Diary of a Leader: Why Collaborative Goal Setting Drives Real Results
- Lindsay Sheldrake
- Jan 17
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 20
Welcome to "Diary of a Leader" - Real Stories, Leadership Lessons, and Personal Growth
Ah, leadership. It’s messy, rewarding, and full of lessons you can only learn by doing.
Welcome to Diary of a Leader—a behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to lead high-performing teams and deliver results in project-based businesses.
Whether you’re scaling operations or managing creative chaos, this space is for leaders who want to grow with clarity, confidence, and impact.
If you lead a design firm, creative studio, or project-driven team, you’ve likely felt the pressure of trying to keep your team aligned and focused on the right priorities.
As a Fractional COO and project leadership partner, I’ve seen the impact of top-down goal setting—and I’ve seen how much more effective it is when goals are built with your team, not for them.
And today, I’m serving up a leadership lesson on why collaborative goal setting is the key to consistent execution and real results.
What Is Collaborative Goal Setting?
Collaborative goal setting is exactly what it sounds like—creating goals in partnership with the people who will be responsible for achieving them.
Instead of leadership handing down a list of KPIs, the team works together to:
Define what success looks like
Identify key milestones
Agree on metrics
Clarify ownership
This doesn’t mean the team gets to choose whatever they want. It means they’re brought into the conversation early enough to influence how those goals come to life.
The Power of Collaborative Goal Setting
In project-based businesses, success is delivered by people—not spreadsheets.
And people are more likely to follow through on goals they helped create.
Here’s what happens when goal setting is collaborative:
1. Ownership Goes Up
When team members are part of defining the outcome, they feel more invested in delivering it. It’s not just a directive—it’s a shared objective.
2. Clarity Improves
Instead of leaving room for interpretation, collaborative goals create a shared understanding of what success actually means—and how to get there.
3. Trust Gets Built
When leaders ask for input and listen, it builds mutual respect. It sends a signal that you value your team’s perspective—and believe in their ability to contribute strategically.
4. Goals Get More Realistic
Your team knows the realities on the ground. When you co-create goals, they’re more likely to reflect what’s actually possible, not just what looks good on paper.
Where Collaborative Goal Setting Makes the Biggest Impact
Not every goal needs to be collaborative. But here’s where it matters most:
Quarterly priorities: Instead of just announcing what’s on the roadmap, involve your team in shaping it.
Project outcomes: Let your team weigh in on timelines, scope, and measures of success.
Process improvements: Ask for input from the people closest to the work.
Individual performance metrics: Allow team members to set personal goals tied to team success.
When people help create the goal, they naturally become more accountable for achieving it.
What Collaborative Goal Setting is Not
It’s not about consensus. You don’t need to get everyone to agree on everything.
And it’s not about avoiding leadership. As the leader, it’s still your job to:
Set direction
Provide constraints
Prioritize the big picture
But when you involve your team in the goal-setting process, they feel seen. Heard. And empowered to own the outcomes.
The Leadership Lesson
The best leaders don’t just set the goals. They create the environment for goals to be met.
That starts with trust, clarity, and collaboration.
Because real results don’t come from a perfectly crafted strategy document—they come from the people you trust to deliver.
Collaborative goal setting is how you turn plans into progress.
Wrapping Up (Because Time is Precious)
Here’s the takeaway: You don’t have to carry the full weight of execution alone. When your team is part of setting the goal, they become part of delivering it.
If your team seems disconnected from results or unclear on direction, try inviting them into the goal-setting process.
Catch you next time, fellow leaders-in-training—and remember, alignment doesn’t happen by accident. It happens through intention.
Want support building stronger collaboration and alignment around your business goals?
Book a free consultation to explore what that could look like in your business.
Stay tuned for more real-world lessons on leadership, operational clarity, and successful project delivery in the next installment of Diary of a Leader—because leading teams and managing projects isn’t about doing it all; it’s about doing what matters, exceptionally well.
Comments