Goal Posts (#2 of 2) – Tips for Team Members

Bringing your authentic self to the conversation.

Originally posted on LinkedIn on Jan 23, 2024

Goal Posts (#2 of 2) – Tips for Team Members

Last week, I posted six tips for leaders setting annual team goals. What if you are a team member? What should you do?

Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash

1.    Read Last Week’s Post

Seriously. Understand what your team leader is trying to be accomplish. It’s the best way to ensure you are an integral part of the solution.

2.    Be Enterprise-Focused

Yes, goal-setting is a personal exercise. But it’s more accurate to think of it as an investigative exercise to identify the specific actions and adaptations you can take to maximize the influence and impact you can have on the success of your company.

Of course, your skills, strengths and preferences need to be considered – otherwise how will your work energize you? But success for you in this role means matching what makes you special to what your company, team or manager needs.

3.    Reflect on Your Feedback

If you had a year-end review, re-read the constructive feedback. If you’ve got a good manager, he or she wrote your review with the aim of helping you grow professionally. Even if the feedback was hard to listen to or accept, confront it – and importantly, confront yourself. Being aware of your shortcomings is the first step in addressing them. If you and your manager are not on the same page, you need to consider your situation carefully.

4.    Understand the Art of Goal-Writing

There’s plenty of literature on this. Here’s a particularly good one:
https://lnkd.in/eVVrMv6k

5.    Own It

It’s up to you whether goal-setting is a chore or an opportunity. Hold your manager accountable by engaging early, responding positively, and bringing your ideas. After all, it’s your career. If you’re disengaged and disinterested, maybe the problem goes deeper than disagreeing with your company whether goal-setting is a fruitful exercise or not.

We are fortunate to be living in a complex time with interesting problems to solve. I hope you’re working someplace where you are engaged intellectually and your work is bringing out the best in you. If not, watch this space! We are constantly on the lookout for great people to work with.

J