The initial weeks of a new year are a good time to reflect and recalibrate for the year ahead. For leaders, this often means setting new leadership development goals. While this is a worthy activity, some goals pack more punch than others when it comes to seeing measurable improvements in your leadership competencies. The key is to be strategic and focus your energy on areas and capabilities that will have the biggest impact.
Effective leadership goals are often tailored to the individual and relevant to the organisation, however, there are a few common ones that every leader could benefit from. These four high-yield leadership goals will challenge and inspire you in the coming months.
1. Be More Strategic
Strategic thinking allows you to understand the big picture from a business perspective. As a leader, it’s easy to get absorbed in the everyday tasks of the business, but it’s important to periodically take a step back and reflect on the “why” of objectives, not just the “how.” A tactical approach is what allows you to move beyond just setting targets to achieve real organisational transformation.
2. Delegate More, Micromanage Less
While it’s a sticking point for many leaders, delegation allows you to focus your efforts on the areas that are most important, such as strategic decision making and people leadership. Not only that, but it also helps to empower your team members. give them autonomy, build creativity and communication skills and encourage their professional growth.
Effective delegation is about understanding why you’re delegating, assigning the right tasks to the right people, and clearly communicating around needs and expectations. At the same time, it’s also important to be flexible and allow people to tackle tasks in their own way, rather than micromanaging the work and potentially retarding the development of your team.
3. Cultivate Your Virtual Identity
With the surge in remote work and geographically dispersed teams, the use of tools such as Zoom has become increasingly popular in the business world. However, lagging internet connections, “Zoom fatigue” and the limitations of the technology can disrupt communication, impact engagement and make it hard for leaders to truly connect with their people.
While technology will never replace face-to-face conversations, there are things you can do to improve your virtual communications. By focusing on composure, immediacy and responsiveness when creating your digital persona, you can strengthen the connectivity between you and your team and make it easier to get your meaning across.
4. Nurture Innovation
In today’s uncertain and rapidly-evolving business landscape, good leaders know that innovation is key to survival. But what is the best way to foster a climate of innovation within organisations? Leading innovation successfully is about creating alignment, setting direction and building commitment throughout the business. 
Now, Write Them Down
While identifying and setting high-yield goals is an important first step, the follow-through is where many goal-setters fall short. Research shows that writing down your goals, committing to action steps and seeking support and accountability can significantly increase your chances of accomplishing your objectives.
A study conducted by Dr Gail Matthews, Psychology Professor at the Dominican University of California, found that 76% of participants who wrote down their goals, determined next steps and provided regular progress updates to a friend successfully achieved their goals, compared to just 43% of those whose targets went unwritten.
By taking the time to record your aims, create a plan and develop a support system, you can ensure that your goals guide you on the path to becoming a better leader in the long term.
Whatever your goals are for this year, our team of recruitment specialists at First People Recruitment Solutions is here to help. Reach out to us today to learn more about our career management services and find out about the job opportunities and high-quality talent we have available across Australia.
