“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.” (Bill Copeland, poet and historian)

Nobody wants to do that if your end goal is business success. So, as another new year looms on the horizon, how do you inspire your employees toward setting effective short and long-term goals, which will add to the bigger picture of growth and achievement in 2024?

How to Help Employees Create Strong Professional Goals

Make Sure Employee Goals Align with Company Goals

Encourage team members to define and share their personal goals, and help them see how working toward them also supports your company. From the time you interview and hire a new employee, this goal alignment should be your number one priority.

• Regularly communicate your key business plans and objectives so employees can determine how their skills, expertise, and interests can support them.

Take a SMART Approach to Help People Reach Their Goals

Managers can drive business objectives, but it’s best if employees develop their specific goals themselves. Supervisors should play a guiding role to keep them on track and steer them back if they veer off course, but the aha moments will come when individuals realize they’ve achieved that desired goal alignment on their own.

To provide this direction, use a SMART goal approach. SMART is an acronym for:

• Specific: The more an employee can hone in on the details of their goals, the more managers can help them take the necessary steps to get there.
• Measurable: Effective planning includes firm criteria for tracking progress toward goals. This helps everyone stay on track and keeps employees accountable. It also adds powerful motivation as people quantify how much closer they get to goal achievement.
• Achievable: A well-defined goal is one that can be realistically achieved. At the same time, goals should stretch people enough that they feel challenged. Work with employees to reach this balance by asking: Is your goal realistic? Do you have what you need to get it done? How does it fit in with your overall workload? Are others available to help if you need it?
• Relevant: Employees should be able to clearly see the benefit of going after a goal, understand how and why it’s important to the business, and know how their work is part of the bigger picture.
• Time-Based: Everyone needs to be in agreement about not only what they need to reach goals, but also about deadlines for completion. This also adds a healthy dose of urgency, which can enhance individual and team motivation.

Call on KeyHR Today

Teamwork, planning, goal setting, and employee development are all areas where outsourcing HR duties can be a winning strategy for small to mid-sized businesses. Partnering in a professional employer organization (PEO), employee leasing, or other model can be just the boost your business needs to be positioned for future success. Contact KeyHR today to learn more about your best options.