Goal Posts (#1 of 2) - Tips for Managers
What does authenticity in goal setting look like?
Originally posted on LinkedIn on Jan 16, 2024
Not all companies run goal-setting exercises. Some people dread it, with good reason. Done poorly, goal setting can feel like a waste of effort - a bureaucratic form-filling time-suck.
This week, I’m offering tips for managers to get the most of goal-setting this year.
1. Context Matters
Context supplies the sense of purpose which fuels meaningful goal-setting conversations. What is your company focused on right now? What is your team’s role in achieving success? How do functional groups or individuals need to adapt their behavior?
Your team relies on you to understand the context in which the goal-setting exercise occurs. Use your information pathways to develop context.
2. Reality Check
Goal-setting cannot be a theoretical exercise. It must be grounded in reality. This means accommodating limitations while providing a roadmap for growth. As a manager it’s your job to take stock and guide your team.
In what ways did your team fall short last year? Why?
What new strengths did you discover? Can you capitalize on them?
How is morale? How can you shape goals and responsibilities to improve it?
3. Bring People In
Discuss your observations with your manager, peers, and lieutenants. What did you miss? What’s on their mind? Form a consensus. This is your baseline problem statement.
4. Work Outward, Across the Organization
Goal-setting emerges from the baseline problem statement. What structural changes does the team need? What stakeholder relationships need to be strengthened? What processes warrant improvement? Who is ready for the stretch assignment?
5. Getting It Across
Think about how you want to get key ideas and information across the team. You’ve put in a lot of work, it would be a shame not to get your ideas across. I take a different approach every year based on what I think will work.
One year, I had lots of new joiners – we made goal-setting a more involved exercise so we could build culture and enhance connectivity for these individuals. Other times, goal setting has been an opportunity to step back and let emerging leaders take the spotlight and share their vision.
The most important thing is to decide with your team leads what form of communication will be effective in light of the context framing. Put in the effort to get it right.
6. Start Early
All of the above takes time. I start early. We set goals in February, but I start the goal-setting process in November, when we write performance reviews and set budgets for the coming year.
This way I have plenty of time to take feedback, debate permutations, align the needs we’ve identified to individual strengths and interests, and bring stakeholders alongside.
Next week: tips for individual team members!
J