7 Tips for Effective Team Goal-Setting
Whether you’re a small business owner or a team manager, you will need proper leadership skills in order to succeed in your role. By definition, as a team leader you don’t work alone, so need to build and then nurture a team that can work effectively together. You have to take the proper time to establish goals that everyone in the team understands and buys in. You then have to guide your team towards achieving these goals.
Tips for Effective Employee Goal-Setting
Setting the goals of your team can be a challenge. You have to make sure that having the right objectives can lead you to the profitable and successful results you need. Whether it’s your own business or your career is at stake, your leadership can decide what happens next. To help you set the goals for your team, here are some factors to consider:
Timing
Exactly when should you start setting the goals for your team? The answer here seems obvious, though it doesn’t seem so for some team leaders. The answer is that you need to set your team goals as quickly as you can. Have your goals set at the very beginning so that the entire team is had the right focus to work together.
Write Down the Goals
Just a verbal agreement among the team members isn’t enough. There are good reasons why when goals are written down, you have an 80% greater chance of fulfilling those goals. Goals that have been written down serve as a constant reminder of what you’re all trying to do.
The Goals Must Be Clear
At the same time, there should be confusion as to what you’re working towards. Everyone should be on the same page. This means the definition of success must be clear for everyone. You can’t just say to your sales team that your goal is to improve sales. You have to have a clear idea of how much sales you need to generate in order to declare success. When the goals are delineated clearly, there’s no debate as to whether you’re achieving your aims.
SMART Goals
Your goals must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. That means no vague standards, no impossible missions, no unrelated aims, and a specific time frame must be set. When you have goals that fall within this definition, you have a greater likelihood of success. Learn more about SMART goals here.
Aligned Objectives
As the team leader of the company, the goals you set should be a win-win-win for everyone. It should benefit your team members, your company, and your own self. As a team leader, you can’t just prioritize your own goals to the detriment of your company and the members under your leadership.
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
Doing only the things that you’re comfortable with will hinder your own development. You need to challenge yourself so that your performance improves over time.
Everyone Is Clear On What They Have to Do
The entire process should be divided into daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. This makes things more manageable. With various team members doing their own tasks, they have to check in with you regularly so that you know how each one is progressing. If someone on your team has a problem, as the leader it’s your problem too.
You have to keep in mind that as a team leader, your job isn’t just to set goals and give orders. You also have to set an example for your team. By demonstrating your commitment to achieving the goals you’ve set, you can motivate your team to follow your example.
Founder, Editor-In-Chief // A native Angeleno. John studied engineering at UCLA; founded Schmoozd, an offline social tech networking event in LA with 30,000 subs; ran a startup accelerator (StartEngine). Worked for several major brands like Toyota, DIRECTV, Hitachi, ICANN, and Raytheon. A mentor at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) Entrepreneur School, Dr. David Choi. And advises a dozen local LA startups building amazing tech in various industries; and invested in some. // Let's Connect: john@lastartups.com
Related Posts
