Happy 2018!
As we embark on a New Year, many of us find ourselves optimistic and excited about the upcoming year in both our professional and personal lives. In fact, most of us recognize this time of year as the best time to identify and set goals for ourselves.
However, most of us find the task of taking action to achieve our set goals daunting in and of itself as it requires a sincere commitment and discipline. So what if you’re responsible for leading a company or team to achieve outlined objectives for the year, quarter or month? What steps can you take to inspire motivation and commitment in your team members?
Whether you are an experienced leader or fresh faced to leadership, there are a few simple steps you can take to ensure that your team’s goals are clearly communicated and executed.
Communication
When working with a team toward a common goal, communication should remain your number one priority, aside from accomplishing your objective. It is the foundation, the infrastructure, the life blood of your entire project. Without it, you will not make any progress. It is absolutely essential to ensure that every member of your team clearly and correctly understands the objective and how it will be achieved, including what responsibilities they will carry in assisting with the realization with the goal.
Mapping
When introducing priorities and objectives for your team to accomplish within the constraints of your timeline take time to break down each goal to include specific objectives and timelines within the goal itself. This allows each team member to trace how each mild accomplishment leads to achieving the big goal. Further it provides for the opportunity to assign specific responsibilities to each team member and how their contributions escort progress.
Set Expectations
Following the course of mapping, it is also important to exchange your expectations for the projects and/or goals so your team is aware of what is expected out of them individually and as a unit. But remember to continue to reiterate what the anticipated outcome if everyone commits their best to each other and the project.
Celebrate
Remember to acknowledge accomplishments. Specifically recognize a team member that has put in extra time for a project, helped out a colleague, made a contribution that allowed for greater efficiency or saved money, and when the team as a whole is doing exceptionally well.
Leading a team toward a common goal is not an easy feat, but by taking the time to follow a few simple steps, the process can be made enjoyable and exciting for all involved.
