There’s a lot of talk about goals this time of year and for good reason. The start of a new year is a natural line of demarcation between old targets and new ones. Not only should you be considering specific, measurable personal goals, you should also be outlining goals for your business, too. While the steps involved in setting can’t miss goals for your business might be similar to the way you approach your personal list of targets, there is one important difference: business goals require group buy-in to be successful.
What does that mean? As a leader, it’s up to you to define where your team is headed. Simply pointing people in the direction you wish them to move isn’t a great recipe for success. You need to create a shared vision.
Your vision is not your goal. A vision is synonymous with purpose. It should be broad enough to apply to many aspects of your organization, and yet specific enough to meaningfully reflect your brand. “We make stuff” is certainly broad, but it hardly distinguishes your business from every other business. Also, it won’t inspire your team to march forward toward the goals you set. “We believe in empowering individuals to pursue a life they’ll love by providing easily accessible solutions and resources to meet every client’s needs” is more focused without being too narrow.
On the other hand, goals are specific benchmarks that are reflective of your organization’s vision. They have clear, measurable outcomes. “This year we’ll sign new clients” is not a good goal. It’s simply too vague. If you sign one new client within the next 12 months, is that going to be satisfactory? Well, maybe. Perhaps your sales cycle is long and your final deals are large. Perhaps you’re a new business and you’re not quite ready to bring on customers, so having one on your roster by year’s end is going to make you happy. For most, however, one new client isn’t what you’re gunning for. “We’re going to increase our repeat business by 20% this year and grow our customer base by 15%,” is specific and measurable. It’s a good goal.
A vision sets the tone. It is your shared destination. It’s not, however, your path. Providing a roadmap is far more valuable than simply stating the end result.
Conversely, when you set goals without clarifying your vision, your team lacks a unified purpose. Imagine that there are two rowing teams preparing their boats. One team has been told where the finish line is and has been given a clear set of landmarks to look out for along the route. The other team has simply been told to row as fast and furious as they can in order to beat the other guys. Which team do you think is more likely to be successful? Which boat is more likely to cultivate a positive, healthy work environment where everyone works together to ensure success?
As a leader, you may craft the vision for your organization independently, but you need collective buy-in if you’re going to see it come to fruition. These 3 steps can help you get there:
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