That's how you achieve your goals! Tips from Mentor's founder Pia Nilsson
Johan Book writes in his article about the importance of investing in clear goals, follow-up and feedback. He highlights three by far crucial goals that I think are important to focus on and follow up on – namely performance goals, process goals and learning goals. These goals are important for any organization that wants to move forward with dedicated employees.
Processes are all we do at work during the day to reach the results target. The processes usually take place repetitively. For a salesperson, the customer meeting is a process or even entire process from customer exploration to taken orders. For a teacher in the school, the lessons are a process, how are they planned, how are they implemented from the time the students come in to the end of the lesson or the day? For a project manager, a project meeting is a process. For someone in healthcare, a patient meeting is a process.
In fact, everything we do at work during the day, which is in our main work tasks, is some kind of process that we can, not entirely unsurprisingly, develop and get better at. But if we are to develop and improve, we should sit down and structure these processes. If we look at an organization, I can guarantee that everyone performs their processes differently and thus also different well. If Kim can show what they're doing for Robin and Robin the same for Kim, it means they can both learn from each other. In addition, if we can do this without anyone feeling singled out or criticised, but rather lift, everyone in the organisation should have the chance to participate in developing these processes. After all, it is those who carry out the processes who know what works and what does not.
"How can Kim and Robin reach the process goal and thus also the result goal? Well, by also working on your learning goals!"
When we know for sure what our processes are and how we work in them, we have the opportunity to develop the learning goals on an individual level. However, like much else in life, this is easier said than done – I know that! However, a hot tip is to do workshops on your processes together with your employees. Then you will be able to put the processes into practice more clearly and also see where they are going slowly. If you have a lot of employees, you pick out some to do workshops with.
Work actively with each other in the processes you have come up with
Measure and provide feedback. I highly recommend letting colleagues join forces and give feedback to each other. This creates not only development, but also a culture that is rewarding. Create structures around the feedback. If we have a structure on how we give feedback, it won't be as personal.
It is important that you as a leader take a great responsibility in how both you and your employees think when you give feedback. Focus on what is good, it is better that you do coaching of the part than that some employees walk away feeling sunk or afraid to do this again. Nobody feels good about taking shit.
Once you have done this exercise, you will find a number of development points for each individual. These development points become learning goals. How can Kim and Robin work to achieve the process goal and thus also the result goal? Yes, by working on your learning goals!
In fact, it doesn't have to be harder than that. It's just a matter of starting somewhere. Create a template for a process. Find a way to measure it, preferably as above by creating a structure around feedback that develops learning goals, then you build on it. It may feel like it takes unnecessary time at first but it saves so much time in the long run. And it works, I promise!
This is one of the main reasons I created Mentor in the first place. Precisely because I saw how many organizations are careless with these goals. Especially the process goals and learning goals, which are so incredibly important! Mentor helps you get started and structures what can feel difficult and time-consuming in a clear, time-efficient and easy way.
/Pia