PART 4 | Leadership Essentials: Goal Setting and Motivation in Action

Have you ever walked out of an organization meeting, questioning how you could get your employees to say - ‘I love my job, I’m motivated, clear on my goals and I trust my leader!’ 

Studies suggest that only 15% of employees feel engaged in their workplace, which points to a motivational crisis for the global workforce. In fact, both millennials and Gen Z look for environments where they have coaches or mentors instead of just ‘bosses’, they look for honesty and transparency with ongoing and open conversations. However, a large 8 in 10 employees feel that their management is unable to instil motivation to get work done. So how do you create clarity in expectations and motivate employees to get the work done?

Business decisions, geopolitical uncertainty, supply chain woes, people woes… Many things are out of your control, but one thing that you can control as a leader is execution. Once decisions have been made, next is to ensure what you have decided is being executed all the way down the organization. Employees carry out purposeful, meaningful work when properly motivated because motivated individuals are found to continuously search for ways to improve productivity and ensure efficiency. Goals are a way to channel that energy towards the right things.

Cascading Goals & Embracing Employee Motivation

Aligning goals starts with clarity in communicating the goals to the entire organization top-down. This is what brings in a strong set of shared purpose which in turn, shows up in individual strategy and associated goals. This also makes a huge difference in decision-making, providing an angle and higher employee engagement because now their contribution matters directly to the organizations. Aligning top goals finally leads to greater transparency in which every employee, for a team and individually, knows how things are going, where the business needs their support and what they need to ‘focus their attention’ towards. 

Here are three ways you could effectively ‘get work done’ - 

1. Defining the ‘Why?’

Answer the right questions for your employees - ‘what is your company’s mission and vision?’, ‘what is the origin story of the organization?’, ‘what are your long-term and short-term goals?’. If you’re able to communicate with clarity on the execution for this, teams will generate a sense of belief and drive in achieving it. Do this by sharing across levels consistently through town halls, management team meetings, or any other forums you can bring yourself into, creates this repetition process acting as a reminder for everyone. 

2. Cross Check through Organizational levels

Once goals are communicated, the next is to evaluate and keep open feedback through bottom-up as well. Harvard Business Review suggests using a performance management tool internally so that goals can be broken down and reviewed by each team member. At OnLoop, we have created a platform to track this for you and help make it visible throughout the workplace.

3. Maintain a Consistent Process for Frequent Tracking

One of the biggest pain points to tackle for goal-setting is its annuality. This can be worked around through routine 1:1 meetings, inclusion on the agenda of management meetings, and other communication channels. Beyond the conventional performance reviews, it is essential to encourage managers and employees to engage in weekly or monthly check-ins. Dedicated discussions become a crucial opportunity to address any potential misalignments, delve into goal-tracking metrics, and ensure that employees are well-supported in their journey toward goal attainment.

Embracing employee motivation is a linchpin in the organizational leader's goal-setting process. Motivated employees are not merely task-executors; they become invested contributors who willingly align their efforts with the overarching goals of the organization. When leaders prioritize and nurture employee motivation, it sets the stage for enhanced goal clarity, commitment, and performance. 

At OnLoop, we have created a tool to help you create these steps into habitual practices while giving you visibility in tracking progress. To know more about creating a more engaged and aligned team, click on our website and we can talk more!