How to Set Goals and Inspire Followers to Achieve Them

Posted by Mighty on 1 February 2011 in Leadership for Young People 9 comments

setting goals According to Warren Bennis, “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.”

If you truly want to practice transformational leadership, you need to learn how to set goals. A leader needs several skills to do this. One thing is certain though, the leader needs to have a clear idea of the organization’s vision and mission. The leader can then spearhead the creation of goals in the organization and work toward inspiring followers to achieve these goals.

The process of setting goals, however, is tricky. Even good goals may be derailed because the followers are not able to grasp them and understand how to accomplish them.

How can young leaders set goals and inspire followers to achieve them?

Review the organization’s vision and mission.

If you are in a corporate setting, it can be quite easy to get lost in the day-to-day affairs of the organization. You just meet one deadline after another. Before long, you may begin to wonder why you are even doing the things that you are doing.

If you want to set goals for the organization, you need to go back to the most basic principles that the organization is built upon—its VISION and MISSION.

Most organizations display their vision and mission where the members and employees could readily see it. That way, they are always reminded of what they are supposed to be doing. Review your organization’s vision and mission. Take them to heart. Recite them to yourself until you memorize them and think of ways in which to accomplish these vision and mission.

Set goals based on the organization’s vision and mission while taking into account the present realities you are facing.

Once you reviewed the vision and mission of the organization, you will need to set goals. They may be new goals or you may simply rehash some old goals that have become dormant.

You need to do an environmental scan, though. Look at the present situation of the organization—what are the internal challenges you are facing? What are the political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal issues and situations that the organization is facing?

This process takes some time. Don’t forget to engage the followers in this process. They can provide inputs and observations that may be neglected by those in leadership or management positions.

Given the present realities in the organization and its vision and mission, you are now ready to set goals that rock!

Remember the oft-repeated SMART principles!

If you’ve been to several leadership building sessions and strategic planning lectures and workshops, I’m sure that you’ve heard of and read about the SMART acronym. It stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-sensitive.

Specific. Each goal should correspond to specific things or targets that you want to achieve. Do not group together financial goals together with social goals. If you do that, the goal becomes doubly difficult to achieve.

Measurable. Identify ways to measure your performance in achieving your goals. Most organizations do that in terms of money and profit. But you could specify both numerical and qualitative criteria in measuring your goals.

Attainable. There’s no use making goals that are impossible to attain. However, there is a fine line between the impossible and the possible. It depends on a number of things. Most of the time, however, even goals that seem impossible become attainable through the burning desire and the sheer commitment of a leader to such goals.

Realistic. You should be realistic, but at the same time, you should challenge the status quo and aim for something close to “impossible.” If you are always aiming for the realistic, you may be selling yourself short. Be sensitive in determining which goals are truly impossible and which ones are possible but you are not willing to pursue.

Time-sensitive. Put a deadline to each goal. It would even be better to create a time-table of deliverables. You will be providing clear expectations from your followers and provide them with the tools and encouragement they need to achieve the goals.

Align your values and interests. Once you have set goals, you need to examine yourself, your values and interests, and whether these interests align with the goals of the organization. It may sound idiotic to do this. After all, the leader is the one who usually sets the tone and the pace of goal-setting in the organization.

These goals demand FULL COMMITMENT from the leader. Otherwise, the goals are doomed from the outset. How can a leader demand commitment if he himself is not completely sold out to the set goals?

Understand your followers, their personal goals and how they coincide with organizational goals.

When the goals are set and the leader commits hardcore to these goals, then the leader has to sell the goals to the followers. Although, the followers are expected to put in their support, if they do not understand the goals in their terms, they may pay lip service and work toward the goal but not as passionately.

When the leader understands the followers, their personal goals and their situations, it becomes easier to let them see the value of the goals and why they need to put in their commitment to the goals.

Goals are the life blood of the organization. Without them, it becomes nothing more than a social club—with leaders and followers but no definite reason for existing other than for the sake of socialization and getting together.

So if you are a young leader, don’t be afraid to set goals, difficult and seemingly impossible goals. With the right commitment and a passion for excellence, young leaders can rise to the demands of organizational commitments.