How to Set Clear Goals that Inspire

Setting goals is straightforward but making it inspirational is quite a different matter altogether.

You may have a grand vision for yourself or for your team but if that grandeur is not translated to inspirational goals that people can own, then what you have is just a set of day dreaming cliches. You may know how to measure the performance but if you do not know how to motivate the passion, then you have only scratched the surface of what the human potential is capable of.

The degree of inspiration depends significantly on your heartfelt belief in the "rightness" of your cause. If you lose sight of what you stood for in the first place, then do not be surprised, if your begin to lose the fight.

Here are three considerations for making sure your goals are inspirational:

1. Are my goals clear enough?
   Above all else, a leader must be clear. Clarity is not synonymous with charisma. If your vision keeps shifting, it creates instability and uncertainty.
   
2. Are my goals communicated enough?
   Setting goals do not happen over a two-day-one-night strategic retreat. The issue is not with the awareness of the goals but the alignment of it. Begin your team meetings by articulating the goals before diving into the issues of the day.
   
3. Are my goals convicting enough?
   As a leader, people "feel" you more than they "see" you. Before the results are achieved, do the reason behind the results resonate deep within you? 

We are inclined to play the "numbers game" - stretching the goals for the sake of just stretching without taking into consideration the input and opinion of others. Numbers alone numb. If you do not learn the art of inspiring (and not just instructing), people will follow your orders but will not take ownership of it.

Your fellow traveler,
Joseph Tan
joseph@goodmonday.com