Your organization has many objectives. These goals are set at the division or departmental levels. Your employees have even got specific purposes in their performance plans. However, this doesn’t suggest that these goals will be met “when” you’d like or “how” you’d like. What are you able to do to inspire your employees to achieve the performance you’d like to see? Try these three methods.
1. Create a goal-alignment chart for employees.
Employees want to know their part in the Big Picture when it comes to reaching their goals. And they’d like to understand where they are in the image. The more they know is, the more likely they’ll be to provide the type of performance you’re hoping for. It is possible to increase this awareness by sharing information about your goals with employees.
Begin by studying the goals that are in your employee’s performance plans. Make a chart of one page that outlines how these goals are tied with at least one employee goal or departmental goal and one division goal, and one plan for the organization. Based on the structure of your organization, your organization may or may not have the official names or layers. No matter what the system and titles, the goal is to establish an apparent connection between the purposes of your employees and your goals at each level of your organization.
2. Set up a goals-alignment graph in a prominent location.
Your employees need a physical reminder of the goals everyone is working to achieve. This helps keep both of you and your employees on the same page. It also reinforces the notion that you are striving for the same goal and with the same purpose.
Create an example by putting an alignment chart for goals on the wall of your office or in your cubicle. Think about other areas where employees meet or hang out. There are many possibilities, including corridors, elevators, break rooms or meeting rooms. By committing walls towards your goal, it communicates that you place great importance on the achievement of these goals. Also, you provide yourself with an apparent “point to reference” that you can use to help reinforce your positive results.
3. Include goal-setting in your routine dialogue.
There are daily interactions with your employees regarding work-related issues. These include meetings about general topics, workload problems, change initiatives, new assignments, etc. The interactions you have with your employees may also be small group and one-on-one discussions. Make use of these instances to highlight an objective at a certain level within your business. Think about comments such as:
“This will enable us to meet our aim of …”
“That idea is like the one that led to the achievement of the goal.”
“These potential customers assist us in achieving our goals in …”
“Our changes in policy will enable us to perform better in achieving the goal.”
Reinforcement Is Useful
Your objective is to ensure that your employees perform the type of performance that will help them meet the goals of your organization. This can be achieved through actions that emphasize the importance of reaching goals. It is also beneficial if the reinforcement is consistent and continuous. You can create this reinforcement by beginning by using the techniques described in this article or using them in conjunction with ones you already have in place.
Barbara Brown, PhD, shows managers how to increase employee performance by connecting the performance of employees to their results. Barbara Brown, PhD, teaches managers how to improve employee performance by linking results with performance. E-Books contain examples and words to discuss the implementation of employees, improving their performance and strengthening the performance of employees. The E-Courses she offers offer methods to encourage employees to work together and contribute.
