Are Your Employees On Board With Your Organizational Goals?
“Researchers have found that companies with the strongest cultures – where values and norms are widely shared and strongly held – tend to outperform their peers” – Adam Zuckerman
It is the time of the year to review past goals and set new ones. A few things to ponder:
“A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow” – General George S. Patton
Employee performance increases by an average of more than 15 percent when supervisors help their team members set goals. The best goal statements are challenging but attainable, communicated clearly and known to others and accepted by employees (i.e. “buy-in” has been achieved).
To add practicality to your goal-setting process, keep these bits of advice in mind:
- Look backward before you define tomorrow’s goals. The future can often be foretold dimply by projecting last year’s history forward and adjusting it for current conditions.
- When you sense the changes may make history obsolete, define your new goals within ranges. That is, instead of an absolute goal of, say, an 8 percent reduction in expense, aim for a range of 5 to 10 percent.
- Always set the routinely attainable goals first. Then you can consider goals that require problem solving and innovation. Don’t commit to more than you can deliver. Set only goals you believe you can attain with the resources at hand.
- Allow for environmental or organizational influences that can affect your plans for better or worse. Give special attention to human factors – especially the extent to which your employees will support or obstruct your plans.
- Follow up by creating a feedback loop. Monitor your goal-achievement success to see what lessons you can learn for future improvement.
Finally, be assured that the more often you set goals, the more accurate you will be. This is one activity that improves with experience. – Supervision: Managing for Results, John W. Newstom
Let MDS help you review your goals and performance and make 2014 your best year ever!