The chances are that you’ve heard that comment before, and it may have made you quite upset. After all, you set goals for a reason, so how can it be that the team didn’t have time for them?
Is it a matter of priority? Focus? Rhythm? Competence?
In the past 25 years, I’ve worked with teams in various ways to achieve their goals. Breaking down yearly goals into quarterly goals and then further into weekly goals.
I’ve found that there’s sometimes a thin line between achieving or not achieving those set goals. This thin line has to do with team spirit and the composition of the team, but perhaps even more crucially: the management and guidance of this team within the organization, especially when it often consists of members from different parts of the organization.
With the core values in hand and the right priorities set by management, it’s definitely possible to achieve many of the stated objectives.
I’ve adapted the Rockefeller Habits method in various ways to ensure that the team does achieve the goals. Rest assured, it has gone completely wrong on occasion, but I’ve learned from those experiences!
In addition to this, a good friend and entrepreneur Paul Musters and I developed a Team Operating System based on 15 years of experience called Soulstice. See http://www.teamoperatingsystem.com for more information.
The key steps for successfully achieving team goals.
Dit zijn de 10 hoofd onderdelen van de Rockefeller Habits methode die mij hebben geholpen:
The Management Team sets the tone (are these really the priorities?).
Setting clear goals (3-5 maximum per quarter).
The team understands why the goal is important (in the bigger picture).
Making the Core Values truly come to life (and not just hanging on the wall).
A consistent meeting rhythm (daily, weekly, monthly).
Daily feedback on 'stucks' and personal feelings.
Everyone takes responsibility (easier said than done).
Optimize through continuous improvement and feedback.
Report progress visually.
Celebrate successes with the team (small and big).
Hoe kan ik helpen?
Goal setting
Yearly objectives are often there, although they are usually challenging to translate into tangible goals (such as 30% revenue increase). Breaking down yearly objectives into quarterly goals and coaching teams to turn them into weekly goals increases the likelihood of successfully achieving the objectives.
Meeting rhythms
My experience is that a meeting rhythm is a crucial pillar for success. However, it's also an aspect that can quickly fall into a rut if not well-coached. What has proven to be very powerful is when everyone on the team shares in 2 minutes every day: What are your 2 most important priorities for the day; What are you stuck on, and; How do you feel.
Team performance
Teams often consist of people from different organizational departments. How does the team work together? Who tries to cut corners (and why)?
Monitoring reporting
Reporting is often the first thing people seem to want to 'forget.' This is often convenient for people, which is precisely why an elegant process is needed for it.
An overestimation on my part has certainly been the belief that I could get people to work in new ways when they’ve always done it the same way, and as a result, they show little to no change.
Not following agreements within a team is detrimental to the end result. But when someone does that regularly in their regular work and isn’t held accountable, how do you change that?
An external person, unencumbered by ingrained habits or even ‘rights’ (such as the right not to fulfill their agreements), can make the difference between achieving or not achieving the company’s objectives!
Let me be that external voice that helps you realize your goals!
