The importance of setting goals
Off the back of a challenging year, starting 2021 off on the right foot is a no-brainer. A positive outlook and well-structured goals are just what you need to ensure that this year, despite a global pandemic and COVID-19 still changing the way we work, turns out to be a successful one.
While people tend to focus on setting personal goals to tick off throughout the year, many forget just how valuable and important setting goals in the workplace can be. According to an article posted by Impraise, setting goals in the workplace help guide and direct, facilitate planning, motivate and inspire employees, and help evaluate and control performance.
In another study, goal setting led to improved productivity in 95% of the organizations surveyed. It also led to a 16% increase in worker productivity and was used by 61% of organizations surveyed to increase performance.
So how do you go about creating goals for yourself, and with your team, in your workplace (whether that be virtually or in person)?
1. WRITE THEM DOWN
You’ve got to start somewhere, and that somewhere is by identifying your goals and writing them down. This makes them real. It puts them on paper, in black and white, to hold you accountable. It’s also a way to get you excited and keep you motivated.
However, it’s important to remember that when identifying these goals, you need to make sure they’re the right goals for you. But how do you know what’s right for you? Guest writer on Pick the Brain, Lori Jewett, suggests considering the following questions when setting goals:
- what are my values?
- what are my strengths?
- what do I love doing?
- what do I want my ideal day to look like?
- what required to reach this goal?
- will I enjoy the journey?
2. MAKE SURE THEY’RE REALISTIC
There’s a fine line between making a goal realistic and attainable, too easy to the point that they’re not motivating enough, or too difficult to reach. Research published in Reference for Business states that employees are most highly motivated when there is a 50% chance of achieving a goal.
When setting realistic goals, we suggest focussing on the SMART FORMULA which states that goals need to be:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time bound
3. SET AN ACTION PLAN
So, you’ve got your goals outlined and written down, ready to tackle. The next step is to determine the key actions needed to achieve these goals.
Forbes contributor, Heather MacArthur, warns against turning this into a tedious project plan, stating; “Your key actions simply constitute a reference guide, or map, of where you want to drive your performance throughout the year. Your key actions should consist of tangible activities that you can see. They can include how you’ll use key projects, processes, or responsibilities to accomplish your goals.”
We suggest breaking these key activities up into weekly, monthly or quarterly tasks to make them slightly more achievable and within reach.
4. REFLECT
You may never truly understand the success of your goals if you’re not reflecting on them. Once you’ve set out your action plan, go back to your goals and activities once they’re complete and reflect.
Future Females cofounder, Lauren Dallas, suggests in her goal setting workbook that once you’ve identified what you want and how you’re going to achieve it, you need to go back and write down the actual results achieved, if there were any gaps to the expected results, and the reflections and learnings. This way you’re able to see if you’re on track to reaching your goals or what you need to change in order to get back on track.
So, what are you waiting for? Get on a virtual call with your teams, or go at it alone, but start planning your work goals and make sure 2021 is a year of productivity, growth and success.