The recent survey done by Inc.com, an assessment of small company owners by Staples revealed the fact that almost 80% of the individuals do not track their business goals. Additionally, it was revealed that 77% of leaders did not achieve their firm’s vision either.
If you thought goal setting of employees is different from business goals, you are partially correct. In theory, they are different. However, an employee’s goals are the base or baby steps to achieve the company’s vision or business goals. Below we will talk about goal setting and how an organization can help their employees to take these small steps to get a loyal and motivated workforce.
What is Goal-Setting?
Goals are the final destination that any individual who wants to achieve in the due course of time. Goal setting is a process of planning, aligning, tracking, executing the baby steps taken to achieve a milestone and reach your goal. For an organization, there would be two types of goals – one being the business goal and second being the employee / individual goals.
For a successful business, it is very essential to align the employee’s goal to business goals, for the simple reason that employees should feel part of the company and work together as a team to achieve the common goal.
Tips to Set Right Goals for your Workforce
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Involve Employees:
If you thought you have full right and authority to set your employees goal, you are right. But just for a moment, think about it – would you like someone to dictate you what you need to achieve and what if it’s not aligned to your personal goals? Would you be keen on working? That’s exactly an employee feels when you try to impose something on him.
However, the opposite of this situation is also not good. If you leave the whole responsibilty of goal setting with the employee, he might not be aware of the business goals and the importance of its alignment with the firm’s vision.
Therefore, a mutual consensus is an absolute must. You need to sit and discuss with your employee and also convey your business goals.
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Goals Need to be SMART:
It is essential to be SMART with your goals by following these following steps.
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Specific:
Get the focus and hit the target.
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Measurable:
Set goals that could be measured after a certain time, such as valid bugs that were raised by the tester.
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Attainable:
Do not aim for unachievable targets. For example, setting a goal for a project that is in maintenance phase since last two
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Relevant:
Set goals that are of relevance to the indiv
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Time Bound:
Set a specific time to revisit the goal.
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Goals Setting should not be Verbal:
Make sure to jot down all the points and make a formal document of the goals with the employee. It provides clarity to both the parties on what has been agreed upon, and what are the expectations from the others.
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Plan Your Course of Action:
For example, one of the goals in the employee list is to learn a specific language, and to be able to develop a low priority feature code by the end of three months. These following steps might be essential to achieving this goal.
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- Planning of instructor-led training or self-learning by the employee one month each day for one hour.
- Allowing him to devote that time. [which means his non-availability for regular work]
- For the second month, start work on exercises or getting through the existing code to get familiar with.
- With the start of the third month, assign a low priority feature and let him develop it.
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Stay Dedicated:
Most of the New Year resolutions fail after the first week or first month. That’s not a big surprise, as keeping yourself motivated is hard. So you need to keep yourself dedicated and motivated for each baby steps you cross.
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Keep Recognition Handy:
Keep recognition handy and be free to use for your loyal and hard working employees. That is the best antidote for a dependable resource.
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Never Sideline Employees’ Personal Interest:
For example, an employee has a keen interest in finance. However, he has a very good technical hand and has been proven dependable in many critical situations, and has also mentioned his goal of moving into product management line. You need to design goals that help him satisfy this hunger.
Employees who have a clear understanding of their individual goals and the relation of their goals with the firm’s vision are the ones more engaged and dedicated to their work. Most successful companies have already realized this fact and know that changes in their achievements are directly linked to the ability to handle, track and convert goals.
