growth within your organization.
Setting and achieving leadership development goals is a process that requires self-reflection, planning, and the ability to keep moving forward. By creating clear goals, creating steps to get there, and TAKING ACTION on those steps, you can cultivate the skills and mindset needed to lead with confidence and impact. Remember, the best leaders are those who never stop learning and striving to be better.
Interested in learning more about leadership or may be just some accountability to your goals?
Reach out today at info@twinlifecoaching.ca and let us know. You can also visit www.amplifyingleadership.ca for more information about our Amplifying Leadership division.
Remember, Leadership Matters.
Written by: Tara Lehman
