How often would you want to get in the car if you had no destination? Driving aimlessly, wasting time and gas, and ending up right back where you started?
This same idea can be applied to your goals. How can anyone hit a target they aren’t aware of or don’t already have?
Get ready set your sights on some new bullseyes with these six key steps to creating and achieving goals to help your business grow.
1. Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals
First up, it’s time to focus on creating and attaining short-term goals for your workers. Helping employees set and reach goals is a critical part of every successful business.
Follow the S.M.A.R.T. Method (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) to establish a specific set of criteria that guarantees your objectives can be accomplished within a certain timeframe.
Creating a S.M.A.R.T. goal involves running through those five points by asking yourself if your goal can realistically meet that particular criteria. Can you easily track the goal? Will it have a meaningful impact on your business?
Using this method eliminates any uncertainty or vague details around your goals, establishes a set timeline for achieving them, and makes tracking progress and identifying any missed milestones that much easier.
2. Track Your Metrics
It’s crucial to have a method for tracking and measuring your accomplishments in order to identify successes and missteps.
Establish which metrics you want to track and keep a running tally of where you are throughout your goal timeline. Tracking metrics like Service Sales, Rebook Percentage, Average Ticket, Retail to Service Percentage, Product Sales, Retail Spend Per Ticket, and Number of Retail Items Per Guest will help you measure important targets within your business for both your company and individual service providers.
Inspire by STX users can quickly setup and track these metrics both business-wide and worker-by-worker in the Billboard Goals feature of the software. Toggle between months or years to observe how your business has fluctuated or grown over time.
3. Get Everyone Involved
Your team wants know their efforts contribute to ensuring a strong and stable work environment. Get your workers’ buy-in.
Have a team meeting to discuss the items you will be measuring to cement the “Specific” factor of your S.M.A.R.T. Goal. Explain your plan to implement the your overall company goals, how it will impact them, and how you plan to accomplish your new goals.
Give the team an opportunity to give feedback on your plans and brainstorm additional ideas that may help everyone accomplish these tasks more successfully.
4. Dedicate One-on-One Time
After the team pow-wow, have individual meetings with each staff to review their personal work goals. This is where you can openly have a reality check on the “Attainability” aspect of the assigned goals.
Since they will be the one working to achieve them – letting each person have input into setting their target goes a long way towards motivating them to succeed. Do they feel that the goal you’ve outlined is attainable? What are the possible limitations they might face?
Come in with a plan and explain how you are willing to help them achieve the goals at hand. Be sure they have a simple and accurate way to review their progress regularly, like using the Billboard Goals in Inspire to track their numbers.
5. Encourage Conversation
Keep the lines of communication open as you and your team navigate through the highs and lows of striving for success.
Goals that once seemed attainable can just as quickly appear impossible due o fluctuating circumstances or workloads. Reassessments may be needed but be careful not to let yourself or team members give up too quickly on a goal.
Instead of lowering the bar, try to think of another approach in tackling it.
6. Celebrate Milestones
Lastly, motivate your employees with rewards for goal success. Praise their achievements and offer opportunities for their continued professional growth.
Inspire users can do this digitally by utilizing the Virtual Coaching widget in the Billboard Goals feature.
Assign messages of encouragement that praise workers’ accomplishments or encourage their ongoing development to display when workers hit certain percentage goals.
Ultimately, reaching one goal does not mean the end of the journey. Goals are ever-changing and should be continually reevaluated as your business evolves.
Continue to grow your business by pushing the metrics to new levels for the business and each staff member and watch how your efficiency and profitability flourish.