Creating and Aligning Company Goals as an Organization, Team, and Individual
Apr 21, 2023It's a very well-known fact that a large number of businesses fail within their first year. There are plenty of reasons that this happens, like poor planning, economic downturns, and not hiring the right people, but possibly the most crucial is that the goals of the individual did not align properly with the goals of the organization. That's not to say that the individual's personal goals did not match the company's. They don't need to be similar in any way. Rather, the individual was not entirely aware of the overall micro and macro goals of the company, and the company did not accurately describe the details of the tasks at hand. In order to succeed in business, it's necessary to align the company goals with that of the individual. To do this, certain steps must be taken to ensure that everybody knows and understands the steps to reach every milestone.
1. Benefits of Having an Aligned Organization
1. Increased speed in decision-making. The inability to make quick decisions, in fact, to make any decision at all, can cripple productivity and the company at large. Having employees who know the goals and how they align with the organization helps in the decision-making process and helps improve speed.
2. Better employee engagement. Employees are more likely to engage with company productivity if they know where they fit in the whole scheme. Engaged employees mean better goal maintenance.
3. More beneficial use of resources. An aligned company can clearly define what is a waste of resources and what is a benefit. This delineation ensures that the company is making the most use of the limited resources they have.
4. Improved self-governance. When everybody in the company knows what their goals are and what they're trying to achieve, they have a greater ability to govern their own productivity and reach goals and deadlines without their employer having to hover.
5. Less confusion between members. Similarly, there is less confusion (which would ultimately take away from team productivity) between employees.
6. More credibility. An aligned company is confident and sure of itself, creating an outward image that reflects its inward process. This gives more open credibility to the organization as a whole.
7. Optimized talents and skills. When the company works together, they know the talents of the individual and those talents can be developed into professional or company certifications.
8. Safer risk taking. In an aligned organization, employers and employees can take more risks, knowing more specifically the potential outcomes of each decision. It is not without potential downturns, but the decision is made with more confidence.
9. A dynamic culture of achievers. The culture of a company feeds directly off of its efficiency and success. It becomes cyclical, and those who are part of the organization's success help build and contribute to its dynamic culture.
2. How Mutual Goals Help Everybody
Clear goals and expectations don't only help the business succeed. They also help teams and employees succeed in their part of the company structure. Here are a few ways that mutual goals help everybody thrive.
1. Goals set the tone for organizational strategy. This strategy helps employees break down overall goals into manageable tasks and helps them prioritize one task over another based on which goal needs to be met first.
2. Employees understand how their contributions help maintain both team and organization-wide goals. When employees don't see how their position fits into the overall strategy, they feel lost and unsure. Helping them understand how their specific job contributes to the company's goals helps with feelings of validation and success.
3. Priorities are clarified. In line with knowing where the employee fits in with the organization and how their tasks benefit the whole, knowing this helps them clarify their priorities and eliminates the frustration that comes from not having a clear list of responsibilities.
4. Aligned goals help connect employees to teams. Knowing what your overall company goals are, and how the individual employee fits into helping achieve those goals, they can be grouped into teams based on their own tasks to help each other reach daily, weekly, and yearly milestones.
5. Reaching goals together gives individual employees a sense of fulfillment. High employee turnover is something that absolutely kills businesses. Keeping employees satisfied is key to maintaining high employee retention rates. Knowing how their contributions help the business thrive helps them understand their value within the structure and keeps them satisfied in their position.
3. How to Align Company Goals to Benefit the Whole
1. Set clear organizational goals. People who set goals are 10% more likely to succeed, and when it comes to setting goals, you need to be specific. The more specific, the better. Have specific numbers in mind and write down and develop a specific process. It helps to be retrospective. Look at what has worked for the business before and what has not, and develop goals and strategies based on that.
2. Develop a plan to achieve your goals. The difference between goals and dreams is that dreams are something you can't control. On the other hand, goals are things that you can set actionable steps to achieve. Developing a strategy puts you one step closer to reaching micro and macro goals.
3. Get buy-in from leadership. Once a goal is set, share it with the team to get approval and make sure that everybody is on board. Meet with managers on every level to communicate ideas and outline the specifics of the plan.
4. Communicate goals on every level. Make sure that expectations for each individual are clear and that they can be accountable for each step they take toward that goal. When goals are understood, employees are 2.8 times more likely to engage in the work. Simple open communication methods are an efficient way of helping maintain an upward goal achievement strategy.
5. Help employees achieve their goals. After expectations have been clarified, ensure that employees are maintaining progress toward their individual goals. This helps the company keep on track for the overall growth goals.
6. Build teams whose goals intersect. Aligning goals is necessary on every level and from every standpoint. In building teams, ensure that their goals are compatible and that those whose goals are to connect can still work independently while building off of each other.
7. Create standards of completion. Goals can still be met with sub-par work. Develop a strategy that helps individuals maintain a minimum standard of excellence so that goals are reached to their fullest potential.
Creating and aligning company goals on various levels can ensure the daily and long-term success of the organization. There are many benefits to developing a company culture that works off each other to create more success, and the time and effort that it takes to learn where certain talents lie and how to use everyone to their maximum productivity will pay off as time goes on. It is true that a large number of companies fail before ever really starting, but that doesn't have to be yours. Properly aligning your employee's goals with that of their team and the organization will help build longevity in every facet of your business.
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