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How to Align Your Personal and Business Goals
Knowing how to set business goals and align them with personal goals can increase productivity, profits, and employee motivation.
Business goals don’t always have to reflect the personal goals of the employees, nor those of the owners or management. However, if a company member starts thinking that their work doesn’t provide them with benefits or growth, their productivity and outputs may suffer.
A good leader and manager needs to have the company’s interest in mind, as its purpose stands above that of an individual. However, that becomes impossible when members don’t feel valued.
Setting the business goal in accordance with employees’ personal growth and plans will help them reintegrate into the office and keep productivity and morale high. These are some of the most effective methods for workforce alignment.
Tip #1. Know the Mission and Vision
The company’s vision is the ultimate goal and the purpose behind its existence. It serves as an imperative and puts the business as a timeless entity that solves a particular problem in society. The company’s mission, on the other hand, is the way it operates and how it plans to achieve the vision.
Keeping the mission and vision statements clear and easy to remember helps ground the employees, as well as the leaders, allowing them to become part of a well-oiled machine that provides the best service possible.
Tip #2. Make Goals SMART
In the business dictionary, the goals need to be SMART:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Timely
Ensuring that all company goals and mission statements abide by these measures allows management to have an easy overview of how employees and the various departments perform against expectations.
SMART goals benefit from being easier to break down into component pieces, allowing for more straightforward task allocation, management, and reporting.
Tip #3. Focus on Goals Rather Than Incentives
Providing workers with incentives doesn’t give them a lasting benefit or change their way of operating within the company. These temporary solutions usually only hurt long-term performance and productivity by enforcing a culture of coercing employees to finish work to receive a reward.
Furthermore, incentives that are not worth the apparent effort will hurt the company’s standing as a worthwhile employer and may put off future clients. Upper management can also hurt profits if they dole out incentives for tasks that should be the norm.
Tip #4. Ensure a Good Cultural Fit
Employers have the final say on the formalization of company culture and statement. And employees who don’t align with these goals won’t further the company’s vision and may clash with management.
Properly vetting candidates for important business positions will ensure their goals align with both the leader’s personal goals and the company’s mission statement.
For example, an interviewee that looks perfect on paper but lacks the teamwork needed for the role probably won’t relish a team environment.
The Endgame
A company’s goal is usually relatively clear: achieve the vision and make a profit. However, employees’ personal goals can be different and more complex and thus, will need to be tackled on an individual basis for the business to succeed.
With proper management, transparent communication, and a goal-oriented culture, any company can accomplish growth and align members with its vision.