How to Set Goals to Transform Your New Year
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The new year is a perfect time for goal setting. Nothing feels quite as good as turning the page on the year with some fresh goals.
Yet, I find that most people don’t like setting goals. For some, the only goal that’s important is revenue. For others, they don’t really see the point if everything is “fine”.
In my opinion, goal setting is vital to any successful business. It gives direction and focus, and it also provides a benchmark for measuring success. Check out some tips on how I encourage you to goal set within your business.
1️⃣ Pick a Framework
There are a ton goal setting frameworks to choose from— SMART goals, OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), Backward Goals, etc. Depending on your team culture, one might align better than another, but pick one to choose as a guide for your discussion.
Don’t worry too much on which one you pick. All of them will ultimately guide you to the same outcome— Defining specific, actionable goals that are measurable.
2️⃣ Involve your Team
It is essential to involve your team in the goal-setting process. The best goal setting chats I’ve been a part of feel like a combination of a workshop, debate, and offsite in one. It’s a space where you can ideate, challenge one another, and get aligned.
Make sure you have a white board with markers for everyone, snacks and drinks to enjoy (no hangry talk allowed), and choose someone as moderator to keep the conversation focused, positive, and action-oriented.
3️⃣ Diverge then Converge
It’s a good idea to start by diverging with the team on all the goals that you want to achieve. Let it rip! Don’t hold back. Use that white board and get them all written down.
From there, give each team member 3 votes to pick the top goals they believe will have the biggest impact on business growth over the next year. Once votes are in, it’s time for debate!
4️⃣ Debate, Define, and Measure
This is the time for the moderator to make sure each person has the stage to speak their thoughts, allow for debate, ask questions, and hone in on the top goals for the team at large. At the end, walking away with 3 to 5 goals (max) is the way to go.
Then you need to decide how you will measure if you achieve those goals. For some it’ll be a timeframe (by Q2, we launch xyz) for others it’ll be a specific number (reach x users be June). Make sure they are clear, actionable, and achievable.
👉 Wrap Up
Goal setting is all about alignment and clear communication. It also helps your team know what’s driving their work to help them make decisions in their own specialization. Let me know if you have any tips for setting goals or some hacks to make the process fun!