Goal-Setting Your Way to Your Vision

Another new year is well underway, and many people are working diligently toward personal resolutions such as eating healthier, exercising more, sleeping better, saving money and focusing on relationships. But how may of us direct that same resolve and commitment to our professional lives?

Here’s the thing: people with goals have a far greater chance of achieving their vision than those without. That means anyone with a vision for making a greater impact and experiencing genuine growth within a company should be spelling out specific, measurable goals to that end. If you want your leaders to thrive and drive the success of your organization, invest in their development. Quality leadership coaching enables leaders to set and achieve the kinds of goals that can dramatically transform their work and their lives.

The Time is Now

Goal-setting with the guidance and support of a seasoned coach can be invigorating. The perfect candidates are leaders who are ready to visualize their best selves and eager to create, refine and implement strategies for becoming just that. The process can be exceptionally useful for leaders who are:

• Often, leaders have a nagging awareness that something isn’t working right. They might not yet be able to pinpoint the problem, but they feel a disconnect between team members, perhaps, or they find their team falling short of the progress or outcomes they desire. A skilled coach can provide insight and understanding about issues that keep people from moving forward as well as the motivation and tools to address them.
• In transition. Leaders who are new to a company or role or are looking toward a promotion may be facing new responsibilities and/or new direct reports, teammates and bosses. Goal-setting can be incredibly powerful for tackling changing demands with enthusiasm and ease.
• Looking for opportunity. Maybe things are working well for a particular leader…but they could still be working better. Or perhaps a leader is feeling stagnant or bored in a position and is itching for advancement. A coach can challenge them to set and attain goals to become even stronger, more proactive leaders who create opportunities for themselves and their companies.

Coaches engage with individual leaders as well as whole teams and boards. When engaging with entire groups, a coach can work both one-on-one and all together, which offers the benefits of opening a dialogue about member commonalities and uniquenesses; establishing a shared language and set of intentions; identifying, breaking down and overcoming systemic issues; and setting goals that serve each member as well as the whole. Team coaching also allows for group learning and training opportunities. Team members enjoy the advantages of a coordinated, integrated effort toward more effective working relationships along with group camaraderie, support, transparency and accountability.

The Process

The best coaching and goal-setting programs are entirely tailored to each individual leader without losing sight of the direction and mission of the organization. The coach strives for a deep understanding of the individual, the individual’s role and relationships within the organization and everything that’s required to thrive there. The process may include:

• PDP ProScan. This thorough exploration into leaders’ personality types and core behavioral traits helps them learn how to leverage their natural state to improve the way they operate, adjusting what doesn’t work well and moving with intention on what does.
• 360-degree evaluation. Through surveys and interviews, key people provide invaluable feedback about leaders’ competencies; leaders can use this to differentiate their own perception of themselves from the actuality.
• Situational analysis. A thoughtful evaluation of the real-world environment, culture and dynamics of workplaces and teams can reveal opportunities for leaders to be more collaborative, inspiring and influential.
• Challenge questions. Coaches use these to push leaders out of their comfort zones and be critical where they’re not currently critical; determine their tolerance levels and willingness to change; proactively address the aspects of their jobs they find most tough while learning to focus on what’s most meaningful to them; imagine what might be possible as a leader; and hone in on where they want to truly make their mark in the company.

These types of exercises hold a mirror to the individual leaders and to the organizations they lead. What’s reflected are gaps, issues, priorities, strengths and opportunities for growth. This heightened awareness and newfound clarity allow meaningful goals to surface. Leaders then work with their coach to make those goals tangible, measurable and motivating.

Goal-setting is an incredibly informative and worthwhile process…but it’s only a beginning! Coaching partners then hunker down with leaders to develop a realistic, workable action plan for reaching those goals. The coach helps leaders expose their driving personal motivations, tap into resources (further education, time, support, equipment, access to certain people or leadership, etc.) and come up with effective strategies for actively changing behaviors to become better leaders.

After equipping leaders with the knowledge, skills and tools they need to put these new ideas into practice, the right coach holds them accountable for the outcomes they want to achieve; this might include reminders, tips and check-ins to track progress and even assigning mentors and/or accountability partners within the company. The coach remains a trusted partner throughout, continually supporting, encouraging and strengthening leaders into who they aim to be.

The Reward

Leap Solutions Group has coached countless leaders to find the clarity, motivation, skills and confidence to strengthen their roles and performance in their companies, achieve their highest goals, and experience exponential growth not just as a leaders but as human beings. Organizations and leaders who partner with us can count on lasting changes, incredible accomplishments and personal fulfillment that extend well beyond the office.

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