Goal Setting Isn't About Doing More. It's About Choosing Better
Leadership Goal Setting Isn't Broken – But How We Use It Often Is
It's January and we can all go a bit crazy at this time of year with resolutions, goals, things we'll change. I see it with clients every year. Brilliant leaders who add fifteen new priorities on top of an already full plate.
Business goals. Team goals. Personal goals. Stretch goals. SMART goals.
And by February, many leaders feel more overwhelmed than focused. We're tired, worn down and have quietly given up on all those great ideas.
Most leadership goals sound sensible.
"Be more strategic."
"Delegate better."
"Improve communication."
"Support the team more."
They're not wrong but they rarely change anything.
I see this constantly when working with leaders. They're capable, committed, and under pressure. They genuinely want to lead well. But their goals are vague, overloaded, or disconnected from how they actually spend their time.
They are juggling a million tasks and have little time to stop and think.
The problem isn't ambition.
It's focus.
The Leadership Goal-Setting Trap
Leadership pressure doesn't usually come from a lack of skill. It comes from too many competing priorities.
Leaders are expected to:
- Deliver results
- Support their team
- Manage performance
- Make decisions
- Keep things moving
- Fix problems as they arise
All at the same time.
So when it comes to goal setting, leaders often default to one of three traps:
🔄 Everything becomes a priority
When every leadership area feels important, focus gets diluted. Energy spreads thin. Decision-making slows. Firefighting increases.
📋 Goals stay theoretical
"Be a better leader" sounds positive, but what does it actually change on a Tuesday afternoon when your diary is full and your inbox is on fire?
⚡ Goals are added, not chosen
Leadership goals often get layered on top of an already overloaded role, rather than replacing something or sharpening focus.
The result is predictable:
Good intentions. Little behavioural change. Ongoing overwhelm.
Why More Motivation Isn't the Answer
When leaders feel stuck, the instinct is often to push harder.
More effort.
More hours.
More mental load.
But leadership effectiveness doesn't come from doing more. It comes from choosing better.
The leaders who create the biggest impact don't try to improve everything at once. They get very clear on where their leadership effort makes the biggest difference right now.
That clarity reduces noise.
It improves decision-making.
And it creates momentum.
What Effective Leadership Goal Setting Actually Looks Like
Strong leadership goals have three things in common:
🎯 They are specific and intentional
They focus on one leadership behaviour or dimension that will shift outcomes. Not a long list of improvements.
📊 They are grounded in reality
They reflect how time and energy are actually being spent, not how a leader wishes things looked.
🔁 They change behaviour, not just intent
They influence decisions, conversations, and priorities in day-to-day leadership. Not just annual objectives.
This is why effective leadership goal setting often starts with stepping back, not planning forward.
A Simple Leadership Reset
One of the most powerful things a leader can do is pause and ask:
- Where is my leadership energy really going?
- What am I reacting to, rather than choosing?
- Where would greater focus create the biggest impact?
When leaders take time to reflect across key leadership dimensions, patterns emerge quickly:
- Strengths they rely on too heavily
- Areas that are being neglected under pressure
- Behaviours that create unnecessary complexity
This isn't about judgement.
It's about clarity.
And clarity leads to better choices.
One Focus Beats Ten Goals
The most effective leadership goals are often surprisingly simple.
One clear focus.
One intentional shift.
One behaviour to strengthen over the next 30 days.
That might be:
- Being more deliberate about where time is spent
- Having one conversation you've been avoiding
- Letting go of work that doesn't need your involvement
- Rebalancing effort away from firefighting and back to leadership
When leaders choose one priority, they reduce overwhelm and increase impact at the same time. That focused effort translates directly to better team performance and stronger business results.
Three Questions for Leaders
If you're setting leadership goals this year, start here:
🪞 What feels most stretched right now?
Not what should matter – what actually feels heavy or scattered?
🎯 Where would better focus make the biggest difference?
To your team, your results, or your own capacity.
🔄 What is one leadership behaviour you could commit to changing for the next 30 days?
Not forever. Just long enough to create momentum.
The Reality Check
Leadership goal setting isn't about becoming a different person.
It's about leading with more intention and less noise.
The leaders who make the biggest progress aren't the most motivated.
They're the most focused.
Clarity doesn't come from trying harder.
It comes from choosing where your leadership effort really belongs.
Want support with your focus?
I've created a free Leadership Focus Reset to help you work through these questions properly.
It shares a clear leadership framework and guided reflection prompts. It takes around 30 minutes and will help you reset your priorities and choose one clear focus for the next 30 days.
Make a cuppa, grab a biscuit, and give yourself space to think.
Start the free Leadership Focus Reset here (click here)
If you'd like to assess your leadership skills more deeply, or build confidence in the areas you're currently avoiding, send me a DM.
Those are often the areas that unlock the biggest shift.
