In his book, EntreLeadership, Dave Ramsey (2011) shares how, “Goals are visions and dreams with work clothes on.” He goes on to observe how goals force practical steps into our lives which make our dreams come true. Goals help make great leaders, teams and organizations. Essentially, goals convert vision into energy, motion, excitement – ACTION!!
In the previous blog, Leadership Occurs In Groups, we note that leadership requires more than one person. In order to lead, someone must be following, this is not a permanent state of being as the mark of a truly great leader is that they will develop more leaders, not more followers.
Understanding that leaders have groups and that they lead these groups towards common goals, thus creating teams. Leaders ensure teams achieve big common goals by first recognizing their support to their teams is vital. Teams must feel and see their leader’s commitment in everything they do. Words are not enough, goals are about ACTION!! Second, leaders must ensure their teams receive adequate training and coaching support so the learn how to operate effectively! Just assigning someone to a team does not make them a an active, productive member of that team. Training is one part – it expands the team’s perspective on its roles, and builds cohesion from the shared experience. Coaching ‘gels’ the team together by facilitating the building of a shared vision, mission and goals unique to the specific team. Coaching also helps teams gain clarity on not just their role but how their team unit fits and aligns directly with the overall organization mission and objectives (Taplin, Foster and Shortell, 2013).
Shared goals create unity. Leaders inspire their teams to think and dream bigger – to act in ways that far exceed their own expectations. In doing this, the team witnesses the power of goal setting. Team members, start developing their own personal goals. They start planning. They develop their own visions, missions and dreams and thus future leaders are born!
References:
Ramsey, D. (2011). EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches. New York: Howard Books.
Taplin, S.H., Foster, M.K., Shortell, S.M. (2013). Organizational Leadership For Building Effective Healthcare Teams. Annals of Family Medicine. 11(30). pp. 279 – 281.