Successful organizations are currently in the process of setting their goals for the coming year. Organizational goals provide the direction and bring life to the organization’s vision. If the goals are developed and executed properly, they’ll foster alignment and success through the three critical components of the organization: Strategy, People and Processes.
As goals are carried through every department, they provide the cornerstone to the organizational structure. Goals provide the direction around which every part of the organization, as well as the individuals, must be organized. When the physical, mental and emotional efforts of the entire team are channeled toward the organizational goals, the success increases dramatically.
Goals provide a method of tracking and recording achievements. Past accomplishments can be a predictor of future success. Goals assist in all decision making. When an organization has defined exactly where it is headed, many decisions will fall into place. Each part of the organization can weigh its own effort in terms of its contributions to the overall objectives.
When you start organizing your goal planning, you should have three main areas of focus:
- Production Management Goals. Every organization produces something – a product, a service, or both. Establishing goals related directly to your product or service is critical to success. Generally these goals are easy to identify because they are tangible in nature. How many widgets will you need to meet sales? How many service reps will you need to handle call volumes?
- People Management Goals. Here we focus on the organization’s most valuable assets, its people. People make decisions, establish policies and manage most of the functions necessary to maintain and grow the organization. What plans are you making for the selection, retention and development of your human assets? How do you create a climate that promotes the maximization of your human potential? What pay and rewards systems are in place to encourage your people and to build a loyal workforce that is stable, while being continually energized?
- Time Management Goals. The third critical area for success is the management of your most fixed commodity – time. It is important to critically analyze how time is used by the team. Is it most efficient? Do meetings have a beginning and ending time, an agenda, and an outcome? Are communications managed in an effective manner? Are we managing email, voicemail and texting in the most efficient manner? What systems support what we are doing? Since we have only a finite amount of time, what happens in the use of that time is critical to how effective an organization functions.