Often referred to as the "father of modern management", Peter Drucker was an early advocate of the importance of goal setting. To increase efficiency and thus improve performance, he believed that you need to set goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-oriented. This is also applicable to leadership development, and in this article we'll show you how.
By Marte Aasmundsen
Stine Melfald is a leadership developer at FRONT Leadership and has extensive experience in developing and delivering leadership development programs that produce measurable results. We caught up with her to learn more. Stine has a clear message for the manager who participates in the leadership development program. Goal setting is important, set SMART goals. As an HR manager, it's important to remember that these more personal goals are also written down and followed up by the manager's manager.
Why is it important to set goals for leadership development?
When starting a leadership development program, it is important to have clear ambitions about which competencies you want to develop in order to achieve results. Taking time to reflect on your own strengths and areas for improvement is essential if you want to move forward. We want to trigger our inner motivational factors, and setting clear goals will help us both to get started and to train in a structured way throughout a development process.
Why do many people not set clear goals?
There may be several reasons why leadership development does not have clear goals. It can be perceived as more difficult to set goals for the manager's personal development than other types of goals that more directly support the company's results. You might think that it is difficult to measure personal development in the same way as other more concrete goals for turnover and results, but there are various models that help us with goal setting and to set goals for personal development as well. One example of this is SMART goals based on Peter Drucker's philosophy.
Stine Melfald
Stine is an inspiring leadership developer with over 15 years of experience in leadership and organizational development. Among other things, she has been Learning and Development Manager for Specsavers in Northern Europe and has solid leadership experience from a matrix organization, with changing tasks and complex projects where resources and tasks intersect. Stine has led several professional networks. She is passionate about personal development of managers and employees by creating a positive and generous work culture for the benefit of the business.
Read the portrait interview with Stine
What do you need to consider when setting goals?
If we use SMART goals as a starting point, these provide some areas to consider when working to define our goals.
Specific
If we start with S (Specific), it's about being clear about defining a competence or an area we want to work on. Saying that we want to become a better manager is not specific enough, and we will struggle to know what we need to work on to develop. But if we say that we want to become better at delegating or giving feedback, we will have a different starting point to begin our leadership development. We will then have a better understanding of what skills we need to train on and then plan a development path for this.
Measurable
When we come to M (Measurable), this point says that the goal should be measurable. I find that many people find this point difficult, and perhaps that's why they struggle to set clear goals for their development. But it is possible to measure progress in your leadership. For example, most companies have various tools for measuring leadership, such as employee surveys and regular "pulse surveys" on leadership. Other things that are measured are the level of sick leave and turnover. If we have clear ambitions for what leadership should "look like" when you have completed a leadership development course, it is much easier to understand what it takes to get there. It may be that you want to increase satisfaction (positive working environment) in your team, delegate tasks to free up more time to lead and raise the level of competence in your group, or that you want to start having monthly one-on-one conversations with everyone you manage to give feedback on performance and create greater reflection in each individual employee about the way forward. When you set such goals, you can measure progress.
Achievable
A (Achievable) is about the goals being achievable for us. Setting goals that you actually believe you can achieve is important in order to feel a sense of mastery. If you have set a demanding goal (stretch goal), you should set sub-goals along the way so that you feel that you are getting things done and moving forward. Setting goals that you can achieve quickly is good for your self-confidence, and you will then be more motivated to work on the goals that you know require extra effort.
Relevant
R (Relevant) is about setting goals that are relevant to the manager in their role as a manager. Then you will also understand how to convert the goal into practical things in everyday life. To reach the goal, it's all about testing things in practice. Therefore, the goals must be linked to everyday life and the different situations you face.
Timely
T (Timely) is about creating an action plan. When should we start? What should we start with first? Should interim goals be set along the way? When should the goals be achieved? And how often should we take a step back and possibly adjust the goals? We know that we do not learn from experience alone, but also by reflecting on our experiences (John Dewey). Therefore, the action plan should include time for reflection and feedback conversations with people around you who observe the manager's development. Feedback from employees, together with support tools, will provide good indications of whether progress is being made and what adjustments may need to be made to achieve the goals that have been set.
Are some goals more important than others?
The goal is to define goals that motivate effort. An important key factor for success is that we define our own goals. When goals are defined for us by others, such as our own manager, it is more difficult to feel motivated and want to get started. Therefore, the manager who participates in leadership development should take full ownership of their own goals. We want to trigger the inner motivational factors, and when we succeed, the willingness to start and succeed will be much greater. We also know that changing habits takes time. Our brains take around 6-8 weeks to get used to doing things differently, so we need to create good routines from the start. The more eager we are to reach our goals, the more willing we are to start changing our routines and habits. It takes effort and training over time to bring about lasting change in your leadership.
What are your experiences around goal setting?
I've worked as a leadership developer for more than 15 years, and I work closely with leaders who participate in leadership development programs. I always encourage participants to set goals before we get started. Some have very clear ideas about what they want to work on and why, while others need guidance to get started on defining goals. I am absolutely certain that setting up to 3 goals before we start the development program both motivates and helps the participants to stay focused throughout the program. It's also important to remember that goals are adjustable. You should have development goals when you start, but if you see a need to adjust them, you do so. Situations arise, and different needs from employees and the business may arise along the way. It's important to take a time-out to assess the goals and adjust as needed. If you find that you reach your goals faster than you had envisaged, it's also possible to set new goals. I myself have been a manager since I was 22 years old, and my opinion is that we should always set goals for our personal development. We will never be fully trained in management. New generations come along and our employees will always have different needs. Changes in office structure and technical solutions mean that we can work from places other than just the office. Changing the way you manage requires self-awareness, understanding the needs of others and a willingness to try new things. Goal setting helps us to stay focused and motivated.
