Unlocking Team Potential: How Great Leaders Help Teams Choose Better Goals
As a leader or business owner, you know it is critical to help your team grow, improve, and hit key milestones. One of the most common ways to achieve this is by setting clear goals.
But here's a somewhat counterintuitive idea: one of the most valuable skills you can develop as a leader is not simply helping your team set goals but helping them outline better alternatives for potential goals.
Why? Because nothing has a greater impact on determining the best goal than the process of coming up with great options.
The Power of Great Options
If you believe that clear goals are critical for personal growth and the success of your business, then you should also recognize that the process of choosing those goals is just as important. A team member who is equipped and challenged to come up with a handful of well-thought-out options is far more likely to choose a goal that drives real growth, for themselves and for the organization than one picking one out of thin air.
Here are five reasons why you, as a leader, should focus more on helping your team create and outline options rather than directly choosing a goal for them:
1. Clear Options Help Define What to Say "No" To
Every time we say "yes" to a goal, we're saying "no" to other potential goals or opportunities. Great options help team members—and leaders—see the trade-offs clearly. By having multiple options, it becomes easier to identify what truly matters.
2. Options Highlight Prioritization and Values
When a team member outlines their options, they are forced to reflect on what matters most to them and the business. They must weigh the potential outcomes and think through the challenges. As a leader, your role is to guide this process, helping them understand how their priorities align with the bigger picture.
3. Options Encourage an Ownership Mindset
When team members have the opportunity to weigh multiple alternatives, they start to think more like owners rather than just employees. They engage more deeply with the decision-making process and are more committed to the outcome. For you as a leader, this means building a team that is more invested in their work and the success of the business.
4. Options Combat Recency Bias
It's easy to get caught up in the most immediate or urgent ideas when choosing a goal. Recency bias can cloud judgment, causing team members to focus only on recent challenges or opportunities instead of considering long-term growth. By helping your team develop options, you give them the chance to gain perspective, making better, more balanced decisions.
5. Options Expand Creativity and Possibility
When team members are encouraged to explore multiple paths, it opens up the potential for creative solutions and growth. It’s not just about choosing the obvious or most convenient goal. By presenting a variety of alternatives, you’re pressing them to think outside the box, which often leads to more innovative and impactful outcomes.
The Bottom Line for Leaders
As leaders, it's tempting to feel that we need to help our team members set clear, defined goals as quickly as possible. But the truth is, helping them outline great options is a far more valuable process.
With clear alternatives, they can make better, more informed decisions about their goals—decisions that will not only drive their growth but also the success of your business.
The next time you're guiding a team member in their development, remember: the real magic isn’t just in the goal they choose. It’s in the options they create that get them there.
Stay Tuned for Next Week
Next week, I’ll show you the simplest way I’ve found to help anyone highlight five potential goals in less than ten minutes. You won’t want to miss this practical, time-saving approach to goal-setting!
