As a business owner you will understand the importance of clear goals, but will have also learnt that you need the help of your team to be successful. Staff are an essential resource in helping you achieve business success and there are a few golden rules to ensuring they buy into them.
So, do you have your goals for next year clearly defined? Whatever your goals, from going global to spending more time with the people you care about, you need to know how to achieve them. This involves resource planning both internally and externally, and managing communications and processes to support your plan.
Plan the timing and process of communicating you goals
The timing of introducing your goal, and the process you use to communicate your goal are vital. Focus on the people working for your business and make sure you have the right people in place. Consider everyone who’s going to play a part in assisting you, if you have team leaders, get them involved in this process early, ask for constructive feedback and make adjustments to you plan if necessary. Ask your team leaders for clear responses on the following:
- What is staff moral like?
- Can you envisage any road-blocks to the plan?
- What extra resourcing will we need?
Creatively communicate your goals
If you want your plans to capture the imagination and support of your team, you need to consider the delivery and the audience when announcing your goal. Think about the benefits, and don’t be afraid to discuss financials. Your team will want to know why the goal is important and how what they do makes a difference to the health of your business.
Understand WIIFM (what’s in it for me)
If you are asking your team to put extra effort into a project, they need to understand why they are doing it. Once your team takes ownership of your business goals, they will get real satisfaction from achieving effective solutions.
If your staff doesn’t have the same level of passion for a project, ask yourself:
- Do they have a clear and simple understanding of what’s required of them to sustain the business?
- What are they passionate about? Can you utilise your staff’s passions to support your goal?
One of your most important tasks as an employer is to evaluate, support, motivate and influence the performance of your team. Subscribe to our Performance Toolkit for all the legislation and advice you need to help your team work smarter.