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11 Dec 2017

A Different Way of Celebrating Goals

There are plenty of great blogs published every year about setting – and sticking to – your goals for the next year. It’s usually about changing your mindset, setting attainable goals along the way and finding a support network. We know, because we’ve written that same blog in years past. But this year, we wanted to talk about goals in a different way. This time we want to take a minute to remind you to celebrate the goals you’ve met in 2017 and talk about what might be helpful in 2018:

Formal Recognition for 2017

If you didn’t reach your goals this year, your team is likely feeling the strain of a rough year. Even though you know there’s work that needs to be done as 2018 gets underway, you don’t want your staff bogged down with worry. Help them get a strong, fresh start to 2018 by revisiting your goals, talking about the challenges and pumping them up for next year. Instead of the generic “we’ll make changes and try again next year”, try something like, “I know we can reach our goals next year and I’m excited to work with all of you to make it happen!” Sometimes a fresh start comes down to attitude and a few carefully chosen words.

If you’ve exceeded your goals for the year, there’s a good chance there’s been some celebrating along the way. But even if you’ve congratulated your team members in the hallway or bought a round of pizza during a busy week, it will be helpful to bring your team together in a more formal way to talk about what the goals were, the results and how you reached them. That’s also a great opportunity to talk about how you’re excited to help them reach even more awesome goals in 2018.

Focus on Teamwork

Even for people who are fiercely competitive, working every day in an overly competitive environment can be exhausting. Rather than focus on celebrating the success of individuals on your staff, try celebrating departments or teams who are doing great work throughout the year. This is especially important in sales where your top grossing people may be the same every month. Sure, you need to recognize your powerhouse performers, but don’t discourage the rest of your team by ignoring strong efforts that might not turn immediately into dollars or met goals. Focus on the big picture and celebrate the teamwork that makes your company stronger and, eventually, more profitable.

Schedule Regular Updates

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day of any job – including being a business owner – only to realize six months down the line that you haven’t revisited your goals since January. Rather than panic and ask your managers for progress reports that they aren’t prepared to provide, schedule regular company-wide (or senior-staff wide, depending on the size of your organization) to bring every together, review progress reports, discuss the year’s goals, make adjustments as needed and get everyone excited about the next month or quarter. Celebrate the successes and let people know their hard work is appreciated.

These are three quick ways to celebrate and stay focused on your goals at the end of 2017 and throughout 2018. If you need help setting goals, taking action or staying accountable, your local Growth Coach can help. Find a coach at http://thegrowthcoach.com/find-coach/.

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