WEBVTT

1
00:00:04.200 --> 00:00:06.960
<v Speaker 1>Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of

2
00:00:07.000 --> 00:00:11.119
<v Speaker 1>performance through strong human relations, team building, and Goala giving.

3
00:00:11.560 --> 00:00:14.960
<v Speaker 1>This is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host

4
00:00:15.279 --> 00:00:24.280
<v Speaker 1>Paul Fellovledo. Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute

5
00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:29.000
<v Speaker 1>Leadership Podcast. It's episode six point fifty nine. Today we're

6
00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:32.799
<v Speaker 1>talking about something every leader deals with the yet very

7
00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:38.159
<v Speaker 1>few leaders truly get right setting growth targets that people

8
00:00:38.679 --> 00:00:45.000
<v Speaker 1>actually chase. Every organization has targets, revenue targets, performance targets,

9
00:00:45.079 --> 00:00:50.719
<v Speaker 1>growth targets, strategic targets, and culture targets. Targets are everywhere.

10
00:00:51.439 --> 00:00:55.320
<v Speaker 1>Yet here's the problem. Most employees do not chase the

11
00:00:55.399 --> 00:01:00.000
<v Speaker 1>targets their leaders set. They tolerate them, they acknowledge them,

12
00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:06.400
<v Speaker 1>They sometimes even memorize them. They rarely pursue them with energy.

13
00:01:06.439 --> 00:01:09.840
<v Speaker 1>If your team is not chasing the target, the target

14
00:01:10.200 --> 00:01:14.879
<v Speaker 1>is meaningless. And the reason this happens is simple. Leaders

15
00:01:14.920 --> 00:01:18.640
<v Speaker 1>often set targets that look good on paper, but feel

16
00:01:19.239 --> 00:01:23.480
<v Speaker 1>disconnected from the people responsible for achieving them. Let me

17
00:01:23.519 --> 00:01:28.840
<v Speaker 1>explain this. Many leaders set growth targets from spreadsheets and

18
00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:33.680
<v Speaker 1>boardroom discussions. The numbers get approved, it goes into a presentation,

19
00:01:33.840 --> 00:01:37.280
<v Speaker 1>it becomes a slide. It gets announced during a meeting

20
00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:40.920
<v Speaker 1>and the team hears it. But hearing a target in

21
00:01:41.079 --> 00:01:45.640
<v Speaker 1>believing in a target are two completely different things. When

22
00:01:45.719 --> 00:01:50.120
<v Speaker 1>people believe in a target, they move toward it with urgency.

23
00:01:50.159 --> 00:01:53.719
<v Speaker 1>They talk about it, they measure their progress, They feel

24
00:01:53.719 --> 00:01:57.560
<v Speaker 1>a sense of ownership. When people do not believe in

25
00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:02.560
<v Speaker 1>the target, the goal becomes background noise. It becomes another

26
00:02:02.760 --> 00:02:07.359
<v Speaker 1>corporate buzzword floating around the building. So how do you

27
00:02:07.439 --> 00:02:13.120
<v Speaker 1>create targets that people actually chase? First, people need to

28
00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:17.719
<v Speaker 1>see themselves inside the target. If the goal feels like

29
00:02:17.759 --> 00:02:21.919
<v Speaker 1>it belongs to leadership, only nobody runs toward it. The

30
00:02:21.960 --> 00:02:27.560
<v Speaker 1>best growth targets connect directly to the work people perform

31
00:02:27.800 --> 00:02:31.400
<v Speaker 1>every day. The employees should be able to look at

32
00:02:31.400 --> 00:02:33.960
<v Speaker 1>the goal and say, I know exactly how my effort

33
00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:38.520
<v Speaker 1>moves that number. If the goal feels distant or abstract,

34
00:02:38.719 --> 00:02:46.479
<v Speaker 1>motivation collapses. Second, targets must feel achievable but demanding. And

35
00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:49.520
<v Speaker 1>this is a delicate balance. If a target is too easy,

36
00:02:49.680 --> 00:02:52.719
<v Speaker 1>nobody feels pride when they hit it. It becomes routine.

37
00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:57.840
<v Speaker 1>It does not inspire effort. If a target feels impossible,

38
00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:01.879
<v Speaker 1>people quietly disengage. They go through the motions because they

39
00:03:01.919 --> 00:03:06.479
<v Speaker 1>believe the outcome is already decided. Great leaders set goals

40
00:03:06.520 --> 00:03:10.680
<v Speaker 1>that stretch the team without breaking their belief. Think of

41
00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:15.479
<v Speaker 1>it like this. The target should feel uncomfortable but reachable.

42
00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:19.919
<v Speaker 1>It should push people to improve their skills, tighten their focus,

43
00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:26.039
<v Speaker 1>and work together with intention. Third, people chase targets they

44
00:03:26.039 --> 00:03:30.879
<v Speaker 1>can see. Leaders often announce goals once, then disappear back

45
00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:37.240
<v Speaker 1>into operational work. Weeks pass, months pass. Suddenly someone asks

46
00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:39.520
<v Speaker 1>during a meeting, how are we doing on the goal?

47
00:03:40.240 --> 00:03:45.960
<v Speaker 1>In silence, nobody knows. If a target disappears from daily conversation,

48
00:03:46.120 --> 00:03:50.479
<v Speaker 1>it disappears from daily effort. Leaders must keep the target

49
00:03:50.560 --> 00:03:56.879
<v Speaker 1>visible post progress, talk about the numbers, celebrate movement, highlight improvements.

50
00:03:57.479 --> 00:04:04.199
<v Speaker 1>Visibility creates momentum, and moment them creates belief. Fourth, progress

51
00:04:04.240 --> 00:04:09.280
<v Speaker 1>matters more than perfection. One of the biggest leadership mistakes

52
00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:12.520
<v Speaker 1>is waiting until the finish line to recognize effort. When

53
00:04:12.599 --> 00:04:16.639
<v Speaker 1>people are working toward a difficult target, they need proof

54
00:04:16.680 --> 00:04:22.040
<v Speaker 1>that their effort is producing results. Even small improvements build confidence.

55
00:04:22.360 --> 00:04:26.839
<v Speaker 1>Imagine two teams. One team here's about a target once

56
00:04:26.879 --> 00:04:30.240
<v Speaker 1>a quarter. The other team tracks their progress every week.

57
00:04:30.319 --> 00:04:33.839
<v Speaker 1>They see the needle move they watch their effort produce

58
00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:37.959
<v Speaker 1>visible results. Which team will chase the goal harder, The

59
00:04:37.959 --> 00:04:43.040
<v Speaker 1>one that can see progress. Progress fuels motivation, and finally,

60
00:04:43.480 --> 00:04:49.560
<v Speaker 1>the most important point, People chase targets that feel meaningful.

61
00:04:49.680 --> 00:04:53.399
<v Speaker 1>This is where many leaders miss the mark. Numbers alone

62
00:04:53.560 --> 00:04:58.600
<v Speaker 1>rarely motivate people. Purpose motivates people. If the growth target

63
00:04:58.639 --> 00:05:03.160
<v Speaker 1>only benefits the organization, employees feel like they're working harder

64
00:05:03.199 --> 00:05:08.079
<v Speaker 1>for someone else's scoreboard. When the target connects to something meaningful,

65
00:05:08.360 --> 00:05:12.680
<v Speaker 1>everything changes. Maybe it improves the customer experience, Maybe it

66
00:05:12.759 --> 00:05:16.959
<v Speaker 1>strengthens job security. Maybe it expands opportunities for the team.

67
00:05:17.639 --> 00:05:21.439
<v Speaker 1>Maybe it creates pride in the work. When leaders explain

68
00:05:21.800 --> 00:05:25.199
<v Speaker 1>why the target matters, the number becomes a mission and

69
00:05:25.360 --> 00:05:30.319
<v Speaker 1>people chase the mission. Here is a simple leadership exercise

70
00:05:30.399 --> 00:05:34.720
<v Speaker 1>you can try this week. Take one growth target inside

71
00:05:34.759 --> 00:05:38.920
<v Speaker 1>your organization and ask three questions. Do people understand it?

72
00:05:39.560 --> 00:05:43.639
<v Speaker 1>Do people see how they influence it? Do people care

73
00:05:43.720 --> 00:05:47.360
<v Speaker 1>about it? If the answer to any of those questions

74
00:05:47.439 --> 00:05:51.360
<v Speaker 1>is no, the target needs work because the best growth

75
00:05:51.399 --> 00:05:55.759
<v Speaker 1>targets do not live inside spreadsheets. They live inside people.

76
00:05:55.800 --> 00:06:00.680
<v Speaker 1>They live in conversations, daily decisions, and shared beliefs. When

77
00:06:00.759 --> 00:06:04.839
<v Speaker 1>leaders create targets that people understand, believe in, and see

78
00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:10.519
<v Speaker 1>progress towards something powerful happens. People stop waiting for direction.

79
00:06:10.639 --> 00:06:13.680
<v Speaker 1>They start moving toward the goal on their own, and

80
00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:17.639
<v Speaker 1>that is when leadership shifts from pushing people forward to

81
00:06:17.800 --> 00:06:24.439
<v Speaker 1>watching them run. So targets are not supposed to sit

82
00:06:24.879 --> 00:06:28.360
<v Speaker 1>on a slide deck. They are supposed to create motion.

83
00:06:28.759 --> 00:06:34.360
<v Speaker 1>If you want people to chase growth, make the target clear, visible, meaningful,

84
00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:38.160
<v Speaker 1>and connected to their work. When the team believes the

85
00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:41.480
<v Speaker 1>finish line matters, you will not need to push them,

86
00:06:41.720 --> 00:06:44.879
<v Speaker 1>they will already be running. And if you want more

87
00:06:45.079 --> 00:06:48.639
<v Speaker 1>free leadership resources, head over to Paul fallavalido dot com

88
00:06:48.680 --> 00:06:51.600
<v Speaker 1>and click on free Stuff. I have over twenty five

89
00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:56.079
<v Speaker 1>free leadership documents you can download and start using today.

90
00:06:56.160 --> 00:06:59.759
<v Speaker 1>This has been the seven minute leadership podcast and I

91
00:06:59.800 --> 00:07:02.360
<v Speaker 1>think thank you for listening. For more Paul Fell of

92
00:07:02.360 --> 00:07:05.680
<v Speaker 1>Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot com