Free Personal Goal Setting Course for New Leaders

Jump To: What is Personal Goal Setting | Why Goal setting Matters | Quick-Start Framework | Examples for New Leaders | Motivational Lessons | Course Roadmap |Free Tools | Download eBook

What Is Personal Goal Setting?

Successful people understand the power of writing their goals down and reviewing them often. Personal goal setting is the deliberate process of deciding what you want your life to look like, and then creating a clear plan to make it happen.

At its most basic level, the personal goal setting process will help answer critical questions such as:

• How do I want to spend the next 30 days, 1 year, and 5–10 years?
• What kind of leader, partner, parent, or business owner do I want to become?
• What specific results will prove that I’m moving in the right direction?

Personal goal setting is an important life skill. Once you learn it, it becomes a source of mental and emotional support. It helps you persist, overcome obstacles, and stay focused when life gets busy or difficult.

By creating clearly defined personal and professional goal plans, you can:

• Monitor and track your progress
• Adjust quickly when circumstances change
• Take genuine pride in each milestone along the way

New and aspiring leaders who invest time in solid goal plans are more confident, less stressed, and better prepared to serve others.

Why Goal Setting Matters for Self‑Leadership

Before you can effectively lead others, you must first lead yourself. Self‑leadership means knowing who you are, what you stand for, and where you’re going - and then aligning your daily actions with that vision.

Thoughtful goal setting helps you to:

• Clarify your core values and personal priorities
• Make better decisions about where to invest your time and energy
• Build credibility with your team by demonstrating discipline, modeling the way, and consistent follow‑through
• Reduce stress by working a thoughtful realistic plan instead of reacting to emergencies

As a new or aspiring leader, every important area of your life benefits when you lead yourself with clear goals: health, finances, relationships, spirituality, career, and personal growth.

Quick-Start: How to Set Personal Goals (8-Step Framework)

This section is your on‑page, quick‑start guide. It summarizes the core process taught in the Goal Setting for Success course and eBook.

Use it as a checklist as you work through the chapters and tools.

Step 1: Clarify the Big Picture

Ask Yourself: “What kind of life and leadership do I want 3–5 years from now?”

Write a short vision statement that describes your ideal future in a few key areas:

• Personal growth and learning
• Career or business
• Health and energy
• Finances
• Relationships and family
• Contribution / community / faith

Don’t worry about perfection. Capture an honest picture of the life and leader you want to become.

Step 2: Balance Your Life Areas

Great goals create a great life, not just a great career.

Use our Life Balance Tool (Success Wheel) to:

• Rate your current satisfaction in each life area
• Identify which areas are over‑ or under‑emphasized
• Choose 2–3 priority areas to focus on first

Step 3: Choose Specific Outcomes

For each priority area, ask: “What would success look like 12 months from now?”

Turn your answers into outcome statements. For example:

• “Increase my annual sales by 20% while maintaining healthy work–life boundaries.”
• “Exercise at least 3 times per week and lose 10 pounds by November 30.”
• “Have a weekly 1:1 meeting with each team member to support their development.”

These outcomes become the foundation for your goals.

Step 4: Make Your Goals Clear and Realistic

Strong goals are S.M.A.R.T.:

• Specific: You know exactly what “done” looks like.
• Measurable: You can track progress with numbers or clear evidence.
• Aligned: They support your values, vision, and responsibilities as a leader.
• Realistic, yet stretching: Ambitious enough to excite you, but not so extreme that you lose motivation.
• Time‑bound: You’ve picked a realistic date or timeframe.

Rewrite each outcome as a clear goal statement. Here's a few examples:

• Career/Business Outcome Goal: “By December 31, I will increase my annual sales by 20% through improved prospecting and better follow‑up, without working more than 45 hours per week.”
• Leadership Communication Goal: “Within the next 6 months, I will improve my leadership communication by holding a structured 30‑minute 1:1 with each direct report every month, using a simple agenda (wins, challenges, next steps) and capturing action items in writing after each meeting.”
• Skill Development Goal: “Over the next 90 days, I will complete one online course on coaching or feedback skills, practice at least one technique per week with my team, and request feedback from at least two colleagues on how my coaching style is improving.”
• Personal Productivity Goal: “For the next 8 weeks, I will end each workday by spending 15 minutes planning the following day (top 3 priorities, key meetings, and prep), and I will review my weekly goals every Monday morning to align my schedule with my top priorities.”

Step 5: Prioritize and Sequence Your Goals

You cannot do everything at once.

• Highlight your top 3–5 goals for the next 12 months.
• Decide what must happen first, second, and third.
• Identify any “never‑ending” goals (like health or learning) that will always be part of your life.

This keeps your plan achievable and focused.

Step 6: Build Your Master Action Plan (M.A.P.)

Great goals fail without a concrete action plan. That’s where our Master Action Plan (M.A.P.) tool comes in.

For each priority goal:

• Break it down into smaller milestones (monthly or quarterly).
• List the specific actions required for each milestone.
• Assign target dates and, if relevant, who is responsible.
• Note any resources or support you’ll need (training, budget, coaching, tools).

The M.A.P. turns your ideas into a daily and weekly plan you can execute.

Step 7: Anticipate Obstacles & Troubleshoot

Every meaningful goal will encounter obstacles. Plan for them.

Anticipate potential obstacles or challenges by asking yourself:

• “What could get in the way of this goal?”
• “What will I do when (not if) that happens?”

Common challenges for new and aspiring leaders include:

• Feeling overwhelmed by competing priorities
• Fear of failure or fear of looking “inexperienced”
• Loss of motivation after early enthusiasm fades
• Unexpected changes at work or at home

In your personal goal setting plan, include:

• Contingency steps (what to do if you fall behind)
• Simple rules (e.g., “If I miss a day, I never miss two in a row.”)
• A trusted person you’ll update on your progress

Step 8: Monitor, Track, and Celebrate

Leadership is a long‑term journey. Celebrating wins big and small along the way will help to keep you energized and motivated to keep pushing forward. Tracking keeps you honest:

• Review your progress weekly using your M.A.P.
• Make small adjustments as circumstances change.
• Celebrate every small win. For example, a completed milestone, a new habit formed, a courageous conversation you’ve been avoiding.

This is how you build momentum and confidence as a self‑leader.

Examples of Personal & Professional Goals for New and Aspiring Leaders

As you think about the most important areas of your life, you'll want to invest the time to establish clear goals in each category.

Here are a few examples of goals to get your creative juices flowing. Review these examples and adapt to your own situation:

Personal Development

• “Read one leadership or personal growth book per month and capture key insights in a simple journal.”
• “Join a mastermind or peer group and attend at least one meeting each month.”

Health & Energy

• “Walk 7,000–10,000 steps per day, 5 days per week, for the next 90 days.”
• “Be in bed with screens off by 10:30 p.m. on weeknights.”

Career & Leadership

• “Have monthly 1:1 coaching conversations with each direct report, focused on their goals and growth.”
• “Lead at least two team meetings per quarter that incorporate a short leadership lesson or motivational story.”

Finances

• “Build an emergency fund equal to three months of personal expenses within 12 months.”
• “Increase my savings rate by 5% within the next six months.”

Relationships

• “Plan a weekly ‘no‑work‑talk’ dinner with my spouse/partner or a family member.”
• “Schedule a monthly coffee or lunch with a mentor or role model.”

Use the course chapters and tools below to refine these examples into specific, realistic goals that fit your life.

Motivational Lessons for Success

At the end of each chapter in the Goal Setting for Success guide, you’ll find a special section titled Motivational Lessons for Success.

The purpose of these short lessons is to:

• Share timeless “rags to riches” and “triumph over struggle” stories
• Highlight key leadership and success principles
• Encourage you to persist when obstacles appear

Effective goal setting depends on two beliefs:

1. You can learn, grow, and become your best self.
2. Your dreams are worth pursuing all the way to the end.

We encourage you to hold a clear mental picture of the leader you want to be, and to commit yourself to that vision with “get‑to‑it‑ive‑ness” - the willingness to act, adjust, and never give up.

As one quote reminds us:
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

"The more I am known by those I want to follow me and the more I know them, the greater will be our ability to do great things together."

- David Pottruck

Goal Setting for Success - Course Roadmap

Although we’ve created an individual page for each chapter and section of the Goal Setting for Success guide, you only need to download the free eBook once. All of the content is compiled into a single PDF for your convenience.

Below is a roadmap of the course so you can see how it all fits together.

Module 1 — Clarify Your Vision and Priorities

• CHAPTER 1  Goals For A Great Life: Focus on personal development and long‑term growth.
• CHAPTER 2  What Is It That You Want?: Get clear about your desired end results.
• SECTION 2.1  Goal Setting In Balance: Ensure your goals support a well‑balanced life.

Module 2 — Master Your Time and Focus

• CHAPTER 3  What’s Time Got To Do With It?: Use time wisely to create a quality life.
• SECTION 3.1  Goals In Priority: Learn to prioritize the goals that matter most.
• SECTION 3.2  A Change Of Plans: Adapt when life happens and plans must shift.
• SECTION 3.3  Never-Ending Goals: Understand that true goal planning never really ends.

Module 3 — See Progress and Keep It Real

• CHAPTER 4  Seeing Is Believing: Build belief through small wins.
• SECTION 4.1  Keeping It Real: Create realistic career and personal goals.

Module 4 — Overcome Barriers and Fear of Failure

• CHAPTER 5  What Is In The Way?: Identify and remove common obstacles.
• SECTION 5.1  Facing Fear Of Failure: Learn from failure and improve your action plan.
• SECTION 5.2  Responding To Failure: Prepare for unexpected setbacks.
• SECTION 5.3  Never Enough Time!: Bust the “no time” excuse and protect your priorities.

Module 5 — Turn Plans into Action

• CHAPTER 6  Beginning From Here: Use the Goal Setting Worksheet (M.A.P.) to get started.
• CHAPTER 7  The Price Of Admission: Understand the effort your goals will require.
• CHAPTER 8  Network It Out!: Build a network to support your goals.

Module 6 — Engage Your Team (for Leaders)

• SECTION 8.1  Library Of Resources: Use goal setting as a team‑wide activity.
• CHAPTER 9  What Is In It For Me?: Align employee goals with personal benefits.
• SECTION 9.1  Goals For Public Consumption?: Present your goals professionally.
• SECTION 9.2  Too Close To Home: Find action plans that fit your real life.

Module 7 — Use the M.A.P. Tool to Drive Results

• CHAPTER 10  M.A.P. To Success: Follow the M.A.P. steps to set and achieve goals.
• CHAPTER 11  Proper Perspective: Keep goals realistic and achievable.
• CHAPTER 12  Get-To-It-Tive-Ness!: Develop the determination to never give up.
• SECTION 12.1  Success Is Right Now: Make achievement a daily habit.
• SECTION 12.2  Expect Change: Adjust your guidelines as life evolves.

Module 8 — Monitor, Measure, and Stick With It

• CHAPTER 13  Monitor & Track Progress: Create reports to monitor how you’re doing.
• SECTION 13.1  Measure Effectiveness: Evaluate whether your plan is working.
• CHAPTER 14  Stick-To-It-Tive-Ness!: Anticipate barriers and push forward anyway.
• SECTION 14.1  It Is Up To Me!: Embrace self‑motivation as a leader.
• CHAPTER 15  Celebrate To Motivate: Use celebration to maintain long‑term motivation.

Module 9 — Goal Planning Examples

• EXHIBIT A:  Fitness Goal Plan – Example
• EXHIBIT B:  Financial Goal Plan – Example

Use these examples as models when building your own Master Action Plan.

Free Goal Setting Tools: Life Balance & M.A.P.

The Goal Setting For Success guide was created to walk you through the relatively simple steps for setting solid, common-sense goals in each of the key categories of your life. As you read through the entire guide, it is helpful if you have already downloaded the following two free tools.

1. Life Balance Tool (Success Wheel)

Use this tool to:

• Assess your satisfaction in each life area
• Identify gaps where you need more focus
• Choose which areas to prioritize in your personal goal setting plan

2. Master Action Plan Tool (M.A.P.)

Use this tool to:

• Break big goals into specific, dated action steps
• Assign responsibilities and resources
• Track progress and update your plan over time

Together, the Life Balance Tool and the M.A.P. help you move from vague ideas to a concrete, self‑leadership plan you can follow every day.