A common mistake managers make is falling into the routine of reacting to orders and demands of the workplace. While a good manager has to be efficient, an effective manager has to be proactive. Effective managers are capable of making independent decisions and look for things to do rather than dwell on things they can’t do.
Beginning with the end objective helps a leader to have a clear sense of where the course of action will lead. However, it is necessary to include the entire workforce in deciding what goals to set in order for the whole team to truly understand and feel motivated to commit to the them. Progress for these goals must be measurable so that there is a clear start and finish, and development has to be kept in check by revisiting the target on a regular basis.
Objectives need to be challenging but achievable so that they are interesting, yet possible for the team to reach. Once they have been created, it may become necessary to provide an incentive to maintain productivity. However, simply performing the initial step of forming these goals is a large step towards a more connected and effective team.
Source: WSJ.com
