What’s holding you back from setting exciting leadership goals?

It can be challenging at times when you want to progress your career and step into your next level of leadership, yet it feels like nothing good is happening.

However driven and hard-working you are, sometimes you can feel completely stuck and not sure what to do next for the best. Especially if you’re working for a boss or an organisation that doesn’t recognise or value your skills, contributions or your desire to progress further.

If this is you and you feel like you’re going nowhere, then taking a step back can help.

In this month’s Leadership Confidential Newsletter, I’ll be exploring some of the barriers that might be preventing you from making the headway you want.

Let’s help you to answer the question:

 “What’s holding you back from achieving your leadership goals?”

Goal setting and your leadership career

We all know how important goal setting is when it comes to advancing your leadership career. In fact, it’s not just recommended practice, it’s pretty crucial for your success.

Goal setting (when it’s done well!) gives you direction, motivation and focus. It helps you to track your progress and gives you a sense of achievement.

Crucially, it helps drive your continuous learning and professional development.

So, if it’s a good thing what stops us from using it more, as an effective tool to support our leadership success?

What inhibits us setting “big and exciting” leadership goals?

Fear of Failure

You can pretty much guarantee that when you are feeling resistant to doing something new or making a change, or procrastinating, it’s usually because you’re scared of failing.

Fear of failure is powerful in that it can completely limit your success if you let it.

It can prevent you from taking risks, trying new things, or even being ambitious.

We've all failed at different points, so much so that to prevent it happening again we do nothing. Therefore we stay as we are.

This means we remain in exactly the same place . And, even worse, we don’t have the confidence to try again.

Something needs to change.

In order to get yourself moving, and to keep moving you have to think about the learning opportunities that come with failure. Think “that didn’t work but there’s not only one way to do something to achieve results.”

Try again a little differently and see what happens.

Confidence comes from action, from taking a risk, stepping out of your comfort zone and getting out there.

The biggest learning and growth can come from your setbacks.

This means when it comes to goal setting, don’t think about the possibility of failure or ‘what ifs’. Keep your focus on the benefits you want to gain.

Lack of confidence

A lack of confidence can feel almost as paralysing as a fear of failure. Without it you might struggle to motivate others, feel hesitant or indecisive. Essentially, it can stop you from taking opportunities when they arise or even expressing your ideas and viewpoints when it matters.

Confidence is a leadership quality everyone is striving to gain and improve.

So what are some of the ways you can build yours?

Don’t compare yourself to others. Focus on your own strengths and accomplishments.

Set goals that align with your leadership aspirations, not what someone else is doing, or that you think you should be doing.

Working towards the success you really want is an essential part of your leadership development and will give you the confidence and inspiration to keep going.

Finally, surround yourself with the people who believe in you and don’t judge your choices.

When it comes to setting your goals and aspirations knowing you have the support of people who want the best for you makes a difference along the way. They’ll be the ones who will be happy to see you succeed and celebrate with you when you get there.

Lack of self-awareness

One of the most powerful leadership qualities is self-awareness. Without it you might be unable to recognise your strengths, skills, values, and behaviours or areas to develop and what you need to do to improve.

The first step in raising awareness is to reflect on the key leadership qualities you have. You might be:

● an excellent communicator

● good at decision making

● have an optimistic mindset.

You can find out more of the qualities that make a great leader in my previous blog, “what makes a great leader”.

Take time to reflect on your leadership style.

Are you a leader who advocates and encourages others?

Are you an action taker or a thinker when it comes to problem solving?

Are you able to stand up for your beliefs and make difficult decisions?

If you’re not sure, then seek feedback from trusted colleagues and close friends who know you well. They can help you reflect on the great qualities you have that have helped you get where you are today.

Use this and their support to more accurately plan out what you want next, when setting those leadership goals.

Work life balance

The fear of getting this balance wrong stops so many leaders from setting big goals, let alone achieving them.

Work-life balance is the holy grail in the workplace today, particularly when it comes to achieving leadership success.

It can feel overwhelming to meet the needs and expectations of everyone around you, as well as those you set yourself.

It’s a continuous balancing act. For women especially, there is the pressure of feeling you need to excel at both work and at home.

Finding a balance that works for you starts with setting (and maintaining) your boundaries, managing your time and delegating more than you feel comfortable with.

Only once you feel like you have both the practical and mental headspace, only then will you be able to take time to focus on what you want.

Then, you can start to think about your aspirations, and which goals to strive for, to help you get there.

If you have advocates or mentors, either at work or home, ask them to support you to manage your time so you can get that space to plan what you want, and get the space for you to make it happen.

Setting big exciting goals - what can you do next?

As a female leader, you have the power to overcome these challenges.

You can achieve your biggest, most exciting leadership goals in 2024.

Your unique perspective, skills, and strengths are invaluable assets that can drive the positive change and leadership success you want to achieve.

The world needs more female leaders who believe in themselves, strive for continuous growth, and don't let anything hold them back.

Leadership is a journey and goal setting is one of the key tools to help you to succeed; with a positive mindset and support in your corner, you can overcome any obstacles and achieve your leadership aspirations.

If you want that support and you want to plan for success in 2024, get in touch. Message me or email jackie@jackiebooth.co.uk

Together, we can tackle what is holding you back and identify what you really want...