Servant Leadership Practice--Set a Goal for Everyone

Obviously, your company has a goal or several. Your organization may even require business unit and departmental goals. Do you have goals for everyone?

• Do you have goals at the individual level or performance measures?
• Do you have a goal to which everyone knows how they contribute?

Most people want to contribute. Most want to go home at the end of the day knowing if they did something worthwhile, and that they did a little better than yesterday and know how to make tomorrow better than today. If they don't, they dread going to work. They are demoralized in believing they're not valuable and their presence isn't required. I heard one guy say this week, "You know the difference between me and you at this company and why you're more important? I can be replaced in 15 minutes but you can be replaced in 25 minutes."

You've heard of SMART (maybe even SMARTS), the acronym for setting goals. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based (and a Stretch). I have created corporate metrics in which everyone can contribute by meeting their personal goals. It takes some education to show how they're connected to improving those results. They need a "line of sight" as many people say.

It's also helpful if the goal is one based on results beneficial to a customer--whether external to the organization or internal. This lets people know that their own success is dependent on making others successful. Not only should people have goals, but they should have a plan on how to achieve them. Some goals are based on reducing problems, and they should know how they're going to make that happen. (The worst problems are ones that disappear on their own; it means they will reappear on their own at the worst possible moment.)

Today, look for someone who doesn't know what good performance looks like and is measuring it. Help them and coach them to set a goal, and achieve it.

For C12 and Truth@Work members, it's not enough to "not be corrupted by this world" so God asks us to "take care of the widows and orphans" and "go and teach, making disciples". There are actions (fruit) that show if we're getting "better" at our spiritual walk. Our employees need the same feedback, and not just going through the motions, performing their job description.