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The Importance of Goal-Setting for You and Your Employees

Goal-setting represents an important aspect of management. However, it takes nuance and tact to maximize its value. Yes, you need to be the boss. But it doesn’t often pay to be too bossy.

After all, micromanagement rarely contributes to productivity and empowering your workers often leads to increased innovation. Still, it’s important to find a balance. Without transparent objectives, employees often wander off course.

For example, one study found that only about half of workers feel strongly that they know what their employers expect of them. That leaves a lot of room for misunderstanding. Lacking a clear purpose, your team will end up wasting effort and getting frustrated.

Goal-setting represents a crucial activity for both you and your employees, aligning everyone’s visions and driving increased performance. Knowing how to achieve this key factor of cooperation will unlock your team’s potential. Here are a few steps you can take:

How You and Your Employees Can Successfully Set (And Achieve) Goals

Set (and Re-Set) Goals Frequently

Make goal-setting part of your organizational routine. Create procedures for developing and tracking objectives, establishing it as part of each employees’ normal operations. This way, the process will become second nature.

At the same time, build flexibility and a willingness to learn into your corporate culture. This means regularly reassessing goals. Rather than becoming rigid about targets, let them evolve based on incoming information. This will make you more responsive to the changing realities of the market.

Frame SMART Goals

It’s not enough just to set goals. That’s only the first part of the process. To avoid creating meaningless busywork, the objectives you establish need to have long-term value.

Luckily, there’s a formula for that. By establishing so-called SMART goals, you ensure that you get the most out of the process. Here are the elements to include:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Achievable
  • Relevant
  • Time-based

Make Frequent Micro Improvements

Big goals are great. Communicating a grand vision can drive your company forward. As such, make sure to generate ambitious long-term targets that will push your workers to new horizons.

However, remember that most major objectives are achieved in stages. To reach your big goal, break your monumental aspiration into more manageable chunks. By targeting micro steps forward, you build the framework to achieve the loftier missions you set.

Encourage Feedback

Don’t make goal-setting a one-way communication. You shouldn’t dictate the objectives. Yes, your input will weigh heavily in the ultimate target that gets set. But your employees should also get a chance to provide their perspective.

As part of this, encourage frequent feedback from your employees. This will allow you to set realistic, yet ambitious goals. At the same time, giving your team members a voice increases their buy-in when it comes time to pursue the objectives.

Reward Success

Make sure your employees are invested in the goal-setting project. To do so, they need to know that following through on the process is worth their time and effort. That way, they’ll remain motivated to pursue the objectives you set together.

Build this culture by rewarding success. As your employees reach their targets, provide them with positive reinforcement. At the low end, you can simply let them know you appreciate the effort. As part of this, you can provide them with public praise for their accomplishment.

Beyond this, you should also consider monetary rewards and possible professional advancement. Successfully achieving goals over the long term should make your employees eligible for raises, bonuses, and promotions.

Looking for Help to Reach Your Goals?

Creating aggressive goals gets easier when you have the right staff in place. A top recruiter, like Elby Professional Services, will connect you with high-value employees, who can help you reach your grandest ambitions.

Contact Elby today to find the best professionals for your organization.

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