There is a great phrase that I came across which really captures the benefit of having goals. Goals are merely dreams or desires with legs. If you are a leader, I am sure that you want to be a success and setting goals is one of the key tools that you can use to achieve success. So what are 5 main reasons to set goals?
Reason 1: Increased Focus
If you have a goal it gives you focus something to aim for, a target or vision to work to. The desire to achieve that target keeps you focussed on the things that matter to achieving the outcome that you want rather than getting distracted.
Reason 2: Higher Motivation
Achieving or making progress towards a goal can be hugely motivating. Imagine for example you want to improve your time management. When you start you probably struggle to keep to the discipline of planning your day, keeping track of your time and managing interruptions. Pretty quickly you start to see that the actions you are taking are having a real impact which drives and motivates you to do more.
Reason 3: More Success
If you set yourself a goal you are more likely to succeed. Once you set an idea in your mind that you are going to do something, there is likely to be a much greater chance of success. Why? The reason is that you will go the extra mile to achieve it.
Reason 4: Confidence Building
If you start setting and achieving goals your confidence will rise. I use myself as an example. I left school at 16 with basic qualifications. I started an Accountancy Diploma at night school. Each time I passed a set of exams it gave me the confidence to tackle the next level. Eventually I qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant. It gave may the confidence to apply for more and more senior jobs.
Reason 5: Personal Growth
Every time we set a goal we grow as a person. The reason for this is that we are probably going to have to develop or learn about something to achieve it. Chances are we might even have to step out of our comfort zone to do it. Maybe there was a time when you had to work really hard to achieve a goal around a presentation or proposal. I am sure that in the process of achieving the goal you learned a lot of new skills and about what you could achieve if you put your mind to it.
Bottom Line – Goals lead to action and action leads to results. So what goals will you set to achieve even more success as a leader?
