There is an epidemic among senior leaders these days in all kinds of organizations: Setting Big, Stupid Goals.
That sounds kind of harsh, so allow me to explain.
It is true that research shows that higher goals generally lead to higher levels of performance.
Unfortunately, this is as far as some leaders have read in their “how to be a boss” book.
The “higher goals” only work if:
a) People think they can actually accomplish the goal, and
b) They will receive some kind of “reward” that they value if they do accomplish the goal. The reward could be “extrinsic” – like a pay raise, or even “intrinsic” like a student telling you they learned a lot from a class you taught.
Many times leaders seem to create big goals out of thin air, without regard as to “how” it will be done. The staff team knows this and has no clue on how to accomplish the goals; which disempowers them. This is what makes the big goals: Stupid. A “bad boss” might say “you just have to figure that out” or “work harder.” People who are afraid for their jobs might work harder for you for a while. But it won’t last long.
A better idea is to involve your team in setting the goals and work with them to show how they can get it done.
Talk with your team about the importance of the goal and what it will mean for the organization. Talk about what it could mean for them, even if it is just “intrinsic.” Examples: “we can be the team that put on the best client appreciation event ever” or “it will mean a lot to everyone else in the organization that we were able to pull this off.” This could make your big goals: Inspiring.
I know that you want to push your team and that you are worried that they will want to set easy goals. But people generally like to work hard. If you can show that you are there to work with them to figure out how to accomplish the goal, then you can build their confidence and get them on board.
People can and will do some amazing things if you work with them properly. For more on how to get great things done with goals, check out this series of short, free videos on The Power of Goals.
