Midlife is not a slowdown—it’s a strategic opportunity.
For many experienced women in the workforce, midlife marks a pivotal moment where career expertise meets a deeper sense of purpose. It’s a time when leadership can become more authentic, values-driven, and influential—not just in business results, but across teams, culture, and wellbeing.

Yet, too often, traditional performance frameworks miss this moment.

When organisations don’t support midlife leaders in setting personally meaningful goals, we risk losing engagement, energy—and top talent.

Rethinking Goal Setting for Midlife Women in Leadership 

Goals that work in midlife go beyond KPIs and stretch targets. They need to reflect:

• The leader she is becoming – someone who leads with clarity, empathy, wisdom, and strong boundaries.

• The reality of her whole life – where wellbeing, caregiving, menopause, and ambition may coexist.

• The ripple effect of her leadership – on performance, people, and the culture she helps shape.

By integrating approaches like NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), we can help women leaders set outcomes that are not just “SMART,” but strategic, sustaining, and self-aware.

Questions that Build Stronger Leadership Goals

Encourage your managers and midlife leaders to explore:

• Does this goal align with the kind of leader I want to be now—not five years ago?
• Does it support my wellbeing and home life—or quietly compete with it?
• What values does this goal reflect? And are they truly mine?
• What positive ripple effect will this create—for my team, organisation, and beyond?
• Am I choosing this goal from confidence, or from habit, guilt, or outdated expectations?
• How will I grow—personally and professionally—if I achieve this?

These aren’t just reflective prompts—they’re essential tools for building sustainable leadership.

Benefit For Organisations 

Supporting midlife women to set and pursue meaningful goals isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s a strategy for retention, resilience, and return on investment.

When leadership development is aligned with life stage, values, and wellbeing, you unlock:

• Greater engagement and emotional intelligence
• Stronger team cohesion and people leadership
• Increased innovation from lived experience
• Reduced burnout and absenteeism
• Enhanced succession planning and mentoring capacity
  

A More Human-Centred Leadership Culture – how does that sound?

How ready is your organisation to reimagine goal-setting and leadership development for the midlife stage?  

Drop a comment below and share what that might look like in your organisation.