Successful organizations ensure that everyone is working to achieve an overall strategy. Aligning goals places everyone in one boat and rowing in the same direction. Aligned goals create an awareness of purpose and are vital to successful outcomes. Essentially, if your organization isn’t aligning goals it will be at a disadvantage.
6 Steps to Aligning Your Goals:
- Identify the symptom to understand the problem. For example, a symptom is an employee showing up late. The problem is a sick spouse at home.
- Clarify the need. Have a one-on-one meeting and ask questions to determine why this person is late. Do they need time off? A change in schedule? Other accommodations? How do their needs impact those of the team?
- Set a goal. Goals need to be aligned to your organizational and team goals, and it’s important for this person to contribute. Be specific: what are the expected results? Do they need two weeks off, two months, one day per week? How will they be paid? Set a date for a follow-up meeting.
- Develop an action plan. Who is responsible for what? What are the benefits of achieving this goal to the employee and the organization? Write down the obstacles and solutions.
- Measure the results. Is this person arriving when expected or slipping back to late arrivals?
- Evaluate the results. How do the final results compare to the expected results? If the expected outcome has not been achieved, go back to step one.
This process is a very effective tool to assist with setting goals and providing clear expectations. Request our Goal Success Plan to help you get started.
Often goals that provide structure and purpose are communicated from the senior leadership team to provide a strategic course for the whole organization. These goals should reflect the mission and vision statements. Does everyone know your mission and vision statements?
Strategic organizational goals provide a baseline for team goals. As a leader, once you’ve created and shared your team goals, the next step is asking each person to think about their own goals. Work together to create those goals to ensure they are achievable and aligned with the larger team. This is where accountability and confidence are developed.
When everyone contributes in setting aligned goals, your boat will be moving in one direction – toward success.