Small goals are the secret to big success.

Increase employee motivation by breaking goals into smaller and more achievable steps. Without an intimidating goal in sight, this prevents employees from feeling overwhelmed, encouraging them to take their first step towards completing the tasks on hand. Smaller goals make employees feel that they are constantly achieving something, building confidence by feeding their desire to contribute to the company. This consistency of hitting small goals keeps employees’ momentum going without feeling burned out.

How to know if the goals set are clear and reachable?

Try this SMART goal setting method to get employees kick-started on their targets:

S – Specific

Clearly define the goal so that everyone is on the same page and have no doubts about what is to be achieved. For instance, telling the team to ‘increase sales’ can be rather vague. Sales for which offering? Sales for the month, or for the year? These are questions that employees will have in their minds, making it tough for them to get started. Instead, try to state the goal in a more specific manner, such as “obtain 200 eCommerce sales for the month of October”. This provides the employees a better idea of how they should get started on their tasks, with the type of sales and period clearly defined.

M – Measurable

Next, goals should be measurable so that employees can keep track of their progress. The key way of doing so is to quantify the goals. In the earlier example given, telling employees to “obtain 200 eCommerce sales for October” allows them to monitor their progress by keeping track of the total number of sales. When they are able to keep track of their own progress, it can help them to identify how close or far away they are from hitting their sales target, and this in turn allows them to identify the measures that are required to meet their SMART goal. This also gives employers a gauge of how well their employees are performing towards meeting their goals.

When employees perform well, organisations can tap on this opportunity to reward them and affirm that they are on the right track. This makes employees feel that every contribution they have made is appreciated, further enhancing their level of motivation and loyalty towards the company.

A – Achievable

Goals should be achievable by ensuring that they can be reasonably accomplished within a given time period. Continuing with the given example, obtaining 1,000 eCommerce sales for October does not only sound daunting but is unlikely to be achieved as well, especially if your business only gets an average of 130 eCommerce sales a month. Instead, set realistic goals such as obtaining 200 eCommerce sales for October, which is not only more practical but will also motivate employees to work towards it as it is achievable within the given time.

R – Relevant

It is important to let employees see how their contributions are relevant to the company’s success in order to keep them going.

Knowing how their work is making the company progress can increase employee motivation as it spurs them further.

Try doing so by frequently sharing with your team about the company’s future plans! Let employees know that the increase in sales will greatly aid in the company’s long-term business objectives. This allows them to see how their goals link to the bigger picture, and that their contributions significantly matter to the growth of the company.

T – Time-bound

Finally, setting a time frame for the goals to be accomplished creates a sense of urgency, motivating employees to get started on their work. To illustrate, you can start off by encouraging your team members to hit the desired sales target by 31 October. Deadlines make it clear when work is expected to be delivered, helping employees to prioritise their list of tasks.