How to Keep Track of Organizational Goals with Performance Management
Some people make lists, others put sticky notes on their computer screen, and many simply fly by the seat of their pants. It’s not easy to keep track of work resolutions, especially when they are long term as resolutions tend to be. At work when deadlines begin to pile up and projects are coming out of your ears, finding time to work towards keeping your goals on track is near impossible. But don’t worry, your team doesn’t have to do it entirely alone.
What tools can help track goals?
Over the last few years, technology has exploded. Between the tablets, phablets, and smartphones… even your car talks to you now. With all of these pieces of technology, there’s undoubtedly “an app for that” that also translates to your Tools like Microsoft Office 365, Dropbox, and Trello. These apps can help you and your team stay on task while making the most of available time. Trello, for example, separates responsibilities by importance to keep projects streamlined and the office organized.Microsoft Office 365 and Dropbox allow your team to use their mobile devices to access work documents without the constraints of a desktop computer.
While technology (i.e., big data, analytics, tracking) is necessary in today’s business world, disruptive technologies (i.e., social media, personal devices, email) can impede the success of goal setting and maintenance. Josh Bersin (@Josh_Bersin), Principal and Founder of Bersin by Deloitte said:
“Agile software was the beginning of the era of greater transparency and continuous feedback. Now we have social media everywhere, which promotes even greater visibility into the everyday lives of everyone around us. The other trend driving this is a strong focus on analytics. Open discussion, regular check-ins, big data, and greater awareness are now part of every business and when you pair those activities with company-wide, quarterly goal setting processes – organizations can see 30-40 percent greater returns.”
What can the workload handle?
Perhaps most importantly, employees have to understand their work capacity. The biggest issue with these newfound hopes of a brighter and more productive year is that all too often the goals are lofty. Take a look at the average workday breakdown:
● 44.5% of the day spent on primary job duties
● 13.8% of the day spent on reading and responding to emails
● 12% of the day spent on administrative tasks
● 9.3% of the day spent in useful meetings
● 7.7% of the day dealing with interruptions
● 6.9% of the day wasted in useless meetings.
That leaves a grand total of 5.7% of the day for special projects, working towards goals, and everything else. Adding lofty aspirations to the list of daily activities leaves your team inundated with a workload they might not be able to handle.
This is yet another reason why accurate performance appraisals are so crucial to business development and employee growth. Two-thirds of highly rated employees are not the top performers, so inaccurate appraisals could give them disproportionate time at work for more goals than they can reasonably achieve.
What is the manager’s role?
Productivity and engagement start with the right attitude. Employees have to do more than simply show up to work… they have to actually show up. While employees are their biggest critics, sometimes they need a little help getting motivated to accomplish their goals. Whether it’s faith in their own personal brand or how that aligns with the organization, a little “Nice work! This turned out great with the limited time you had,” or, “This is great, but it still needs some attention in these areas,” are examples of simple continuous feedback. However, there are other more involved ways managers can motivate the team before failing to meet a goal.
● Clearly define expectations – It’s a natural propensity for people to mentally wander. However, if you give employees direction, their goals will align with your expectations for development. Understand how your employees work and what their limits are so new goals don’t push them too far.
● Believe in your team – Employees are more likely to perform well if they know their supervisor has faith in their performance.
● Praise and correct appropriately – Nothing is quite as demotivating as public criticism. More often than not, employees are unaware of shortcomings, and they certainly don’t need to be altered to them in front of their team. On the same note, while private praise is appreciated, it’s not as effective as doing it publicly.
No matter what your role in the company, it’s part of your job to help your employees and coworkers reach their work objectives. While it’s not your responsibility to micromanage their every task, you do have to help them understand how to manage their daily performance requirements and goal maintenance simultaneously. Performance appraisals, goal tracking software and apps, and clear motivation from supervisors all play a role in helping your team reach their goals this year in the office.
Keeping goals on track is a team effort; don’t let your team do it alone.
Take a demo of our performance management software to see how you can streamline this process.
