Leadership Isn't For Cowards: How to Drive Performance by Challenging People and Confronting Problems

Chapter 20

How Goal-Driven Are You?

The concept of goals is amazingly simple. I am certain you’ve heard someone give a speech about goal setting at some point in your career. Maybe you’ve given those speeches yourself. Yet, how many people still don’t have clearly articulated goals written down?

Before you decide this chapter is too basic, read on. This section is less about having goals and more about how you can administer those goals in a way that drives results, starting with how you reinforce the progress and success of your direct reports. Acknowledging progress combines all that we have talked about in Section 3 (“Take Action”) and Section 4 (“Take Responsibility”) with the ability to connect personally with your people. Acknowledging progress is much more than a pizza, a special parking place, or a bonus. It’s about being able to articulate how your followers’ progress matters to you. There is power in that kind of vulnerability, but in order to see, measure, and acknowledge progress, you have to know what your goals are.

I must admit that for a while in my career, I thought goal setting and the execution of those goals was part of Leadership 101. I tended to scoff a bit when people asked me to talk about the importance of goals. I thought everyone agreed that goals were basic elements. I thought that everyone had them and knew how to acknowledge progress. I was wrong. My mindset about goals was not shared by as many leaders as I expected. An astonishing number of them ...