Lead With Meaningful Goals
Wise leaders communicate a clear and inspiring vision that serves as a beacon for the organization they lead. The vision becomes all the more powerful when it is supported by the leader’s guiding values. This vision/values complex forms the framework that creates meaning and stimulates and aligns employee motivation. When all are pulling in the same direction at the same time great things can be achieved.
King Solomon, a leader synonymous with wisdom, says: “Any enterprise is built by wise planning.”
Wise leaders show how the vision will become a reality by focusing on, and connecting the employees to, current, meaningful objectives and asking important questions that, when answered, produce power and energy.
In order to be able to address meaningful objectives, the vision needs to be connected to the organization’s current situation: What is working well/what are our strengths today and what do we need to develop? Begin by highlighting what we are already excelling in. This creates enthusiasm and helps create the right perspective on opportunities for development.
Solomon advises, “Hard work brings prosperity; playing around brings poverty.”
Each division, department, group, or team needs to see the link between what they do and the overall objectives. These larger objectives are broken down into intermediate objectives that are in turn broken down into individual objectives and contributions. Doing this stimulates employees to do their very best.
Wise leaders formulate meaningful objectives that are:
- Challenging, yet realistic.
- Simple and clear for full understanding.
- Timetabled, so all involved know when the targets should be achieved.
- Measurable so that everyone can see and monitor progress.
- Few, so as to create focus.
As Solomon noted, “Do you know a hard-working man? He shall be successful and stand before kings!”
Wise leaders get the whole organization to purposefully work towards the achievement of their objectives. A wise leader helps employees in the organization move their internal desires into mental visualization so it can produce the physical creation of a positive future. The leader supports them in seeing the potential and the road to development.
Solomon advises, “If you won’t plow in the cold, you won’t eat at the harvest.”
Effectively reaching objectives requires discipline, which is doing what we have to do and paying the price to bring the vision into reality. This is often giving up something good today for something better tomorrow.
Solomon tells us, “Be patient and you will finally win.”
Most of what is worth fighting for takes time to achieve. The objectives must engage us as leaders to, in turn, get our people engaged – to help them see progress as a gradual process, one step at a time, one small victory after another. This gives them the energy and motivation to continue the journey.
Solomon stated, “Work hard and become a leader.”
Objectives should give meaning and motivation to accomplish the work. Wise leaders, in addition to the objectives they are connected to in their organization, need a clear idea of what gives balance in their lives.
To become a wiser leader:
- Create a picture of common opportunities and the direction for your organization.
- Together with your lead team, come up with a small number of challenging objectives for the organization. Focus on a combination of developing well-aligned coworkers, customer satisfaction, working smarter, stimulating growth and creating profitability.
- Gather and communicate with your employees for participation, understanding, and commitment to the objectives.
- Clarify roles and mutual expectations to build your group into a powerful winning team.
- Have a dialogue with yourself regularly and always acknowledge ownership of your process.
- Get a clear idea of what gives balance in your life.
Questions to reflect upon:
- How would you describe your organization’s/team´s main objectives?
- What can you develop in your leadership in order to support your team in more effectively achieving your objectives?
- What objective is the most important for creating balance in your life?
- Task:
(a) Describe an important sub-objective that you want to achieve in the next 90 days.
(b) Make an action plan with important steps and measures you need to take to achieve this objective.
I encourage you to reflect on the following questions and exercises as seeds for your own self-exploration and development.
Words have a miraculous power. Yes, words possess their own magic. The words we are using in our relationships can evoke feelings of happiness or sadness, enthusiasm or hopelessness. They can cause life and health or discouragement.