Write an explanation of how goal setting is a key component of your personal leadership development. In your explanation:

Describe why goal setting is important to your development as a leader (of self and others).

Identify one goal of yours, explain why it will contribute to your personal leadership development, and write it as a SMART goal (specific, measurable, attainable, reasonable, and time-bound).

Include a specific reference to at least one form of evidence to support your post. This could include one or more of this week’s Learning Resources, or an additional source of your choosing. As a reminder, you are encouraged to paraphrase—rather than quote—any relevant ideas from your selected form of evidence and be sure to include the source of the information.

Goal setting is an important aspect of planning for your future and accomplishing the things you want to achieve in your life. Not all goals are created equal, however. For example, have you ever decided you wanted to learn how to do something but didn’t lay out a plan for how you would go about accomplishing that task? If your general goal is to learn how to play the guitar but you have no time table for achieving this, no ideas for how and where you will receive instruction, and so on, the chances are higher that you may never get around to learning how to play the instrument. SMART goals, on the other hand, provide a structure for setting and achieving your goals because they are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. In this Discussion, you will share your thoughts on goals and leadership development and will identify at least one SMART goal that can help you develop as a leader.

Whether you have yet to fully embark upon your professional career or have had some years already pursuing your chosen profession, it is important to understand how and why to network—and how social media can support that effort. If you have not yet created a profile on a professional site like LinkedIn, you may want to consider adding that to your goals that you will set for yourself in this week’s Assignment. Or, if you already have a social media presence, you may want to evaluate what type of professional profile will be most advantageous for you. Are there any changes you would make to your current social media presence to put your best foot forward? The following resources present those ideas.

How will you use these skills, behaviors, and tools for your own benefit and to benefit others? One sure way is to develop a plan—to set goals for yourself. Those goals can include all areas of your life—personal, educational, health, professional, financial. You can—and should—also update your goals periodically based on new information, changes in your life and habits, new skills, and new successes in accomplishing your existing goals. Your goals lay out the framework for your own development.

As you think about your future goals, you may be wondering where your journey will take you. Successful people and leaders don’t happen accidentally; they are people who have planned their development and executed their plan.