Live it - Lead IT

Live it - Lead IT


010 Goals for your employees

April 04, 2018

Goals for your employees
As a standard rule of thumb, most goals set in a business context have a terrible reputation. When an employee receives a new ‘objective,’ they immediately think of it as a bureaucratic nightmare devoid of any meaning to them. In this episode of Live It, Lead IT!, the third and final installment of this mini-series on achieving your goals, we’ll cover the foundations to ensuring your success as a business leader by your ability to build a successful and motivated team to support you.

Another item on my ‘to-do’ list
When I observe the objectives that I was given throughout my career, there were always some among them that were in some way meaningful and inspiring to me, and they were a joy to work with. Why was this the case? Well recapping on the previous episode, they were the ones that were in line with my core values. I still completed the other tasks – it was necessary to prove my worth as a leader – but the others I took over as my own.
Now that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t complete those objectives which are not in line with your values. What makes you wanted by an organisation is your ability to goals. What gives you value is your ability to solve problems creatively. But what our concern is here is a question of energy. We have to understand what makes us tick. We all have preferences – we’re all good at some stuff and not so good at others – but the things that we’re good at we will invest with much more of our energy.
Fun, fun, fun!
With my core belief in the need to have fun at work, I believe that we should be doing the things that we like, because then not only are we having a good time, but I believe the tasks will get executed better. Ultimately I think that fun is the best path to success. So it’s up to you as a leader to ensure the right environment for your team.
Lend an ear
So how do you get your team to take on board organisational goals, delivering them in a way that creates value and meaning enough to inspire them into achieving them? Well, I will tell you ahead of the time that the solution is a very simple one! All you need to do is listen to your employees. Listen with intent. Listen and get to know them. If you are a real leader, then you are a people person, and this means taking time out to give the rightful attention to your team. Once you get to know your employees more personally, this can allow you to deliver goals in a language that they can understand, internalize and even, where possible, in line with their values. At its core, it’s about getting the best out of the people around you, and for that you’ve got to know what floats their boat!
Olaf Kapinski