What’s one tip for managing team members’ progress on long-term strategic goals or projects?
Basecamp
“We love using Basecamp to monitor projects, goals and action items. It is a really great way to have visibility into what the team is working on. In addition, the fact that you can set reminders and deadlines on to-do items gives our team accountability to get goals done.”
– VANESSA VAN EDWARDS, Science of People
Visual Aids
“Remember those goal thermometers at fundraisers? Weren’t those fun? Okay, so they might be a little simplistic, but visualizing exactly where you stand vis-a-vis your goals is extremely motivating. Whether you’re behind and need to catch up or you’re getting ever so close, seeing where you stand can trigger the right response. For extra motivation, make them public to your team.”
– NICOLAS GREMION, Free-eBooks.net
Goal-Setting Exercises
“All projects work best with the full team’s buy-in. Rather than telling them their goals, have them run through an exercise where they determine their own project goals. When they make the commitment themselves, they are psychologically more likely to follow through. We all work best this way. If you’ve chosen the right team, they will choose goals that are appropriately focused and aggressive.”
– MITCH GORDON, Go Overseas
Weekly Updates
“Ask for weekly updates. By doing so, you’ll let employees know that you care about their progress and not just the finished product. This gives them the opportunity to ask questions on a timely basis, thereby improving the overall quality of the project.”
– ANDREW SCHRAGE, Money Crashers Personal Finance
Software Solutions
“By using a software solution such as ONTRAPORT or Highrise, you can easily track your team’s projects, milestones and achievements. Plus, getting a system like this down early will help you scale the business as you find out what works.”
– JOHN HALL, Influence & Co.
Trello
“You have to be capable of long-term, strategical thinking while simultaneously killing it at the tactical, micro-execution level. This is very hard to do. I do my best to keep my team abreast of the context behind every task and make them aware of how it fits into the bigger picture. We track both our long- and short-term progress in Trello and do daily huddles to stay on the same page.”
– DANNY BOICE, Speek
Smaller Projects
“It is impossible for a team member to successfully complete a major project as a whole. The management team member must break up the project into smaller parts so that every time a small portion of the project is completed, there is a feeling of achievement that keeps the staff motivated. When you look back on what went right and wrong, you can learn for the next time there is a big project.”
– DEREK CAPO, Next Step China
Clear Goals
“All of our team members work with their managers to develop quarterly rocks – three to five quarterly goals that can move the company forward. These must be S.M.A.R.T. – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound.”
– ZACH CLAYTON, Three Ships Media
Vision Boards and Baby Steps
“At ‘ZinePak, we create vision boards with baby steps defining smaller goals that, if we hit all of them, will allow us to conquer the larger, long-term strategic goal. These bi-weekly or monthly goals are more defined, time-sensitive and create accountability among all individuals on the team. Breaking the goal up into smaller tasks helps everyone stay motivated and excited to keep chipping away.”
– KIM KAUPE, ZinePak
Individual Goal Setting
“The best way to get a project done on time is to have your team build its own project plans. Get them to buy in to the goals and timelines up front. Maintain daily and weekly check-ins, of course. These will be made easier because your teammate has already committed himself or herself to delivery targets.”
– AARON SCHWARTZ, Modify Watches
Asana
“When you create goals and projects on Asana and set tasks for your team members, it will keep track of all completed tasks. This allows you to get a bird’s eye view on all progress your team members have made on a project or a goal. Every team needs Asana! My team agrees that it has really boosted our productivity.”
– NATALIE MACNEIL, She Takes on the World
Originally published by StartupCollective
