Happy New Year! Finally, 2020 is over and 2021 has just begun. Along with the new year, your team may have new plans and new goals to accomplish in the coming months. Setting goals at the start of the new year is a common practice in the workplace; however, goals may sometimes be neglected or forgotten about as time passes. To successfully achieve goals, your team must first understand how to effectively set goals, which is a step that often does not receive enough attention.

By properly setting goals, we not only create an incentive for ourselves, but the data says we also are more likely to experience higher levels of achievement. According to this article published by Psychology Today, a 2015 study conducted by psychologist Gail Matthews indicated that participants who wrote out their goals were 33% more likely to achieve them versus those who simply envisioned the outcome in their heads. Essentially, the way in which we set our goals determines how effectively we can achieve them. If this one method can make a 33% difference, imagine what else your team could accomplish with the proper knowledge and tools.

How to properly establish your team’s goals

Accomplishing goals is a two-part challenge. Don’t make the mistake of thinking establishing your goals is the easy part because that isn’t always true. In fact, how you set and establish goals will probably determine if you actually achieve them. In order to increase the odds of success for you and your team, consider incorporating the following:

Implement proven methods for setting goals

There are methods for achieving your goals, but there are also methods for properly setting goals. You need to utilize both if you want to accomplish your ultimate objective. One of the most common (and most effective) methods for establishing goals is to create what is known as SMART goals.

As a human resources professional, you should take it upon yourself to understand methods such as this one so that you can help educate your team. When your team members succeed in their goals, so does your company.

Provide a bigger purpose for your team

When establishing your team’s goals, try to set ones that will motivate your team. You can accomplish this by aligning the bigger picture of your organization to the efforts of your team members. In this article published by the Harvard Business Review, it quotes Linda Hill, co-author of Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader, saying, “Achieving goals is often about making tradeoffs when things don’t go as planned. [Employees] need to understand the bigger picture to make those tradeoffs when things go wrong.”

For employees, understanding how their actions play into the bigger picture helps to increase their engagement and motivation. When the goals set by the organization and the employees are meaningful and purposeful, your team will have the motivation to accomplish them.

How to optimize your team’s success

Once you have set goals that are attainable and ensure your team is engaged, you actually have to follow through with achieving them. When managing your team’s performance, the following strategies can help.

Ensure your team understands what is expected of them

Communication is a vital part of any team’s success. Former CEO and co-founder of Canva, Melanie Perkins, notes communication as one of the ways her team was able to grow exponentially while still achieving their goals. In an article published by Business Insider, Perkins is quoted as saying, “Good communication is one of the most important aspects of being a good leader and helping the team make good decisions on achieving their goals…it’s important that we have a focus on making sure everyone has as much context as possible.”

When your team is effective in its communication strategies, everyone will understand what needs to be done, how it needs to be done, when it needs to be done, and how they will need to contribute. In fact, a study shared by CMS Wire indicated that 97% of workers believe communication has an impact on daily tasks. If you want your team to be performing at an optimum level, you’ll need to ensure there is also a focus on communication.

Create a plan for success

Once your goal has been set and your team is aware of their role, you’ll need to ensure there is a success plan in place or assist your employees in creating one. Build your success plan around the milestones you will need to reach in order to achieve your goal. If you created SMART goals, what specific benchmarks were set that will lead up to your final goal? How will your team achieve those benchmarks within the deadlines you already created?

The key to creating an effective success plan is breaking it down into manageable and digestible parts. In doing so, you’ll help to increase your odds of success while also helping your employees to avoid feeling overwhelmed or burnt out.

The new year brings with it new opportunities. In order to achieve them, you’ll need to think strategically. It can all begin with properly setting your goals. Leave our team a comment on what strategies you implement to achieve your goals and share this article with your network to help them in the new year as well. Our team here at BrandResumes hopes you have a prosperous and successful 2021. Keep checking in for more articles every Friday at noon to ensure this year is a success.