Many companies, at the beginning of each year set and help employees define goals for the upcoming year. MBO’s – managing by objectives, SMART goals, Performance Goals and any number of other really cool sounding targets that we should achieve by year end – and maybe we get paid more if they are achieved.
There are several ways that goals are set, among them:
Top-Down: Just what it sounds like. Goals set at the top, everyone else tries to figure out what they mean and achieve them. Sometimes they work well, and we get it and can run to execute and achieve. Other times it leaves the ‘doers’ disconnected, uninvolved and not aligned with the goal-setter’s mission. The team may have a “what’s in it for me” thought, or a feeling of “they just gave me a goal that I don’t care about”.
Personal Goals: Likely in conjunction with the annual performance appraisal, individuals get to set their goals or objectives for the year. Sometimes this works well too. Individuals can grow and achieve. At risk is the connection between the achievement of the goal and the company growth or success, leaving the company saying “what’s in it for me”.
I propose that goals should be set collaboratively, and tie these two approaches together. A model we often use in helping people set goals we call “Big Dot, Little Dot”, which is quite simple. For example, if I am trying to lose weight (Big Dot) I might 1. Exercise, 2. Eat Better, 3. Drink Less Beer. (little dots) Each little dot would have executable tactics that I can do every day to achieve the little dot, and inturn affect the Big Dot. Corporate goals or objectives should work the same way. For example:
- Corporate goal: Grow Sales by 5% >
- Division Goal A: Create and implement new customer facing software >
- Manager’s personal goal A: Learn to evaluate software attributes, build an RFP and negotiate selection,
- Manager Goal B: Develop skill in delegating projects through my team.
It would be easy to get lost in the details of this writing, but I think you get the point. Involving managers at all levels in creating their own goals allows them to buy-in and provides them a voice in what they will work on, personally and professionally. Ensuring they tie into corporate goals and objectives helps keep everyone focused on the same “Big Dot” at the end of the day, which will help achieve the intended corporate results.
Authored by: Zack Clark, MBA
Zack is a Senior Consultant and one of the founding partners at Five Degrees Consulting. This is a blog we share between several of the Consultants at Five Degrees, guest authors and colleagues. We work with companies large and small on People and Organization strategies. Our work specializes in organizational development, leadership effectiveness and executive development. With a focus on working with leaders at all levels to create an intentional corporate culture, we help organizations increase employee engagement, energize working teams, develop critical leadership competencies and enhance strategic communications for more information about our services, please connect with us.