Hello Enlightened Managers,
One of the things I've been thinking about lately is the relationship between individual and team goals. Goals are important. I like to think of the results I want to achieve as a target, and each goal as an arrow that I get to launch at that target. Sometimes one strong goal can get us exactly where we want to be. Sometimes our goals lack direction (focus) or power (effort) and they land outside the center circle.
We need our goals to be both focused and powerful. Otherwise we won't get the results we want.
So then I ask myself - should goals be individual or shared? Usually the answer is both, we have personal goals and we have team goals. But something I'm starting to suspect is that the power is really in those team goals.
Imagine your team, lined up, holding wickedly sharp arrows. They fly. Some of them hit, some of them don't. Meanwhile, you are all encouraging each other, giving tips, and focused in the same direction. Isn't there power in that?
Sometimes I worry that organizations are full of people shooting arrows in different directions, for different purposes. And I'm starting to realize there is a lot of power in unity of purpose. One of my clients recently told me "When our whole team owns our goals for the year, we collaborate and push to get them done. When we split the goals up, we are less successful, and people feel isolated."
Something I'm thinking about. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this too.
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