Common Mental Mistake #2: A Leader Who Has No Definite Goals

People drift through life. They go with the flow. Instead of responding to people, situations, and circumstances, they just react. That sounds exhausting.

To be effective in life and as a leader you must set Goals. Goal setting, simply put: gets you to a desired end. Without a destination, how do you know where you are going? Mapquest would be very difficult.

This post will help you find out where you want to go.

Goals are effective because they influence psychological states such as self-confidence, direct attention to improve aspects of the tasks, mobilize effort, increase persistence, and foster the development of new learning strategies.

Sounds good, right? Consider the following:

1.    Setting Goals will:

 Give you a desired destination

- Give you purpose

Communicate expectations

Help you plan ahead

Communicate vision

Keep you focused

2.    A Good Goal will:

Be measurable

- Be practical

Be shared

Be planned

Be inspiring

 Be realistic

3.    A Bad Goal:

Can’t be measured

Is only good in theory

- Is not specific

Is too short

Is too complex

Isn’t shared

So how do you write a Good Goal?

1.     Think where do you want to go or what do you want to accomplish?

2.     Share with someone else and gather feedback.

3.     Write your goal with a specific date and a deadline.

When Writing a Goal my Coach Dave Kraft always says this:

1.     Begin with the word “TO”

2.     Add an action verb

3.     State the result

4.     Write your Deadline

Examples:

-       To design and send out a monthly newsletter starting September 1st

-       To finish the team’s new website by December 3rd

-       To complete all of the dishes and laundry in the house before company comes over.

-       To study and pass the LSAT scheduled for January 11th

When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps. - Confucius 

Vince Lombardi was once asked about the difference between a good and bad coach. Lombardi answers, “The best coaches know what the end result looks like… If you don’t know what the end result is supposed to look like you can’t get there.”

To be a good, effective leader you must have goals.  An even better leader has small goals before the sun rises on the day. What are your goals today?

Your first goal: Like and share this post with someone immediately after reading it.

Next Week: Common Mental Mistake #3: Leaders Who Are Afraid of Failure