We have turned the page on a new year and 2017 is now well underway. The wonderful thing about a new year is that it provides us the opportunity to embrace new ventures for growth and progress. Starting the year by reviewing our personal and professional goals from 2016, we can find the insight to help plan for the upcoming months. Unfortunately, New Year resolutions are often abandoned as early as February. This is why we believe in the importance of setting achievable goals to help guide you to success. There is no tried and true method for establishing meaningful goals, but there are certain strategies to simplify the process.
The first step is to determine which goals will help satisfy your particular needs. Consider the acronym S.M.A.R.T. when creating your goals. This device reminds you to create sound, quantifiable goals that are easy to communicate.
If you know you struggle setting goals, it can be helpful to reflect on your previous year’s performance and identify areas that you wish to improve. Then, every few weeks, you can evaluate your progress towards these benchmarks. Don’t be discouraged if you discover you need to change or reprioritize your goals. Making realistic goals for yourself will help you to stick with them through the year.
As a manager, you play an important role in guiding your staff to set and achieve their professional goals. Creating a strong and cohesive work environment can be incredibly beneficial. This starts with honest communication within your team. Maintain an open door policy to facilitate this dialogue between staff and management and among team members. Also, use this as an opportunity to explain the goals of your organization and help them understand the big picture. This offers the team a chance to see the purpose and value of their work and to shape their professional goals to be mutually beneficial.
Also, remember that stress can be more detrimental to your team’s morale than anything else. It’s important to help your team find a balance between their personal and professional lives. Encourage your staff to take time to recharge when they need it, so they are always ready to take on new challenges. Push them to improve and hone their skills in pursuit of their personal goals.
Helping your employees to achieve their personal and professional goals often means needing the time to do both. If you can be flexible in helping your staff reach both sets of their goals, they will be more relaxed and their performance will improve.
By combining these principles with strong, focused goals, you can build stronger workplace relationships and facilitate company growth.
