By Jordan Rodney | Published in The VOICE >>

Have you as an employer talked to your employees about your 2011 broader business goals and objectives? Organizations that map out a set of objectives and the roadmap to meeting those objectives will undoubtedly have a more productive and engaged workforce that knows what is expected of them. Employers must remember the value of keeping their employees current with their organizational objectives to keep the momentum moving throughout the year and beyond.

In every organization, objective setting is a critical part of growing your business and achieving tangible results. Here are five key tips for employers to strategically plan for 2011:

1. Create SMART goals – During the early stages of your strategic planning process ensure that your current vision of your organization’s goals are SMART [Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely]. In order to achieve results in 2011, your goals must meet the above guidelines otherwise you may be creating unrealistic outcomes.
2. Solicit Input – Employers who utilize a ‘bottom-up’ feedback approach will obtain better results. By inviting all of your employees to make recommendations, your employees will feel more motivated and engaged to carry out organizational goals due to their enhanced ability to make meaningful contributions the business.
3. Communicate Objectives – Once objectives have been finalized employers must ensure that they effectively communicate changes to their employees in order for them to have a clear understanding and to ensure the ‘stick’ factor. Holding a Town Hall Meeting or company-wide communication session will be an efficient way of communicating upcoming changes to your employees.
4. Creative Compensation – Employers should consider rewarding their employees for a job well done by establishing creative compensation initiatives. Rewards tied positive performance will help instill a sense of value and pride in employees thus motivating them to strive towards further success. These incentives don’t have to be of a monetary value but could include: special parking spaces for a month, having a casual dress day, flexible working hours, floating days, movie tickets or even gift cards to a local restaurant.
5. Stay In Tune – Employers must ensure that they take a pro-active approach throughout the year to ensure that their organization is on the right track to accomplishing their business goals. Monitoring and evaluating your progress is important for any organization because it will allow employers to accurately determine whether or not their earlier strategic plan is the right one for them. This tactic also allows employers to redirect their employees if they find that they are steering away from their strategic objectives or if any adjustments need to be made.