Last week I was assigned the task of cutting down a small tree. This task seemed reasonable as I am the proud owner of two chainsaws, three axes, and two hand saws. I decided to start with my trusty chainsaw. The chainsaw provides two key benefits when cutting down a tree. First, it is fast and less tiresome than an ax or saw. Second, it makes a loud engine noise which is, of course, very cool.

If you have ever used a chainsaw, you know they are great when they work. When they don’t work, well, you spend a frustrating amount of time on chainsaw repair. There are two areas of common failure with a chainsaw, the engine doesn’t run, or the chain will not stay on the bar. On this day, I was experiencing both issues. After spending a couple of hours on the repair project, the chainsaw engine was running again, and the chain seemed to be staying in place.

I placed the chainsaw on the shelf in the garage while thinking that I forgot something. I had spent so much time, energy and focus on repairing the chainsaw; I forgot about cutting down the tree. My objective became skewed and eventually lost in the morass of chainsaw repair misery. Upon recalling my goal, I managed to cut down the tree with my reinvigorated chainsaw. It took me all of 20 minutes to cut the tree down and chop it into manageable pieces.

I clearly lost track of my objective. In my defense, I don’t think there was a faster way for me to cut down the tree, unless I borrowed a chainsaw or called a tree service. What causes us to lose sight of our objective?

  • No objective
  • Misguided objective
  • Distractions
  • Inability to remained focused

I believe clear objectives are essential, especially for a group of people. Providing clear and meaningful objectives is the job of a leader. When I was part of the corporate world, I obsessed over objectives. Given the rapid market and technology changes, I felt it was important to stay focused on a meaningful set of objectives.

As a freshly minted manager, I failed to understand the importance of setting objectives. Things were moving so fast in our business, I didn’t have time for objectives. The phrase “I don’t have time for objectives” indicates a looming leadership issue and certain problems for the team. After a few months of being “too busy” for objectives, I found several folks on my team working on tasks I did not deem important. I realized the reason for this situation was I never told my team what was important. You know, by setting objectives.

A leader is responsible for setting the course, or objective, for their team. Without clear objectives, a team is certain to flounder. While establishing and communicating objectives is important, it is also essential to sustain consistent objectives for a reasonable amount of time. Shown below is a list of key components of good team objectives. Objectives should be:

  • Tied to the business, specifically, how the company makes money
  • In concert with the objectives of ancillary teams
  • Clearly and consistently communicated to team members, senior management, and other groups
  • Easily tied to all activities of the group
  • Concise enough to be easily remembered

While objectives should not change very often, they should be adjusted to the dynamics of the business. Objectives aren’t just for the corporate world. Since my retirement, I have found quality objectives to be essential in volunteer work. Effectively leading a volunteer organization can be more difficult than a corporate group. I am planning a future blog article on effectively leading a volunteer organization. Obviously, retirement is a different life than going to work every day. I have found setting personal objectives to be very helpful in achieving goals and staying motivated.

Do you want to be a more effective leader? Spend the time necessary to develop impactful objectives. You always have time to set objectives!

Make the Most of this Day!