Setting Objectives

Setting objectives, how to create focus, motivation, and results. This is what we're going to be talking about today on how to lead the podcast for CEOs, founders, and leaders who want that perfect balance of authority and empathy. I'm Kate Waterfall Hill, and I'm going to be sharing some more ideas from over 30 years of working in business and leadership development.

But before we kick off, don't forget to check out my book, How to Lead or my group, team or one-to-one coaching services at waterfallhill.co.uk places are strictly limited and often sell out each month. So please do book now to avoid disappointment for yourself or your team.

Today's episode, as I said, all about setting objectives, the kind that actually leads to better results, more confident leadership, and fewer awkward annual appraisals. Because let's face it, if you've ever left a goal setting meeting, wondering what you just agreed to. Or been on the receiving end of one of those vague, be more strategic objectives. You're not alone. In this episode, I want to give you clear, practical, and slightly less soul-destroying way to set objectives for yourself and your team.

But first, as always, let's check in with Linda our favourite leadership lesson on what not to do.

“Right then, Jason, your development goal this quarter is to be more strategic. Think big picture, helicopter view, not just doing thinking. How will we measure that? Uh, good question, but we'll, we'll know it when we feel it. Yeah. Yeah. And also increase your visibility, but not in a needy way. You know, don't outshine me, obviously, and lead more without stepping on anybody's toes and without any authority or responsibility actually announced to anyone else.

Perfect. Let's touch base in six months and see how you've evolved strategically.”

Uh, do you get the idea that Linda doesn't really know how to be strategic either? Hmm. She needs to check the How to Lead episode about strategic thinking, perhaps, but let's talk about how to avoid becoming Linda when it comes to setting objectives. Objectives really do matter more than you think. We've all been through the motions of setting goals. Some people love them. Others would rather laminate their to-do list and call it a day. But good objectives do three really important things. Firstly, they create clarity and focus. Secondly, they build motivation and engagement. And thirdly, really importantly, they give you a way to measure progress. And then celebrate success, always a good idea. Without objectives, your leadership becomes a bit reactive. You're constantly busy, but not always moving forward. If you think of clear objectives like a sharp archer's target, if it's blurry, you'll probably still hit something, but you won't know if it was the right thing.

Focus goals help you cut through the noise, avoid getting distracted, and that ever present temptation to just reply to emails all day long. They also tap into people's motivation. When someone understands how their work contributes to something bigger, they tend to care more like that.

Janitor Nasa, I always talk about, I'm helping put a man on the moon. He said, not I'm sweeping the floor. A good objective changes the way someone sees their role. And finally they give you a benchmark, something to track, measure, and also use to course correct because progress fuels momentum but only if you know what you're measuring against.

There are lots of different types of objectives and It might be helpful for me to run through some of those and when to use each one because not all goals are created equal. Depending on your role, your team, and your priorities, you might need a mix of these. So short term and long-term objectives, personal and team objectives, performance and development objectives.

Let's run through those one by one. So short versus long term. Pretty obvious, but you want short term goals to be the stepping stones. What needs to happen this week or even in the next 90 days. And then long-term goals are the vision, where you're hoping to get to over the next 12 months, three years, or maybe even longer.

If you're only setting short-term goals, you risk losing sight of the bigger picture. But if you're only set long-term goals, you never build the momentum, so you do need both.

Then personal versus team objectives. Personal objectives really help each individual grow and improve. Team objectives align everyone around a shared outcome. So let's say you are leading a product team. One person might set a personal goal to learn a new analytics tool, for instance, but your team objective could be to reduce customer churn by 10%.

That's something that requires everybody's input and everyone can get behind and share that goal. Then you've got performance versus development. So performance goals are about what you achieve, the results, the numbers, the outcomes. Often for salespeople, they're about hitting sales targets, but development goals are about how you grow.

The skills you build, the habits you change, the strengths you develop, and a high performing team has both. If you're only chasing numbers, people tend to burn out. If you're only focused on development, you sort of miss the point of having a job.

Here's a quick summary of the classic way of doing objectives, smart goals. You know, you need to have a bit of common sense when it comes to this because smart goals have been around forever, but there's a reason they're still being used. They're not just catchy, they actually work when done well.

Anyway, so SMART stands for if you don't know specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time bound. Let's take each one in turn. So let's start with specific. We need to be clear when we set objectives, just saying something like improve communication, or like Linda says, be more strategic isn't specific enough.

So for communication issues, you might want to say something like, hold fortnightly, one-to-ones with all your team members. That's specific.

Then moving to measurable, you need a way to know if you're on the right track. So just saying get better at presenting isn't really helpful, but specifying deliver two external presentations this quarter and ask for feedback, gives you something to measure.

Then A is for achievable. It should stretch you or the person you're giving the objective to, but not break them. Don't set people up to fail.

Relevant. Make sure it links to what actually matters for the individual and also for the team and the organization at large. And then time bound. It's really important to have a deadline. Otherwise, it's just a dream with no pressure. One word of caution though, don't let smart goals become box ticking exercises.

If someone's heart isn't in the goal, it won't matter how specific or measurable it is.

There are loads of other frameworks that you could use. Smart's not the only option. And these approaches can also be really useful, especially when you're working with different personalities or team cultures. So we've got hard goals, HARD, heartfelt, animated, required, and difficult.

These are goals that tap into emotion and ambition. They're often big, bold, and personal. Like reducing plastic use across your product range because sustainability genuinely matters to you. another option is Clear Goals, collaborative, limited emotional appreciable refinable.

This model works well in agile environments. It's designed for goals that need to adapt as you go, and focuses on team input and small wins along the way.

Then we've got whoop wish outcome, obstacle plan. This one's great for behavioural change. You start with a wish. You visualize the outcome, name the obstacle, and then plan for it. It's more reflective and psychological, I suppose. Great for coaching conversations,

And then OKRs, you've probably heard of these objectives and key results popular in tech OKRs pair a bold objective with three to five measurable key results. It's about aligning teams being transparent and tracking what matters. So think, delight our customers as the objective with the measurable results, like reduced response time to under 12 hours.

I now suggest you use the framework that fits your context. It doesn't matter which acronym you choose, or even if you make up your own one. What matters is that the goal is clear, meaningful, and motivating.

Now, even with the best intentions, leaders often fall into a few classic traps when setting objectives, first, one being too vague. You'd be amazed how many goals start with, be better at, and then go nowhere. vague goals. Lead to vague outcomes and clarity is always kindness.

Secondly, setting too many goals. you're not trying to write a shopping list. Too many goals leads to overwhelm and nothing gets done. So pick the critical few. What would make the biggest difference?

The other trap that managers often fall into is focusing only on performance. If your goals are always about output, you'll miss the opportunity to build capability and help with development.

Then you need to make sure that the goals actually connect to your strategy, your team's workload, the company's priorities. It's demoralizing to work hard on something that turns out to be irrelevant, so make sure you check alignment between the goals and what you actually want to achieve.

And then the last misstep that we often make is forgetting to review. Because objectives aren't just, you know, a set and forget type thing. You need to check in regularly. What's working, what's changed, what needs tweaking, how can I support you without getting in the way?

The other question I often hear in coaching is, how do I actually decide what to set as an objective? And I would encourage people to involve their team in the process because if you want your team to feel ownership over the goals rather than just compliance, it's important to involve them in setting them.

So just start with the conversation. What are their aspirations? Their frustrations, their strengths? Then have a discussion and try to agree on some shared priorities. What do they need to deliver? What do they want to develop? And then offer your support. If you've got resources to offer training, feedback, give them your time, whatever they need to succeed, and then keep checking in.

Don't wait until the end of the quarter. Regular conversations build trust and momentum. People support what they help create. So involve them early and keep them involved. They're much more likely to be invested in the outcome If they've had a part in creating the goal in the first place.

And what about you? It's important that you also have your own objectives. As a leader. It's very easy to focus all your energy on your team's development and sometimes forget your own, but your leadership needs structure too.

Here are a few reflection questions to help you reset your own goals. What would success look like for you this year? What would you like to be proud of?

Where do you need to grow in skill, confidence, or mindset, and what will make work more fulfilling or sustainable for you? And then ask, what's the one objective that would make the biggest difference to your leadership right now? and if you can make your own objective, smart or hard, or clear, whatever it is, just make it yours.

So what can you do straight away? Here's what I suggest. Reflect on your current goals. Do they excite you or bore you? Pick one objective that really matters for you or your team, and then choose a framework, whether it's smart OKRs, whatever you want, and then flesh it out properly. Talk to your team, have an open conversation about goals and expectations, and then make sure you block time in your calendar for a monthly review.

So the goals, stay live, not lost in a draw, only to be referred to at the end of the year. Review. Some people only set objectives at the annual review, but that's not necessarily the only way to do it. You can keep reviewing, resetting, realigning your objectives all throughout the year. If you don't have any at the moment. Don't wait till the end of year review to decide to do objectives.

Do it now. There's no time like the present. So setting objectives doesn't have to be corporate waffle or admin for hr. Done well. Objectives give people direction, purpose and energy. They help you make decisions faster, focus your time better, and lead with more confidence. So next time you sit down to write a goal or review someone else's ask, is it clear?

Is it meaningful? Is it achievable? And most importantly, does it matter? If the answer's yes, then you're already halfway there.

That's all for today's episode of How to Lead. Until next time, don't forget that the best way to avoid being like Linda is to lead with clarity, care, and curiosity. If you've enjoyed this episode, do follow for more leadership insights. And if you'd like my personal support, take a look at my website, waterfall hill.co.uk.

You'll find more information there about all my coaching services as well as my book. There's never a better time to take your professional development seriously than right now. I'd be delighted if you could like leave a review and share with your fellow leaders to help spread the word about the How to Lead podcast.

The best leaders are clear on the vision, care about their people, and approach interactions with curiosity, not judgment. Until next time, thanks for listening.