Are you ready to take your company to the next level? Yes? But do your employees seem to lack direction or motivation to push your company that higher level of success? There’s hope and help.
Business experts agree: goal-setting is one of the most effective ways of taking your company to new heights. You’ve set goals for your company; should you set goals for your employees as well? If so, how?
As you know, goal setting on a corporate level is important. Equally as important, however, is setting individual goals for employees. Setting goals with your employees is not a ‘one size fits all’ process. Each employee is at a different stage in their employment track, and as a result, may require different types of goals. Before establishing goals with an employee, determine which one would best suit their needs.
Different Types of Employee Goals
- Performance Goals: These goals are used to monitor and track an employee’s effort in their position. Generally, these types of goals are developed after an employee has demonstrated a deficiency. Many employers think of performance goals as part of a ‘last-ditch’ effort to keep their job and improve performance.
- However, it doesn’t have to be that way. You could turn this around and give more help to your high performers. Often, they are left to fend for themselves as they are seen as not needing help when they need help just as much as your other employees do – just in a different way.
- Training Goals: Aligned with a training regime, this is an effective method of ensuring that a new employee (or an employee in a new position) receives the necessary training to start their job. Goals can be based on abilities, skills, or knowledge, and are designed to help track employee learning.
- Opportunity Goals: Employees interested in advancing within the company may benefit from opportunity goals. Savvy employers and employees identify gaps in training and experience well in advance of job openings. This positions the employee to move quickly when an opening occurs and ensures they are prepared to take advantage of the opportunity.
- Achievement Goals: An incentive to push forward, achievement goals may be tied to sales numbers, benchmarks or other criteria that encourages employees to stretch their success.
How to Set Goals with Your Employees
Once you’ve determined the type of goal that you need to set with your employees, how can you use goal setting effectively? A few simple steps can ensure that your goals are effective, engaging and empowering.
Work Together
For maximum effectiveness, goals should be determined by both the employer and the employee. Allowing the employee to have input into their own goals gives them ‘buy-in’. One expert describes the manager’s role in employee goal setting as providing ‘supportive autonomy’.
In other words, the employer is available for support and guidance, but the employee has the flexibility to set their goals at a level where they are comfortable. Employees are more likely to work towards achieving the goals they have helped create, and their sense of ownership will motivate them to achieve their goals.
Align Goals with Corporate Ideals
By establishing goals that support the overall corporate goals, the employee can see how their efforts benefit the company. This helps keeps the employee engaged in the company’s pursuit of success and helps to propel both the company and the employee to greater success.
Use Goals to Challenge
Employers can help employees set goals that are attainable and challenging. Using goals to stretch employee achievement can provide energy and momentum within the company. Poorly designed goals can be destructive to morale and productivity. Use well-crafted goals to challenge your employees to constantly improve their success rate.
Setting goals with your employees can be effective, but what about employees who resist the idea?
Employees who resist setting goals may feel as though they are being forced to abide by rules and expectations. That is why it’s essential to include the employee in setting goals. Don’t allow unmet goals to go unnoticed – the feedback is essential to learning and employee growth.
Ultimately, goal-setting can be an integral part of your company’s success. It allows you to monitor productivity, keeps employees engaged and provides a measuring system by which you can keep employees accountable for their performance. Through employee-based goal setting, your company can achieve new levels of success. What are you waiting for?
Have you made goals, only to abandon them later? Does your list of New Year’s Resolutions taunt you from your bulletin board, forgotten in the hustle and bustle of life? Are you determined to make goals that work, and see them to completion?
It may surprise you to learn that having an “attitude of gratitude” could make the difference between reaching your goal and simply having a dream. This is truly a powerful boost to your goal setting activities.
Scientists have long known about the
effects of stress and worry on your body. Hormones such as adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine are released, preparing the body to deal with potential danger. In reality, most of the things you fear and stress over never materialize, leaving your body to deal with the aftereffects of this boost in hormones. It can take hours, or even days, to return to normal.
Your brain can have a hard time concentrating on the task at hand because it has been focused on dealing with your fears. When you shift your focus from fears to gratitude, however, you leave little room for unfounded fears to take hold. Instead of focusing on imaginary dangers, your brain is filled with thoughts of thankfulness over the things that you already have. Those thoughts of gratitude have astonishing results on your ability to set (and reach) your goals.
What effect does gratitude have on you?
Gratitude generates enthusiasm
A necessary component in the quest to accomplish anything, enthusiasm is directly correlated to gratitude. Recent studies show that individuals who wrote down things they were thankful for demonstrated more enthusiasm for life in general. Looking for an extra burst of energy to push you toward your goal? Start compiling a ‘thankful list’ and review it daily, adding to it frequently.
Gratitude gives you energy
Negativity can have a detrimental effect on your body. It can skew your perspective, making it seem as though everything about your life is bad. As a result, it is hard to get anything done, and there is little motivation to push through difficult circumstances.
When you focus on gratitude, there are chemical and physical reactions within your body. The endorphins released inside your body help you focus and can give you the energy you need to finish your tasks.
Gratitude provides motivation
Every day, as you begin to take careful stock of your list of ‘thankful’ items, you will find yourself becoming more determined to reach your goals. Reaching your goals can be empowering: you work harder to reach your next goal, generating more positive thinking, which can compel you to work towards another goal.
Gratitude increases optimism
It is easy to forget about the many positive things you have in your life when things are not going well. By reviewing your written list of ‘thankfulness’ items, you will be encouraged and reminded of better times.
Gratitude reduces stress
Most stress is a result of either guilt or worry. Guilt is focused on things that happened in the past. Worry is generally focused on things that may never happen in the future. Gratitude, however, allows you to live in the present.
You can be thankful for what you have, and take proactive measures to move forward – reducing the amount of stress you will deal with on a daily basis.
Ready to move forward with your goal setting plan? Start by writing the things you’re thankful for down. Develop the habit of starting the day with gratitude, you may be surprised how much more you get done in your pursuit of your goals.
Money talks. Ask most business owners how they motivate their employees, and ‘money’ is almost always the answer. Ask most employees, however, what their primary motivation at work may be, and you’ll likely get a variety of answers. Money generally makes the list, but is further down than you may think. If money isn’t the motivator we may think it is, what is? How can an employer inspire their staff to move beyond mediocre?
It may surprise you to learn that one of the key factors that motivates an employee is the leadership style of their boss. Can your leadership style compel your staff to greatness? What are the secrets behind effective leadership that can take your staff from average to amazing? How does effective leadership motivate your staff?
Effective leaders
Effective leaders are real. Authenticity is powerful. People can spot a fake from miles away, and are hesitant to form anything more than a surface level relationship with such a person. An authentic leader, however, knows that there is value in being transparent with employees. Not only does it form genuine relationships with employees, it allows for growth through the sharing of trials and triumphs.
Effective leaders cultivate hope Employees who are afraid of their boss will generally not work to their full potential. While the ‘carrot or the stick’ method of motivation may work for the short term, those who employ the ‘carrot’ find that their
employees are more satisfiedwith their jobs and are more positive about the future of the company. Effective leaders challenge their employees to grow and reach for bigger possibilities.
Effective leaders communicate vision
People want to be part of something larger than they are. Rather than patronizing employees, an effective leader communicates clearly the vision for the company and identifies everyone’s role. They paint the big picture for employees to see, and help others understand how they fit within the framework of the company. Employees can get behind a vision that they understand and to which they feel integral.
Effective leaders value people
An effective leader understands that without committed employees, the company vision falls flat. As a result, they place a high priority on the needs of their employees and are attentive for anything that may impact them – both professionally and personally.
Effective leaders act with integrity
In an era where the truth is subjective and news is fake, a leader who cultivates an environment filled with integrity can be refreshing and motivating. An employer who is known for doing the right thing inspires others to work hard as well.
Effective leaders lead by example
Demanding a certain set of behaviours and doling out punishments for those who fail to comply doesn’t work for long. When a leader demonstrates through their actions what they expect, however, people respond.
Leading by example is one of the most effective methods of motivating employees.
Still not convinced leadership style has that big of an effect? Think about the last few bosses you’ve had. Chances are, you can name both a great one, and an awful one. Which one inspired you to do more? An effective leader who can bring about change is one of a company’s most valuable resources. Want to motivate your team? Evaluate your leadership style.
My Big Idea™
Professional Workshops can motivate the leader and their team to do great things this year. Want your own private workshop for your team?
Contact us to see what we can set up for you.
In recent years, employment has evolved in ways your parent and grandparents couldn’t have imagined. The era of ‘Lifetime Service Awards’ and 25+ year employees has faded, leaving employers and employees to establish a new normal: the constantly evolving workplace.
Within the last two decades, employers have shifted the responsibility for career development onto the employee. As a result, ‘personal development’ has become a buzzword that most people use to describe their continued education and career path. While there are benefits to learning for learning’s sake, personal development can support an organization in ways you may not have considered.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT…
Supports the organization’s strategy
The direction and strategy of a company may change over time. Empowering employees to take ownership of their own development allows them to prepare for the new direction of the company. If a company is heading in a direction that requires a new skill-set or opens new opportunities, employees are able to align with those goals by learning the new skills needed.
Fills opportunities within the organization.
Often, opportunities for growth occur at various levels in an organization. An employee who has taken advantage of personal development opportunities is prepared to step into these vacancies and has a broader understanding of the organization. By encouraging personal development, an organization is preparing for the future, and developing an internal workforce that can handle any needs the company may have.
Allows employees to manage their own careers
The workforce of today is a steady stream of shifting and changing, with employees moving from opportunity to opportunity. Research shows, however, that it is worth the time and effort of a company to retain employees, rather than seeking new hires.
When there are options within an organization, most employees would choose to stay, rather than seek employment elsewhere. Personal development allows employees to expand their knowledge base, update their skills and take control over their own career.
Improves employee engagement
Richard Branson once remarked, “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don't want to.” One of the most difficult tasks for employers is developing employees.
An on-going process of staff training and development can be time-consuming and expensive. Instead of managing every aspect of corporate development, adopt policies that support and encourage personal development. It will promote employee engagement and remove the need for complete company oversight.
How can you encourage personal development?
Lead by example
By modeling the behaviour, employees will see the value that you as a leader, and the company in general, place on personal development. It sends the message that development is an integral part of the company’s culture and is expected behaviour for employees. Talk about the development building activities you’re involved in. Discuss ideas and methods you’ve been learning and encourage others within your organization to do the same.
Be flexible
Allow employees to alter their work schedule to accommodate their development activities. Encourage participation by offering paid time to attend trainings.
Provide resources.
Set aside budget to support personal development efforts by your employees. Offer reimbursement, allow employee work hours to be used for development activities and provide information about available opportunities. Host on-site development opportunities, such as Lunch and Learn programs, evening workshops or half-day seminars and allow interested employees to attend.
Encouraging personal development is an effective way to support an organization’s strategy. Enhance your employee engagement efforts by putting personal development at the front of your plan, and initiate a plan to help employees manage their own career success.
Most ineffective team building activities are the result of ineffective planning, limited oversight, and no outcome thinking.
THEY FOCUS ON COMPETING WITH EACH OTHER
If your purpose for team building is to build cooperation and cohesiveness as a team, choosing team building exercises that pit team members against each other is a recipe for failure.
Activities that result in one team winning at the expense of the other team fail to encourage team building. Studies have shown that
cooperative learning (as opposed to competitive learning) is more effective. While there is nothing wrong with competition, team building activities are the wrong place to use it.
THEY FOCUS ON ACTIVITY RATHER THAN OUTCOMES
Use your team building exercise as a ‘dress rehearsal’ for how you want your workplace to look. Align your goals with the activity to ensure that the outcome is successful.
Looking for more collaboration in your office? An event that destroys the competition in effigy can not only lead to disaster, but fails to accomplish anything towards your goal. Begin with the end in mind, and build your team building activity accordingly.
THEY FAIL TO CONSIDER THE EMPLOYEES
Many times, managers plan activities that sound fun, but are completely unsuitable for their staff. If your team is made up of members with mobility concerns, a ropes course may not be the best activity. Stretching your staff to try new activities is one thing. Forcing them to do something dangerous, inappropriate or beyond their ability is another.
THEY FAIL TO INCLUDE EMPLOYEES WHILE PLANNING
The biggest fails in team building happen as a result of failing to get team buy in. Even if your planned activity goes off without a hitch, it can still be a fail for team building purposes. When you fail to involve your team in the planning stages of your activity, they are less likely to be motivated to participate. In addition, by asking your team’s input into the areas they are struggling, you are more likely to plan an activity that has merit.
THEY FAIL TO GET OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE
Some of the most egregious team building fails are the result of a lack of oversight. Once you’ve developed a plan for your team building event, seek outside review from your supervisor, a coworker or other trusted resource.
Ready to nix your next team building event? Don’t! Team building exercises can be effective and meaningful when done correctly, and can have long lasting, positive benefits for your company.
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
If you were to ask most people about the importance of a company leader setting goals for the business, most all of them would agree that goals are essential in business.
If you asked a follow-up question about the importance of setting goals in your personal life, you’d get a different answer.
Unless planning for a marathon, a major trip or a large purchase, very few people understand how powerful personal goal setting is.
With personal goal setting, this is how you can achieve the friends, relationship, health, wealth and hobbies that you have always dreamed about. It really is within your reach.
Research validates the importance of creating and setting goals. People who not only set personal goals, but also write them down, are
more likely to reach their goals and report greater feelings of accomplishment in their life. Instead of drifting through life with wishful thinking of “wouldn’t it be nice if” or “one day”, learn how to set some goals for yourself and then work to reach them.
HOW TO KNOW WHICH PERSONAL GOALS TO SET
Spend a few moments (
or up to 24hrs away from it all) thinking about your dreams. What is it that brings you joy? What do you envision for your life in the future, if you could pick any scenario?
Your dreams may include a better spiritual, emotional, physical or financial life. Brainstorm about your dreams and make a
written list. (Yes, it is important to write them down. Handwritten is better than typed!).
This list can include items you may think is outlandish or impossible right now (take a yearlong vacation, for example) to the specific (learn how to dance the Tango), to the necessary (lose weight). At this stage, you are simply dreaming. Don’t be afraid to let your creativity loose.
Once you’ve developed a list of dreams, begin to prioritize them. Which ones are most important? Which dreams have a stronger pull on you than the others? Put them in order of importance and narrow down your list to include your top 3 – 5 that you want to work on right now. With your prioritized list, you are ready to develop your personal goals.
HOW DO I DEVELOP MY PERSONAL GOALS?
Rewrite your dreams as S.M.A.R.T. goals. Productivity experts use the SMART acronym to help define and craft goals that can help you succeed.
What do SMART goals look like?
Specific They detail exactly what you want the outcome to look like.
Goal: Learn how to dance.
SMART goal: Learn to dance the Tango.
Measurable Include a quantifiable indicator to let you know when you’ve reached your goal.
Goal: Travel the world.
SMART goal: Visit 10 countries I’ve never been to before.
Actionable Use action words to define what you’ll be doing.
Goal: Be healthier.
SMART goal: Eliminate soft drinks from my diet.
Realistic It must have a chance of success. (This can be challenging. Goals should stretch you to achieve more, but not be unrealistic. For example, if you can’t swim, it would be unrealistic to expect to swim the English Channel by next month. Use incremental goals to keep them attainable.)
Goal: Win the IronMan triathlon.
SMART goal: Learn to swim competitively.
Time-based Your goal should have an ‘end’ date. Not only does it give you a target to work towards, it helps keep you focused in order to reach your goal.
Goal: Lose weight.
SMART goal: Lose 12 pounds within 24 weeks
WHAT DO I DO WITH MY GOALS?
Write your goals down. (Yes, it matters.)Post them where you can see them. (Your refrigerator, your bathroom mirror, your bedside table, your desk, keep a reminder on your phone.)Review your progress regularly.Do a routine ‘check-in’ on your progress toward your goals. What have you accomplished this week in reaching your goals? What can you do next week that will put you closer to your goals? Review them as often as necessary to motivate yourself to keep working on your dream.
BE ACCOUNTABLE
If you are the only person who knows your goal, it is easier to give up. Sharing your goal with another person or a group creates an interesting and supportive dynamic. Suddenly, it becomes a matter of pride: you will find yourself working harder on your goal when you know someone be checking up on your progress. Let a trusted friend in on the goal you’ve set, and ask them to keep you accountable.
Don’t spend your life wishing you accomplished more. Use personal goals to help you achieve the life you’ve been dreaming about.
We are all a work in progress. The powerful, interactive process of the
My Big Idea™ Personal Workshopshave been designed to shift your personal vision, boost your performance and activate your ability to achieve transformational goals in a systematic and organic manner.
