Creating Goal Clarity In Your Team

Creating Goal Clarity in your Team

One of the major reasons teams fail is because of muddy goals and a lack of clear direction. A well written goal is, in essence, an unmistakable statement describing a desired outcome. In his book "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Vol. 3" (1997), Stephen Covey tells us that SMART goals are:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Timely

Goals do not exist in isolation. The intention of work team goals is to support and accomplish the vision and purpose (mission) of the team. In essence, goals cut the purpose statement of the team down into doable, specific, measurable parts. More often than not, goals address barriers that must be overcome in order to achieve the team's vision.

Care must be taken to assure that team goals do not conflict with one another, and that they are listed in priority order so that the most pressing or time sensitive goals are attended to first. Once the team has surfaced a complete list of annual or project goals, the next step is to test for commitment to the goals. Below is a list of questions that teams may use to assure that team members will work hard to see that the goals are accomplished:

• Is the achievement of each goal listed important to the accomplishment of the team or project mission?
• Do obstacles exist that would potentially derail goal accomplishment?
• Do we have the needed resources to pursue attainment of each goal?
• Can team members paraphrase each goal listed to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the goals?
• Do team members require additional training to achieve the goals?
• Who is best equipped on this team to take a lead role in accomplishing each of the goals?
• Do clear benchmarks exist to keep the goal attainment process on track?
• How frequently should we meet to track progress towards goal accomplishment?

Team challenge days are designed to cater for a wide range of needs, including communication, problem solving and internal relations; all of which will prove to be vital when teams achieve their goals and hit their targets. All the team building challenges have been designed to improve working relationships in a fun and informal manner. When the day is finished and your teams stop to reflect on the day they will realise there are people within their organisation who have skills that are invaluable when reaching your team goals.