I was recently asked what merit raises should be based on – which is a great question!  Justification for a merit increase is important because of the financial investment the pay increase represents.  Merit increases can have a significant impact on an organization’s payroll cost over the span of perhaps decades that an employee works for an organization.

For example, let’s say you have two employees and each makes $10 per hour.  Employee A receives a merit increase of 2% and employee B receives a 5% pay increase.  The 2% increase is equivalent to $416 for the year and 5% equals $1040 for the year – more than double.  Multiply that times ten years and the employee who receives the higher increase will cost the organization much more over that ten year period of time.

Now let’s say employee A gets 2% a year every year for ten years and the employee B gets 5% every year for ten years and this is what it looks like:

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Running a small business or nonprofit requires wearing many hats and being many things to lots of people.  When an entrepreneur embarks on the journey of creating and growing a business they are susceptible to making mistakes.  Mistakes are part of the learning process but when it comes to owning or running a small business some mistakes, made at the wrong time, could threaten the long term viability of the organization.  Because of this, it is important to identify those things that should never be overlooked or neglected.

11 Mistakes business owners make:

1.  Don’t have a defined mission, vision and values statement.

Every organization should spend the time to clarify and articulate why it exists and what it hopes to accomplish.  This is done by spending the time to articulate and write a mission, vision and values statement.  It doesn’t matter if it is the drycleaner, neighborhood restaurant or a boutique in the mall – every organization needs to have an articulated focus that provides shared direction for decision making and employee performance.

2.  Don’t Plan

Strategy and planning is critical to the success of any organization.  Whether large or small, every business needs a plan.  This involves taking time at least once a year to review strategy and goals and making sure the organization is moving in the direction that was originally intended.  There is an old saying, “if you fail to plan…..you plan to fail..”  There is a lot of truth in that statement!

3.  Don’t Write Goals

Goals are how plans are achieved and if goals are not developed, written down with assigned accountability, they will be difficult to accomplish.  Business goals should be written as part of the overall organizational strategy and each goal should have someone assigned to them with very specific timeline expectations.

4.  Don’t Budget

I’m always surprised at the number of organizations that generate millions of dollars that don’t take the time to develop and manage by a budget.  Budgeting is something that should  be done once a year and used to fund the plan and goals.  Organizations that don’t budget can be successful but budgeting allows managing how resources are used and helps to achieve targeted growth because the dollars are allocated to those things that improve and grow the business.

5.  Don’t Hold People Accountable

When goals are written it is important to assign responsibility for completing them.  When organizations don’t hold people accountable for completing goals, and performing basic job responsibilities, they are mismanaging the organization’s resources.  When employees are on payroll and aren’t held accountable for their job responsibilities they are in essence taking money out of the organizational coffer without providing value in return.  Performance management is critical to successful organizations and employee job descriptions and goals are the first step.

6.  Don’t Anticipate Market Changes

The last couple of years has been a hard lesson for many organizations in how quickly the market can shift and the importance of keeping an eye on changing trends in areas such as technology, customer requirements or financial viability.  It is easy to get distracted with the day -to-day job tasks and lose sight of rapid market change.

7.  Don’t Take the Time to Understand Customer Requirements

Customers pay the bills so organizations need to figure out what the customer wants and put systems and processes in place to meet their needs.  Very often organizations build products and services based on what they “think’ the customer wants.  Talking to customers, surveying them  and constantly trying to learn about changing expectations and customer satisfaction is critical to being able to maintain and grow the customer base.

8.  Don’t Consider Employees to be Their Most Important Customer Group

Employees are one of the most important customer groups because they are the hands and feet of the organization and when businesses don’t put employee friendly policies and processes in place they are risking alienating those individuals that interact with customers.  When employees are given clear job expectations, the tools and training to do their job and are rewarded for performing well, they are more likely to be happy at work which directly affects the customer experience.  Every organization should work to improve employee engagement and create environments that employees can thrive in and enjoy.

9.  Don’t Communicate with Employees and Customers.

Communication, or lack thereof, is a universal problem in most organizations.  There can never be too much communication and successful organizations have structured processes to manage communication to both employees and customers.  Creating transparent organizations that continually shares information results in customer loyalty as well as an environment that employees enjoy working in.

10.  Don’t Continuously Look for Ways To Improve.

Continuous improvement is how organizations develop and enhance products and services.  The process by which those products and services are delivered should always be under review for identifying improvement opportunities.    Whether it is a process to manufacture a product or a process of delivering a service to the customer, looking for ways to continuously improve is important. FOCUS PDCA is a great model to use for continuous improvement.

11.  Don’t Celebrate Successes.

Many organizations get so bogged down with the daily grind that they forget to stop and acknowledge how far they’ve come.  Celebrating successes and team building not only recognizes progress but also encourages employees and improves engagement.

Running and growing a business is a challenging endeavor which makes it important to create systems and processes that routinely look at how the organization is performing, identifying ways to improve how things are done while planning to improve the employee and customer experience – which will ultimately improve the bottom line.

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Businesses today are being increasingly pressured to use social media to promote and grow their business.  I have to admit I’ve been a bit of a laggard in this area because quite honestly keeping up with all of the social media options – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+ and who knows what else is in the works has been a challenge for me.

I feel like I have Twitter down pretty good because I have my blog set up so tweets go out automatically when I write a post and it’s pretty easy to just pass along an interesting link if I’m out and find an article that might add value to my readers.

I use Facebook but definitely not as much as I could.  I guess I’m still struggling with posting very much personal information because I can’t wrap my head around why anyone would care what kind of ice cream I’m eating even though I read those kinds of status updates all the time.  My articles post to my Facebook page automatically but I have to wonder how many of my “friends” really care about business related articles – I’m guessing not many.

I’m slowly getting my head wrapped around Google+ and definitely see the benefit it will be especially with search engines as time goes on and I really like that you can compartmentalize your groups so that business associates don’t have to be bored with seeing pictures of your dog or family members snoozing through a business related blog post.

Pinterest is the newest one that a friend convinced me to jump on the bandwagon of.  It is a recreational social site but is gaining ground in the world of business contacts but is definitely more focused on the creative world – sharing recipes, craft ideas, fashion and just fun stuff.  I have an account but need to spend some time learning the difference between a pin and a board and a repin.

I’ve been on LinkedIn for years but sheepishly admit that I’ve been sloppy at best and just recently started taking it a little more seriously.  I just finished reading David Gowel’s book The Power in a Link which is a basic guide to using LinkedIn and the endless possibilities of making business contacts, recruiting employees or making a career change.

The book was an eye opener for me in the endless possibilities of making contacts that can benefit a business.  Of course some of the options come with a cost but as the book describes the software as powerful enough to do a lot without investing in upgrades.

Points I learned:

• It’s all about relationships and not only who you know but who the people you know have access to.
• Social Capital is something that is earned over time by earning the trust of others and is a give and take relationship – not all take.
• Your 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree relationships is how you build your contacts and network and leveraging off of the relationships of your friends and colleagues.
• A well built profile can be accessed by the many search capabilities of the software.
• This tool has proven to be very successful in identifying potential job candidates, acquiring business leads, raising funds for a cause or finding a new job.
• Using LinkedIn to network in a professional manner can help to develop new relationships that can benefit both parties.
• LinkedIn is here to stay and those of us who don’t jump on the bandwagon will be left in the dust and at a definite disadvantage.

The book was a quick read and an interesting story of how David Gowel transitioned from his military career to civilian life and how he used LinkedIn to help with the transition and to grow his business.  A book that is worth the time and financial investment.

Are you on LinkedIn?  If so click here if  you want to connect!

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Most businesses are birthed out of an idea someone had who possessed the drive and determination to make it a reality.  As a business begins to gain a bit of momentum and success there becomes a need to recruit others to help with the business endeavors.  This creates the challenge of identifying someone who has the passion for the business and who is trustworthy in the fragile phase of a business start-up.  This is when an entrepreneur might recruit a family member to help.  Of course they can trust family and of course family will work as hard as them and be as committed to the cause of the business – right?  Well maybe.

When a family member is hired, business owners need to think about what the goal is of hiring this person.  Is it to provide an income for this individual or is it to provide an opportunity for someone to help the organization achieve objectives?  The answer to this questions sets the stage for the success of this employment relationship.

When family members get intertwined into the operations of a business, issues and conflict can arise and if there is not strong governance and good management practices it can affect the long-term health of the organization as well as the family relationships.  This can be particularly difficult when business owners feel obliged to employ family members that may or may not be good job candidates.

The interesting thing about this model is there are some very successful family run businesses and some that allow these relationships to negatively impact the organization.  When it comes to hiring family, there are some things business owners can do to help make them successful.

6 Tips for Family Business Management

1. Hire For the Position – Not the Person

Job openings should be filled with people who have the credentials, skill set and demonstrated performance to do the job.  A big mistake many family operated businesses make is forcing a family member into a role that they don’t have the desire, qualifications or interest in performing.  This model typically doesn’t work.

2. Set Clear Expectations

Communicating job expectations at the beginning of the employment relationship is the best way to ensure a successful work experience.  All employees (regardless of relationship) need to understand what is expected of them and what the consequences will be for not meeting expectations.  This should be done when the employee is first hired and then on a regular basis throughout the employment relationship.

3. Defined Job Description

Family members, like any other employee, need to have a detailed job description that articulates key responsibilities, job tasks and employee goals.  This description should layout reporting relationships and purpose of the position.  When the employee begins they should have someone review the job description with them and provide any necessary training on office equipment or other job functions to ensure they are equipped and prepared to perform job duties.

4. Orientation to the Organization

Whether an organization is large or small there is a defined culture and new employees should be given a new employee orientation and information on the “unwritten” rules of the work environment.  For example, helping the employee understand office norms, dos and don’ts and cultural expectations. This helps prepare the employee for a positive work experience.

5. Performance Management

Performance management should be incorporated into all business functions and should be based on objective data.  This includes creating job descriptions that are tied to business goals.  If family members don’t meet performance objectives they should be dealt with the same way any other employee is dealt with and should be transitioned out if job performance suffers regardless of whether or not that person happens to have the same last name as the owner.

6. Tough Call

Business owners sometimes need to be make the tough call and put business objectives over family relationships.  This can be difficult but is a critical to success.  When business owners forsake the strategy of the organization to carry the dead weight of family members out of obligation, they will have a difficult time achieving long term objectives.

When family members are not required to carry their own weight, are unproductive or given special privileges, it can affect the morale of the entire work group.  This kind of practice undermines employee engagement and works against achieving business results.

Lack of performance can and does affect the bottom line.  When organizations carry unproductive employees on their Payroll (whether family members or not) they are wasting valuable resources that could be better used to move the organization closer to its objectives.

What does your organization do to ensure family member employees are successful?

photo by:  Mark van der Chijs

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We have all heard the horror stories, and even the news documentaries, about businesses that scam the public or fail to follow through on promises made to customers.  The Better Business Bureau is a a great resource for those of us who want to find out if other consumers have had issues with an organization and how those issues were resolved.  Anyone who deals with customers understands that issues will arise from time-to-time but successful businesses put systems and processes in place to deal with customer concerns.  This not only makes for a happy customer but potentially saves the organization from fighting a battle that is mediated through the Better Business Bureau.

The unfortunate part of this is there are probably a number of businesses with poor BBB ratings that are not even aware of it because they don’t take the time to find out what customers are saying about them – or maybe they don’t even care.  I was recently speaking with a business owner who had a disgruntled customer and when I asked how they planned to resolve the issue, they said, “we’re not worried about them, there are more customers out there…”  Not the way I would recommend establishing a loyal customer base.

Whether your business is a storefront, online merchant or both, you should consider acquiring accreditation from the Better Business Bureau.  The advantage of pursuing the BBB seal for your website and other marketing materials is that it gives potential customers a sense of trust that comes from knowing the organization they are using operates with honest and trustworthy business practices.

Businesses that achieve BBB accreditation meet the standards for trust and have made a commitment to work with customers if any issues arise and strives to gain consumer trust and confidence through customer friendly business practices.

3 Reasons to Pursue BBB Accreditation

1.  Accountability

Organizations that pursue BBB accreditation pay a fee for the BBB to review and monitor their business practices.  This investment in membership provides objective oversight that helps keep organizations accountable for honest, trustworthy and transparent business practices.

2. Credibility

Business credibility comes with meeting the BBB accreditation standards which includes elements of creating and maintaining trust in business practices through self regulation. When consumers recognize that the BBB has graded a business positively they have a level of trust and comfort in doing business with that organization.

3.  Marketing Tool

Achieving the BBB seal of approval is a great accomplishment and should be used as a marketing tool.  It should be displayed on the business website, business cards and any other marketing material that is made available to the general public.  This is a great way to quickly gain the confidence of potential customers.

The fragile economy has many people concerned with making wise purchasing decisions and with more and more people finding businesses on-line it is difficult to assess the organization by merely exploring the company website – a great looking site does not necessarily translate into a credible business.  This is where the BBB accreditation and seal of approval can be a huge benefit!

Has your business pursued BBB accreditation?

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My daughter recently called to let me know that a co-worker of hers – a young husband and father of two small children was the victim of a violent murder.  My daughter was very upset and overwhelmed with concern for her friend.  Her emotions were those of grief, anger, empathy and care for the young family he left behind. She has a very verbal personality so she was able to talk through this broad range of emotions that she was dealing with while figuring out how to manage the workplace grief.

This incident reminded me of the handful of times throughout my career that I had to personally deal with the sudden death of a co-worker and friend and the importance of the workplace providing some support for employees as they work through processing the incident and managing the various stages of grief.

Situations like this affect the climate and productivity of a place of  work, making it important for employers to be sensitive enough to take proactive steps to support grieving employees.

5 Things Employers Can Do to Deal with Grief in the Workplace

1.  Acknowledge the Incident

Sudden death, whether it is by natural causes or the result of violence, is difficult for everyone and acknowledging the facts of what happened is the first step in dealing with the tragedy.  Employers should be proactive and share as much information as is appropriate to employees.  This does a couple of things; first, it helps to control the rumor mill and second, it demonstrates to the employees that the employer cares enough to share information that concerns them. For example, providing information about the funeral arrangements and how employees can be involved in offering help and support to the family helps employees with planning.  

2. Provide Outside Counseling

Depending on the circumstances surrounding the death, having outside counselors that specialize in grief support come to the place of employment and meet with employees can help employees through the grieving process.  The advantage of bringing in a professional from outside the organization is that they offer objectivity and care for employees in a confidential manner.

3.  Allow for the Grieving Process

It is important for employers to allow employees to work through the five common stages of grief according to PsychCentral  -  denial, anger, bargaining, sadness and acceptance. Everyone processes things differently and employers that can identify these stages and support employees through them benefit all concerned.

4. Communicate Next Steps

When a co-worker dies, it is important to communicate sensitively what the transition will be.  For example, how the person’s position will be replaced, the process of cleaning out personal items and how the transition will affect the day-to-day operation of the organization.  Thinking through questions employees might have and answering them before they are asked helps the employees feel valued.

5. Be Sensitive to the Family

I have a sister-in-law who lost her husband suddenly when he was only 39 years old and as the widow of an employee, she shared the not-always-friendly experience of dealing with her husband’s employer to access death benefits and other logistical issues that needed to be addressed after he died.  It is important to treat the family as tenderly as you would other employees.  Their loss is great and compassion goes a long way in demonstrating care through a similar situation.

Life is unpredictable and employers are often unprepared for the unexpected sudden death of an employee.  Taking the time to slow the “work-as-usual” and help employees cope with a loss can help the organization go through the natural stages of grieving and return to a state of productivity.

photo by:  siobh.ie

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Social media is quickly becoming the norm for businesses across the world.  With 80% of adults using social networks, it would be ridiculous not to get your company involved. A vast majority of businesses lack understanding of social media, causing them to lose out on the benefits many of their competitors are reaping.  So do you need a small business social media consultant?

“Conventional marketing wisdom long held that a dissatisfied customer tells ten people. But…in the new age of social media, he or she has the tools to tell ten million.” The New Conversation Study - Paul Gillin

An online presence makes you part of the conversation, and allows you to connect with customers in a way that varies from the traditional form of marketing. In 2012 your customers want to be heard, and social networks give them that outlet. So, your choices are to get involved or get left behind.

Tell Tale Signs You Need Help!

As Gillin points out, the prominence of social media use across the world can be detrimental to your brand. Yet, if you can use these platforms to your advantage, you will avoid serious mishaps. Don’t let a lack of understanding or knowledge keep you from becoming involved, simply hire a consultant who can help you. When do you decide to hire a consultant?

• If you are in the group of 67% of businesses that don’t understand how to use social media.
• If you have a Facebook page or Twitter account that has remained untouched since you signed up.
• If you feel overwhelmed at the task of getting your brand accurately portrayed across a variety of platforms.

Why Does This Matter?

A very small 28% have chosen to outsource their social media efforts, as the unknown has become a non-priority. Yet, a whopping 88% of marketers polled in the Social Media Marketing Report said that they saw significant exposure increases through various social media methods. With social media marketing and presence becoming more important, you’ve got to give your brand a chance to stand out.

What a Consultant Can Do.

As social media continues to spread across continents, so do the jobs associated with it. Social media consultants are the brand consultants of 2012. The companies are able to take your existent brand and expand it to the masses who take part in social networking with various platforms.

• You don’t understand social media: This is the biggest problem. If you don’t understand it, you won’t make it a priority. The job of your consultant is to do the exact opposite. Social media is only beneficial if you use it correctly. A consultant knows the plug ins, widgets, and conversation engaging tools that will get your business online attention.
• You have signed up, but done nothing else: A stagnant Facebook page will hurt you more than help. Your Facebook fans expect a reward in return for following you, and being a loyal customer. A consultant can put coupons, contests and auto updates in place to engage your customers.
• You don’t know how to portray your brand: The task of becoming involved in various social media platforms can be scary. You need to know the ins and outs of multiple networks to make it worth your while. A consultant understands the importance of keeping your brand consistent, representing you appropriately via Tweets, posts, photos and videos. By keeping this united, you hold a stronger place in the busy social media world.

Getting a social media consultant is necessary for your business if you have yet to engage in the growing social networking space. Although you don’t necessarily need to have a prevalent presence in every network, it is important to find the one that works for your audience and give them what they are looking for.

When your customers change with the times, you need to stay relevant as well. It’s become clear to all of us that this is clearly not a passing fad. While companies seem shy to hire out the work, it could make the difference in losing out to long time competitors and loyal customers.

Jessica Sanders is a guest author and an avid small business writer touching on topics from social media to telemarketing. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including medical billing software for b2b lead generation resource – Resource Nation.

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If you’re an employer and/or small business owner, you need to protect yourself from personal injury lawsuits.  Said suits can be a public relations nightmare, damage your business’ reputation, cause you to lose business, and result in huge suit-related financial losses.

Below you’ll find 10 ways to avoid a personal injury lawsuit.

1. Perform Safety Checks

You should always perform periodic work premises safety checks as part of a safety program.  Check all electrical and gas appliances to ensure they are working properly.  Ensure that your office building is safe and free from things like asbestos and black mold.  Check equipment used by employees to ensure that it functions correctly.

2. Provide Employees with Necessary and Suitable Equipment

Always provide employees with the appropriate equipment they need to do their jobs.  This includes safety equipment; for instance, provide employees who may be exposed to asbestos on a daily business, e.g. a painter, with the proper clothing and protective face gear.

3. Properly Train Your Employees to do Their Jobs

Adequately train all of your employees; this includes everything from how to properly use equipment to basic end-of-day clean up practices.  It is your responsibility as the employer to ensure that employees know how to safely do their jobs.

4. Train Employees for Emergency Situations

It is imperative that you adequately train employees how to react in the event of an emergency situation; this includes everything from how to report an accident to what procedures to follow during an emergency.

5. Develop and Implement Safety Policies

Develop policies that explain how employees can report accidents or safety concerns to managers.

6. Be Prepared for Accidents and Emergencies

Have equipment readily available in the event of an accident, e.g. first aid kits or fire extinguishers.

7. Avoid Accidents

Ensure that traffic areas are kept clear of hazards, such as water spills on tile or carpet lifting that could result in a fall.  Post signs to indicate to employees when hazards or dangers are nearby.  Restrict employees’ access to dangerous areas and equipment.

8. Engage in Legal Wage Practices

Always pay employees “on the books.”  Paying employees “off the books” reflects poorly on you and leaves you little proof that you have adequately paid an employee; and to top it off, “off the books,” employee payment is illegal.

9. Pay Employees Fairly

Do as you’ve promised your employees you would.  Pay them on-time and the correct amount.  Do not allow or encourage employees to engage in off-the-clock work.  Always give employees their promised paid vacation time, bonus pay, and health care benefits/compensation.  Give employees their proper job title; giving someone a lower job title than the work they’re completing is something some employers do to avoid paying employees the wages they deserve.  Also, be sure to properly compensate employees for overtime and over-night work related travel.

10. Develop and Implement a Discrimination Policy

In addition to making it clear that your company adheres to federally mandated non-discriminatory work practices, including sexual harassment related laws, develop your own policy for how your company will deal with such situations.  Include in your policy how and to whom employees are to report discrimination situations.

Sara Witt is a guest blogger and writer bringing to us ways to avoid being involved in a personal injury claim. Sara also writes about what to do in the event of a personal injury lawsuit.

photo by:  appropos

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Pepsi has been ordered to pay $3.13 million to settle a case involving the hiring discrimination of African American workers.  The charge was filed in a Minneapolis Office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and claimed that Pepsi’s background check policy discriminated against African American job applicants. 

 “When employers contemplate instituting a background check policy, the EEOC recommends that they take into consideration the nature and gravity of the offense, the time that has passed since the conviction and/or completion of the sentence, and the nature of the job sought in order to be sure that the exclusion is important for the particular position.  Such exclusions can create an adverse impact based on race in violation of Title VII,” said Julie Schmid, Acting Director of the EEOC’s Minneapolis Area Office. “We hope that employers with unnecessarily broad criminal background check policies take note of this agreement and reassess their policies to ensure compliance with Title VII.”

The settlement will be divided among black applicants and a portion allocated to the claims process.  Pepsi has changed its background check policy and has offered employment opportunities to qualified job applicants who were affected by the background check policy.  In addition, Pepsi has initiated Title VII training for hiring managers and will submit regular reports on hiring practices to the EEOC.

5 Things Your Organization Can Learn

1. Policies and Procedures

2. Employee Training

3. Hiring Decision Review/Audit

4. Documentation

5.  Policy Review Cycle

This case is a sticky topic because no one wants a convicted criminal on their payroll and employers have a responsibility to ensure a safe workplace for their employees.  Creating structured hiring processes that include training those who have hiring decision making authority is a great first step in protecting your organization from discriminatory hiring practices.

More information can be found at eeoc.gov.

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Organizations that use strategy and goals to move the business forward are dependent on how well goals are achieved to fulfill strategic direction.  Having a structured performance management process is the most important part in setting goals and achieving them.  Accomplishing strategy is dependent on the ability to achieve business goals.

Well written SMART goals lay out the framework and accountability for goal completion and managing performance.  However, there are barriers inherent in many organizations that limit the ability to achieve goals and ultimately strategy.  If organizations are aware of these barriers they can put processes in place to avoid these common pitfalls.

5 Barriers to Achieving Business Goals

1.  Changing Strategy

Continually assessing how an organization is doing and changing direction is expected in today’s fast paced business environment and should be taken into consideration when developing strategy and writing goals.  But when strategy changes, goals should be adjusted to reflect the new direction otherwise strategy is hindered.

2.  Decision Making Process

It is unfortunate, but it is common for goals to be held up by the decision makers themselves.  When a pivotal decision that needs to be made before a goal can be completed is held up by the manager who has the decision making authority, it delays the entire process.  For example, lets say there is a department goal to change vendors for payroll services by the end of the 3rd quarter.  The accounting manager gets bids and negotiates with three different vendors, presents the bids to her director but the department director doesn’t give the final approval to move forward.  In this instance the accounting manager has taken the goal as far as she can so should not be held accountable for the goal not being completed.  However, the department director who holds up the process is the person responsible for the goal not being completed and should be held accountable at the end of the goal period.

3.  Lack of Resources

Accomplishing any goal is dependent on three things – people, time and money.  There needs to be someone responsible for completing the goal and that person has to have the time and budgeted resources to work on the goal.  For example, if the marketing manager has a goal to revamp the organizations website with a new logo, look and feel by the end of the 2nd quarter, but does not have the budget dollars to pay a designer and webmaster, their ability to achieve that goal will be hindered.  This is why it is important to incorporate annual goals into the budgeting process to ensure the resources are available to support the completion of the goal.

4.  Unclear Expectations

Goals should be written using the SMART model because this format by design creates very clear expectations.  When goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely there can be no confusion about what exactly needs to be done to accomplish the goal.  For example, if a purchasing manager has a goal of researching new phone plans (not very specific) as opposed to having a goal of reducing phone expense by 10% by the end of 20XX,  the second goal is very clear on what the expectation is in a measurable way.

5.  Not Perceived Priority

Sometimes goals are  the main focus at the beginning of the year but as the months go by the attention and chatter slows.  Achieving goals needs to be kept at the forefront by continuing to have conversations about them or it may be perceived that the goals are no longer important. Goals should be discussed on a regular basis until they are achieved.

The difficulty in managing any organization is balancing the day-to-day responsibilities with the time and attention needed to achieve annual goals.  This tender balance can be a challenge in today’s faced paced environment but needs to be a priority or another year will go by without moving the organization forward and implementing strategy.

photo by:  Sean MacEntee

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