If you’re struggling to set or meet goals for yourself, your business, and your employees, these four tips can help you and your team hit your goals out of the park!
Have Clear Objectives
When creating a new goal, make sure the objectives are clear, specific, and attainable. A goal such as “be the best in our area” sounds exciting, but without specific goals, you and your team might lose sight of the endgame or be unsure of how to reach the target. Instead, break down your goal into something specific, like increasing sales by a certain percentage or signing up a certain number of new clients.
Additionally, try to focus on one important goal, rather than setting many smaller goals. If you have numerous goals, think about a common theme and a way to combine them into an overall goal. If you have too many goals, it can lead to confusion or poor time management.
Keep up the Motivation
Once you have a clear and attainable goal, make sure all your employees are aware of the goal and their role in reaching it. Consider sharing the goal in a document that all employees can access, or even make a chart to hang in a common area that highlights the goal, any objectives, and any updates on your team’s progress toward hitting the goal. Keep the goal fresh in your employee’s minds so that they’ll stay excited and passionate about their own role in helping reach the goal.
Acknowledge Achievements
Similarly, keep up the momentum and enthusiasm by celebrating any important milestones toward reaching the goal. If a certain employee does something to help reach the goal, for example, acknowledge their effort and good work. This not only makes the well-performing employee feel appreciate, but encourages other to step up and do their own part to reach the overall goal.
Address Setbacks
While it’s important to celebrate success, you should also address any setbacks that get in the way of your goal. If there’s an issue that arises, like a missed quarterly deadline or a month of underperforming, address the issue with your employees or any team of employees that of responsible for that specific aspect of the goal. Address problems as they happen, rather than at end when you hit—or don’t hit—your overall goal. This ensures that everyone on your team is aware of setbacks, and also provides you with the chance to address issues in a timely manner.