Setting Goals: Adjusting and Pivoting for 2023
With the new year underway, companies are beginning to solidify their 2023 goals. Choosing targets strategically is essential, particularly when economic conditions are in flux. As a result, many company leaders are performing extra due diligence in 2023, adjusting and pivoting their goals to keep them manageable and relevant.
Fortunately, setting challenging but achievable goals for 2023 is possible. Here’s what you need to do to make sure your company and personal goals can help you thrive this year.
Formulating Organizational Goals for 2023
Spend Time Reflecting on 2022’s Goals Before Forecasting
In many cases, taking a moment to reflect on the goals you set for yourself or your company for 2022 is your best starting point. It gives you a chance to celebrate your success, which is critical for staying motivated. Additionally, you’ll have an opportunity to identify missteps and see how shifting economic conditions impacted your progress, both of which are also valuable.
After you reflect, you can use what you learn to forecast outcomes more accurately. For example, you can account for how inflation and a potential recession altered the playing field. Then, you can use insights from economic experts to estimate how 2023 will shape out in those areas, giving you a better picture that leads to more reasonable targets.
Use the SMART Approach When Designing New Goals
SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Essentially, the acronym outlines the qualities of an effective goal. By aligning your targets with those principles, your odds of success typically increase.
While there is some crossover between each of the points, you want to begin by choosing a specific target that includes a set metric that denotes success. Additionally, you want to choose objectives that are relevant to your company or yourself, often leading to greater organizational or career success. Including a deadline helps ensures your goal doesn’t fall by the wayside, making it the last crucial factor.
Identify Milestones to Create a Functional Roadmap
After setting your goals, it’s time to identify milestones between where your company is now and what it needs to reach to successfully hit the target. That creates a step-by-step framework for achieving the goal, making the pursuit more manageable.
Precisely how this unfolds largely depends on the nature of the goal. In some cases, it’s based purely on action steps. In others, it may denote points where you want to make a specific amount of measurable progress. However, using a combination of both is typically highly effective, allowing you to gauge how you’re doing and take action at the right time.
Share Company Goals with Every Employee
With company goals, you need to openly communicate them with employees. Often, worker performance is what determines whether your organization hits the target. By choosing one or two goals to serve as operational priorities, your workforce can come together and ensure they’re focusing on the right areas. In turn, your odds of success rise since everyone’s fully on board.
Looking for New Talent in the New Year?
If one of your goals this year is to cultivate a capable, dependable team brimming with new talent, Riverway Business Services wants to hear from you. Contact us today to learn more about our flexible and customizable talent acquisition and hiring programs.