Goals with SPIRIT
Once you know what the objectives are, and how far ahead you are looking, it’s time to create goal statements (also called objectives or targets). We recommend that you use a systematic approach to writing your goals to make them easy to remember, and to make sure they are captured completely. We recommend setting goals with SPIRIT, which means that they have the following elements.
Specific
Be specific about what you want or don’t want to achieve. The result should be tangible and measurable. “Sell more products” is ambiguous, but “Increase market share by 7% per year” is specific.
Prizes
Motivation is extremely important. There needs to be a system in place so that we take time to recognize, reinforce, and reward people who are participating in meeting benchmarks and overall objectives. Prizes don’t need to break the budget. Here are some ways that you can reward people:
- Acknowledge an individual or a team in a meeting
- Offer praise through a company newsletter
- Issue bonuses (monetary, points systems, etc.)
- Record successes in notes for annual performance reviews
For goals that are a long way off, set up rewards along the way to help keep people engaged.
Individual
Employees will respond to, and be motivated to work toward, goals that they can relate to. They need a way to relate to their goals on an individual basis. Establishing goals and tying them into performance objectives will put the big picture into terms that they can relate to. This also provides a way to share the big picture with them and let them know what direction the company is going in.
Review
Review progress periodically. Do the goals still make sense for the short and long term? Are people’s activities a good demonstration of the strategic plan, or have they wandered off track and taken to pursuing their own personal goals? Are you measuring as you go and making adjustments, or is it more important to stay the course?
Inspiring
Frame the goal positively so that people relate to it strongly, even if the goal has a negative outcome to it. If the costs of your employee benefit plan are increasing, you’ll find that cutting programs can demoralize a workplace. Instead, involve your employees and ask what they are willing to concede. You might be amazed at how innovative they are! Instead of having a goal like, “We must cut 15% of our employee benefit plan budget” try something like this: “Through a process of employee consultation, we will identify and implement savings of 15% to the employee benefit plan in the next 12 months.”
Time-Bound
Give yourself a deadline for achieving the goal. If the goal is quite large, break it into smaller pieces and assign a deadline for each one.