Why is it important to set definable objectives in business? Essay

The vision you have as a leader needs to inspire your employees and give them some kind of direction on how your business plans to act and give them purpose. Growing your business to the full potential requires goal setting and a mutual vision among leaders from all departments within the company. Senior leaders from all departments will bring a vision for an entire organization, while managers will focus on a vision that they have for a specific department. It is extremely important to the achievement of an organization for managers to set goals for their department that matches the organizations vision.
A vision invented by senior leaders of an organization is often carried out by goals that are set by managers, and achieved through the work of their employees. In the reading, Clark (1997) states the six steps to goal setting vision, goals, objectives, tasks, timeline, and follow up. Once an organization has developed a vision, goals should be established in order to reach the final destination (The importance of vision, 2007). Unlike goals, "definable objectives provide a way of measuring the movement towards vision achievement" (Clark, 1997, para. 12). The fourth step, tasks, should be assigned to individuals or a group that will assist in achieving defined objectives. It is also important that tasks must be completed in a timely manner, so a manager has to provide an adequate and achievable timeline. Once these are thoroughly defined, it is the responsibility of the manager "to see the matter through to a successful conclusion" (Clark, 1997, para. 15).
Throughout the process, managers must possess qualities that deemed them effective leaders. One of the most important concepts for a manager is to adequately supervise the process (Clark, 1997). By assessing every step of the process and distrusting employee's judgment, a micro-manager can have a negative impact on the team. If a manager under-supervises, it will "lead to miscommunication, lack of coordination, and the perception by subordinates that the leader does not care (Clark, 1997, para. 17)."
In order to support vision and goal setting in an organization, a leader must inspire, train, and coach their employees. Most employees want to give their best at their workplace, and as a leader it is important to create opportunities to challenge individuals to develop them to their true potential. Coaching and training, although different in nature, are closely related. If an employee is new to a process, the leader must first provide the knowledge and skill set required to complete the task. Once proper training has been provided, the leader is responsible for coaching the individual in order to "gain greater competence and to overcome barriers so as to improve job performance (Clark, 1997, para. 25)."
A leader needs to understand the power that they hold over their subordinates. An essential part of leadership or management is to influence the team so they perform to expectation. The influence of a leader depends on a variety of factors including their personality and of those around them.