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How Leaders Jump Start A New Year of Great Achievements

Each year organizational leaders scramble to develop annual goals for their organizations. The leaders spend much time and effort working to get the right goals and the right targets for goal achievement. For example, most organizations have one or more financial goals. After the arduous goal setting process, most executives and organizational leaders think they are finished. Rather than being finished however, the goal setting process has, in fact, just begun. The leaders must now build the ownership for the organizational goals and facilitate the development of goals and execution plans at all levels of the organization. Building ownership and the development of execution plans are necessary leadership tasks to achieve the new goals. Some managers try to complete their role by holding an organizational communication meeting with large groups of employees at the beginning of the year. These leaders prepare their speeches in the hope that they do such a good job there are no questions from the employees after they finish their presentations. Such one-way communication with little participation from employees has little impact on improved performance. The one-way communication approach is contrasted with a more two-way and side by side leadership approach in the following table. Two-way, participative goal setting, and strategy planning workshops are proven tools along with other leadership components in assisting organizations in achieving a 20-30% improvement in organizational performance (profit, productivity, sales, cost reduction, and new customers). This table is included to assist you in planning the 2003 goal setting for your organization, division or team.

Two Models of Organizational Goal Communication and Alignment
(usually conducted at the beginning of the year)

	Side by Side, Two Way Participative Workshop on Goals and Strategies			One-Way Communication of Goals and Strategies at Organizational Meeting
Time Required	4 - 8 hours			2 - 4 hours
Meeting Participants	Either all employees meet together, or managers meet first and then individual managers hold department and work team meetings.			Either all employees meet together, or managers meet first and then individual managers hold department and work team meetings.
Meeting Agenda Items	a.	Executives present organizational goals.		a.	Executives present organizational goals.
	b.	Participants are encouraged to question the goals and identify requirements.		b.	Participants are given an opportunity to ask questions at the en o the meeting.
	c.	Executives adjust or modify the goals based upon feedback.
	d.	Participants are asked:
		1.	To identify major barriers to implementing the goals and/or:
		2.	To brainstorm and identify organizational strategies or action steps to achieve the goals.
	e.	The participants report to the whole group:
		1.	Barriers and/or
		2.	Major strategies
		Executives propose process to incorporate the workshop input into either the organization's or an individual division's execution plan.
Level of Participation	High. Everyone is engaged in the process. Everyone shares ideas.			Low. A few vocal leaders ask questions at the end.
How Executives Determine if the Goal Meeting was a Success	The workshop had broad participation and the participants leave with a sense of ownership and commitment to achieve the goals.			When executives do a great job of presenting, there are no questions at the end.
Follow-up after the Meeting	All managers and team leaders have workshops with their subordinates to develop Division, Department, and Work Team Goals and execution plans.			Usually no follow-up. Sometimes quarterly, one-way communication meetings on financial performance.
Changes in Individual and Team Performance	Both individual and team performance improve in terms of meeting the goals.			There is little change in performance.
Manager and Employee Recall of the Goals after the Meeting	High. The organizational goals are prominently displayed and frequently referred to.			Low. After 6 months, most employees do not even recall being at the Goal-Setting meeting.
Employees Support of the Goals	High. Everyone work to achieve the goals.			Low. Employees do not have ownership of the goals.