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Goal setting vs. goal planning: Crafting a blueprint for lasting business success

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Goal setting is important for every business. However, employees don’t always feel like they have a complete understanding of company objectives. As these goal-planning decisions are often left for management to implement, the process can leave your team in the dark. When employees lack a list of goals to work toward, it can create a barrier between them and the company. How do you combat this strain on productivity?

 

The clearest way is for employers to create a shared understanding of performance goals for their team and across the company. At the personal level, employees also need to know what their monthly goals are. By having a transparent goal setting and management process that your team has access to, you can ensure that everyone will be on the same page.

 

Clarity isn’t only good for your employees—it’s good for business. When your team understands how they contribute to the company, they feel more connected and motivated. Collaboration between workers and managers builds trust and creates a reasonable understanding of performance expectations. When you can accurately measure performance, it helps guide future planning, which reduces risk and increases flexibility.

 

Having solid goals in place can also motivate your employees and give them a sense of accomplishment. Finding the right balance is key. When an employee meets or exceeds their monthly goals, it builds confidence and can and overall satisfaction in their role. A team that continuously exceeds expectations, both personally and professionally, will help achieve a high-performance organization and create a lasting impact on your business.

 

Practice makes perfect

 

The art of goal setting requires time, some patience, and a little practice. It won’t be accomplished in a single meeting, and it needs periodic updating and management. When done right, creating a strong list of goals, and sticking to them can strengthen employee efficiency, which can improve every aspect of your business.

 

Through effective goal setting, every organization has the potential to grow and thrive. Explore how goal setting works, view some best practices, and find out how you can revolutionize the workplace and inspire your team to achieve new heights of productivity.

Goal setting vs goal planning

While these terms may seem interchangeable, there is a difference between goal setting and goal planning. Think of them as two broad steps:

 

The first step is goal setting. You and your team will determine what your business wants to achieve. During this process, you’ll also be examining why your suggested goals will improve business. These can remain as specific or as vague as you want. The key here is that, as a team, you’re creating a list of goals that everyone can agree on that have purpose and bring value to your organization.

 

Goal planning comes next. Once you know what your business goals are, you will determine how your team will achieve them. At this stage, you’ll work with your committee to break down the specifics of each goal. One of the most efficient methods of creating strong goals is by making them SMART.

Write SMART goals

Take your list of goals and break them down into simple components. Each goal should have the following characteristics:

 

  • Specific. Vague or overall lofty ideas don’t make for strong Drill down to determine exactly what you’re trying to achieve. What is the goal of your project?
  • Measurable. Every goal must have a way to evaluate success. This component is usually numerical, monetary, or a percentage. It needs to be something you can keep track of over a set amount of time.
  • Attainable. If the measurable goal is too lofty, it sets your team up for failure. Create benchmarks that are within reason. Use previous data related to your goal to set the bar at the appropriate level.
  • Relevant. This piece closely aligns with attainability. The goals you set must be realistic for your employees. Spending several hours each day on
  • Time-bound. Every good goal needs a deadline, otherwise it lacks urgency and is most likely not a priority. Work with your team to find measurable and achievable milestones.

 

SMART goals can give your employees a clear idea of what they need to do and how they can accomplish them. It also makes it easier for management to track and report progress. 

Create a list of goals for business planning

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As you and your team brainstorm ideas, make sure to write everything down. At this early stage in the process, there are no bad ideas. Think about what your organization does well, where there might be challenges, and create a list of achievable goals that will provide value for your business. Collaborating on these goals will improve their quality and ensure everyone is on the same page.

 

After some deliberation, you’ll begin to see patterns emerge. It might be helpful to group similar ideas together into a larger, more general goal. Look at your list. Determine how much time each goal will need and split the list into two groups:

  • Long-term goals are achieved over many months or even years. These are the big-picture plans and will have many moving parts.
  • Short-term goals can be achieved in days, weeks, or months, and will fit into completing one or more long-terms goal over time.

 

With this list, you’ll want to figure out which goals take priority over others. Simpler tasks will take precedence over more challenging ones. Rank your goals in order of importance and determine how your team will accomplish them in the most efficient way possible. Using tools like burndown charts can make the process easier to manage. It might take some time, but all this pre-planning will create a blueprint for a lasting business impact.

Develop monthly performance goals

Now that your team has put together a grand plan for your business, it’s time to develop clear, actionable performance goals. These milestones will give your employees a better understanding of expectations and allow them to organize their workday.

Say your business is starting a new marketing campaign. Leadership will meet with project managers to establish goals, develop the project scope, and compile a list of deliverables. Having a shareable document to track progress helps avoid confusion and keeps everyone on the same page.

Don’t feel like you need to start from nothing. There are a wide variety of project planning templates available, and collaborative tools like Microsoft OneNote can keep your team organized. Here’s an example of a content calendar:

Leading up to launch, there will be key milestones your team will need to reach. Meet with your team to set expectations and establish due dates. Share the calendar with them so they can track their own progress. It is also helpful to assess if any potential risks could arise and create a contingency plan. Hope for the best and create new goals to counter anything unexpected.

Meetings should be kept to a minimum, but it’s important to check in from time to time. You can also assign tasks for employees to report on their assignments without having to schedule unnecessary meetings. There are plenty of ways to communicate without sacrificing productivity. Find the channel that works best for you and your team.

As the project progresses, take the time to address key milestones. Celebrate the wins. Address any challenges that may come up. These check-ins can be brief and will make sure everyone remains in alignment with project goals. It also reminds employees that their work is contributing to achieving a high-performing organization, which can offer a sense of self-accomplishment and boost their motivation.

Five tips to keep your business goals on track

When you’re ready to get started on goal setting for your organization, here are a few things to keep in mind:

  1. Keep it simple—but not too simple. When you have large, complex goals, it’s better to split them up into smaller goals so you don’t risk oversimplifying the entire project.
  2. Don’t be afraid to dream big. In the planning phase, anything goes. It’s important to set up short-term milestones, but these little steps can and should lead toward greater goals further down the line.
  3. Build your path to the top. A flight of stairs has many steps with several landings between floors. Think of objectives as your steps, and your project’s milestones are the landings. Take things one step at a time.
  4. Let creativity flourish. Don’t set goals that are too rigid. Allowing room for experimentation can inspire some interesting ideas you might not have considered.
  5. Assess and adjust goals as needed. As things progress, check in with your team. If an issue arises, you want to know about it sooner than later. Make changes to keep the project on course.

Start goal setting today

Any business can set goals. To build a more successful business, take time to carefully consider what you want to achieve and lay the groundwork for accomplishing your goals. Collaboration is also important. Include your employees in the planning process so they can provide input for realistic expectations. Having clear, actionable goals can inspire professional growth and create a lasting impact across your organization.

Don’t forget that goal setting isn’t a one-time event. Review your company’s completed goals with your team and break down how things went. Were there unseen obstacles? Did it feel too easy to accomplish? Document wins and challenges so that you can plan more efficient goals in the future.

The goal setting process is an art that takes some effort, but the value your organization can receive when doing it right is limitless. As you plan and develop goals, remember that it doesn’t have to be a painstaking process. Take advantage of cloud-based tools like Microsoft OneNote to help you organize every meeting and keep your team connected.

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