A goal is an end that the organisation strives to attain. However, the Leaders alone cannot achieve a goal. Leaders break down processes, analyze them, set objectives and try hard to achieve them. The leader must write an objective for what he or she is trying to accomplish. Thus, an objective is the object or aim of an action. It implies an explicit direction for the action to take and a specific quality of work to be accomplished within a given period of time. Objectives reflect the desired outcomes for individuals, groups and organisations. They provide direction for decision making and a criterion against which outcomes are measured. Thus, objectives are the foundation of planning.

Once you have clarified what you want to achieve, your attention will be focussed on the objective that you deliberately set. You will be doing something important to you.

An objective must be measurable. Only an objective that affects behaviour in a measurable way can be optimally effective. If possible, state the objective as a quantity. Some objectives are more difficult to measure than others are. However, difficulty does not mean that they cannot be measured. Development of team members could be measured by determining the number of tasks the team member has performed. Co-operation with other functions could be measured by length of delay in providing requested information.

An objective must be attainable with the resources that are available. It must be realistic. Many objectives are realistic. Yet, the time it takes to achieve them may be unrealistic. For example, it is realistic to want to lose ten pounds of weight. However, it is unrealistic to want to lose ten pounds in one week.