Darkness drowned my senses. I wanted to restore my eyesight and reveal the light. But I couldn’t. I stumbled into a tree and then veered to the left and hit the wall. I was truly blind. I sat down on the verge of panic, not being able to see. I wasn’t going anywhere until the 15 minutes were up. And then the trainer removed my blindfold.

How did you feel he asked?
‘Lost, disorientated, and not knowing the path’ I said.
I felt relieved that it was a simple training exercise designed to bring out the need for goals and direction.
Is this how most employees feel when they don’t know what they are supposed to be doing or why? When they don’t know the goals?

A Vision lends direction and meaning to people’s work. The word vision stems from the ability to see. It is critical that employees know where they are heading, what the direction is and why they are heading there.
When people don’t know where they are heading to, they feel like I did, helpless and lost. What’s the impact on their ability to work effectively innovate and add value?

One of the Leaders most important competencies is to set the direction and help formulate the strategy and goals for the company. With a clear direction known to everybody the team is aligned and wastage of people doing things that don’t meet the goals should be lessened.

The Leader should help formulate a vision for the organisation or department.
A well formulated vision has the following characteristics:
• It inspires
• It is meaningful to everybody
• Is well communicated
• It drives decision-making
• It sets direction

A Vision is a medium to long-term goal (normally 3-5 years).
One of the best known ways of checking how accurate your vision and goals are is to apply the S.M.A.R.T.E.R. criteria:

Is it:
 Specific- Have I specified exactly what I want?
 Measurable-How will I know if I have achieved it?
 Agreed-Whose support do I need?
 Realistic-How realistic is it at this point in time?
 Time-based-When’s my deadline?
 Exciting- How can I make it exciting enough to overcome resistance?
 Rewarding-How can I reward myself when I achieve it?

So say you want to be healthy. How will you know if you have achieved that goal? If you apply the formula you can quantify it and make far more likely that it will be achieved.

Specific- I want to lose weight and run every day
Measurable- I want to lose 10 kg and run 6 km
Agreed- I need to gain the support of my wife (especially in me dieting)
Realistic-For my age it’s more achievable if I make it 5 kg and 4 km
Time-based- by November 15th (0.5kg per week)
Exciting- I will feel and look much better
Rewarding- I get to wear far more exciting clothes, be able to perform better at work and play more sports

The skill of setting goals is to apply it at all levels of performance (e.g. soft management skill like emotional intelligence).
Setting the Vision and cascading it down to individual goals and enabling the communication and sharing is vital for the motivation of people and performance of the organisation.
It is perhaps the most critical thing a leader does.