ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on how leaders decide what is most important to accomplish with their scarce time and resources. Global assessments help leaders set agendas, balance time, and focus special efforts. There are five sources of information that leaders can use to assess organizational effectiveness. The first includes performance data that the organization produces. A second source of data includes any documents that provide information about the mission, vision, and values of the organization. The third source of information is the employees themselves. A related source is the clients, customers, citizens, or regulated constituents that an agency serves. The final source involves using benchmarks with other units or organizations. The chapter addresses the demanding constraints leaders face. Leadership ability constraints are inevitable, even with leaders who are successful and effective. One important aspect of goal setting is the balance of goals across organizational or leadership functions.
