Whose Goals Are We Really Pursuing?

Leaders often suggest development opportunities and then treat them as goals without asking what the employee wants. This article explores how to build growth plans with employees, not for them.

As leaders, we often tell employees that we want to help them grow. We suggest developmental opportunities such as taking on a new project, completing a certification, pursuing additional training, or preparing for a future position within the organization.

The problem is that after making these suggestions, we sometimes begin treating them as goals without ever asking whether they are goals the employee actually wants to pursue.

Are those goals our goals or their goals?

Recently, I attended a networking event where a conversation centered around a CEO who had spent considerable time preparing an employee to eventually take over his position. He invested in her development, provided opportunities to learn the organization, and intentionally exposed her to leadership experiences.

There was only one problem.

He had never actually told her that he hoped she would become the next CEO. More importantly, he had never asked whether she wanted the position.

Both individuals were frustrated. The CEO could not understand why the employee seemed uninterested in certain developmental opportunities. The employee could not understand why she was continually being pushed toward responsibilities she never requested.

Neither person was wrong. They were simply working toward different goals. In fact, situations like this often happen because leaders genuinely care about helping employees succeed. The challenge is that good intentions can sometimes lead us to assume we know what success looks like for someone else.

Most leaders are familiar with organizational goals, departmental goals, and personal performance goals. We spend significant time learning how to set objectives and create action plans. What many of us are never taught is how to help employees discover and pursue their own professional goals.

Ambition looks different for different people, and effective leaders recognize that.

Ask Whose Goals You Are Pursuing

The first step is surprisingly simple: ask questions and listen to the answers.

• What does success look like to them?

• What skills do they want to develop?

• What work energizes them?

• Where do they hope their career takes them?

The answers may not align with the path we envisioned. An employee may want greater expertise rather than promotion. They may value flexibility over leadership responsibilities. They may aspire to a role that looks very different from what we expected.

That does not mean they lack ambition. It simply means their definition of success is different from ours. Ambition looks different for different people, and effective leaders recognize that.

The most effective leaders do not create growth plans for employees. They create growth plans with employees.

Development as a Partnership

When development becomes a partnership, employees are more engaged, more motivated, and more likely to see a future within the organization. As a result, organizational goals and employee goals become more naturally aligned.

Before setting the next developmental goal for an employee, consider asking one simple question:

"What do you want your career to look like?"

Employee development is most effective when it is built on understanding rather than assumptions. Before mapping out someone's future, make sure it is a future they want. Sometimes the most powerful development conversation is not telling employees where they could go next. It is asking them where they want to go.

Whether your team is in Yuma or anywhere across the country, if you want support building development plans around whose goals your employees actually want to pursue, I'd love to talk. Schedule a consultation.

Let's Talk!