By Barbara Findlay Schenck - Microsoft Small Business Center

Inspiring your Team to Go For the Goal

As a business leader, you have a vision of the success you're trying to achieve. You probably have specific goals in mind, along with a set of objectives necessary for growing your business. But does your team know what you're aiming to accomplish? You can find the answer by asking the following questions:

• Have you put your vision, goals, and objectives into writing?

• Have you shared your aspirations with the team?

• Does the team think of your goal as their goal?

If not, these three steps can help you get your team on-board and put your business on the path to success.

1. Communicate your values, vision, goals, and objectives

Values are principles that steer the direction of your company. Some businesses place the highest value on customer satisfaction or market recognition, while others value environmental responsibility, community contributions, and so on. To define your values, think about the principles you're not willing to compromise, even in the face of business-endangering situations. These principles are your core values. List them, share them, and live by them.

Vision represents the ultimate achievement that you want your business to accomplish. For example, a food bank might work toward a vision of a community in which no person goes to sleep hungry. You can define the specific approach to this vision with a mission statement. For example, the food bank might establish the mission: To alleviate hunger in the community by collecting cash and food donations for distribution to needy individuals and hunger-relief agencies.

Goals define your sales and professional targets. "Reduce the number of hungry children by five percent over the next year" is an example of a goal that the food bank might establish.

Objectives define measurable steps you must take to reach your goals. For example, in support of its goal to reduce the number of hungry children by five percent, the food bank might set objectives such as, "During the upcoming school year, provide breakfast to an additional 3,000 needy children," and "Expand nutritional education courses to include an additional 500 low-income families this year."

2. Collect team input before setting objectives

In successful organizations, leaders define where the organization is going while team members work together to define how to get there. In other words, leaders establish the values, vision, and goals, and managers and team members take responsibility for the objectives that will move the company forward.

An effective way to manage the objective-setting process is to hold a staff retreat outside of the office. At the retreat, take these steps to keep the team involved:

• Announce business goals. Be sure that team members have a clear understanding of the goals before you begin.

• Brainstorm and set objectives. Solicit input on how to reach your business goals. Then, come up with a set of objectives that are agreed upon by all participants. As the team brainstorms ideas, encourage participation by adopting these tips:

• Keep the brainstorming session focused by posting each goal on a whiteboard or easel for easy reference.

• Wade-don't dive-into the session. Start by asking participants to name current activities or programs that could be intensified to reach the goals. This allows them to discuss familiar concepts before they share new ideas.

• Inspire ideas by asking questions like "How would we reach this goal if money, staffing, or competition weren't an issue?" or "How would our biggest competitor go about achieving this goal?"

• Write down the objectives and clarify the next steps by assigning responsibility and setting timelines, milestones, and a plan of action.

If your retreat involves managers only, have attendees hold similar sessions with their work teams. This will ensure that all employees understand the company's goals and objectives.

3. Celebrate and reward success

The old saying "out of sight, out of mind" also applies to company values, vision, goals, and objectives.

To keep your team aware and inspired, communicate your values and vision often. Introduce them during employee orientations, discuss them during regular team meetings, and post them throughout the office. That way, the values and vision will stay fresh in the minds of all who work on your business team.

Likewise, be sure that team members understand company goals, objectives, and milestones. Then, hold a monthly or quarterly meeting to provide an update on the progress. When your team reaches a milestone, arrange a celebration and reward team members accordingly.

Team buy-in is the result of awareness, involvement, inspiration, and motivation. Go for it!

Barbara Findlay Schenck is a business and marketing strategist. She is the author of Small Business Marketing For Dummies and co-author of Business Plans Kit For Dummies and Branding For Dummies.