Why Motivation and Goal Setting Aren’t Just Business Buzzwords

Motivation and goal setting may sound like self-help buzz words but they hold a simple truth about success.

In the immortal words of Henry Ford, “Whether you think you can or you can’t — You’re right!” What’s the point in doing something if you have limited faith in it succeeding? What’s the point of having a company vision that you are more skeptical about than confident?

It’s reasonable to conclude that success at least requires a moderate degree of motivation towards the goal. The opposite is just as true. When people feel disengaged or depressed about their work, then they are less likely to see any point being productive about it.

Here are just a few statistics about this phenomenon in the last year. Findings from the management consulting firm Hay Group discovered that offices with engaged employees made at least $238,000 USD in annual revenue in contrast to those with less engaged employees, which only made around $166,000 USD.

Goal setting is also of equal importance. You can be motivated but about what? What is the reason why people should come to work on time every day? What are you and other employees trying to achieve? Setting a goal is the first step towards helping yourself and your team find purpose in the work that you do.

Now that we’ve established the importance of both, here are a few techniques to instantly inspire more motivation in yourself and others towards business goals:

1. Share the value of the goal.

What is the main reason behind your main company goal? Is it to drive more revenue? Improve customer satisfaction? What are the exact benefits of achieving these milestones? Are these the ones you and your employees want?

The answer might seem to be an obvious yes but the devil is in the details. Sometimes you and and your employees have a different understanding as to why certain goals must be achieved. Encourage the sharing of different perspectives – the discussion will help everyone gain a more holistic understanding of the company’s vision. When team members understand the reasons for and the importance of the goal, they become more engaged and motivated.

2. Add a win-win.

Win-win may be another buzzword but it also has a practical application. Achieving a company goal should lead to achieving a personal goal. This goes for yourself, employees, superiors and everyone else involved with your organization.

Everyone wins when personal goals are aligned with that of a company’s. People are more motivated when they know that their efforts will provide some sort of personal gain. Personal gains can be gaining valuable knowledge, learning new skills, gaining status or kudos from others, team bonding, or the opportunity to do something creative. The more employees that personally gain from hitting a business goal, the more likely the organisation will achieve success!

3. Be reasonable in your timing.

There is also merit to making sure all business goals are believable and achievable. The trick is to ensure everyone has enough rest from work. If a goal is causing people to burn out, then that is counterproductive and harmful to the achievement of the goal.

Steer towards goal achievement that doesn’t force people into clocking a mass of overtime hours. It’s like physical exercise. You can’t win today’s race if you’ve been up all night running a marathon. You’ve got to build up the exercise muscle over time, and stay balanced and healthy. Stay patiently focused on achieving each milestone at a reasonable yet purposeful pace!

So all in all, motivation and goal setting aren’t just concepts to espouse. They are necessary components to include in a well structured leadership strategy, particularly if you want to create an engaged team.

 

Sharon Kaibel is a performance and productivity coach. Sharon helps business owners create the strategy, structure and systems to build and grow a profitable business. Join her Closed Facebook Group, the #ACHIEVERNETWORK for the community, resources and trainings to become an extraordinary achiever.