Goals.

Whether you are working company plans for the year or an employee’s annual review is around the corner, goals are the foundation. Not only are the goals you set important, but the way they are set is just as important. As a business owner or leader in your organization, consider these tips in your process:

Tip 1. Involve your employees in the process, early. Engagement increases when employees are involved in the goal setting process from the beginning. They have more buy in and are more likely to achieve results.

Tip 2. Communicate the overall company goals. When employees know the big picture of a company, they are more likely to establish their own goals that will help the company go where you, the leader, are trying to take it.

Tip 3. Include personal goals. Helping them succeed in their personal life not only creates satisfaction for your employees but shows them you care about them outside the office walls.

Tip 4. Break them down. Start with a 5-year goal, then your one-year goal, then break that down into quarter goals that can be broken down into monthly goals if needed. It helps to see that first and second bite when you are trying to eat an elephant.

Tip 5. Update as needed. Goals should be ever evolving, more of moving targets than stationary points, and revisited throughout the year. If circumstances make a goal unattainable, change it. Don’t let your employees hit a wall, redirect them. 

Don’t forget to make the goals SMART (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant and Timely).