Many employees show up to work every day without a clear sense of what success looks like in their role. Meanwhile, managers assume their teams know what’s expected and the team members assume someone will tell them if something is wrong. The result is often poor performance and high turnover. The solution starts with leaders who set expectations clearly from the start, set measurable goals and build accountability into the routine.
On this episode of Business Trends Today, we’re continuing our Mentorship Moments for Business Leaders series inspired by Amy Summers’ bestselling book, Lift: 10 Mentorship Touchpoints to Empower Your Team and Accelerate Your Career. Amy joins us to focus on Touchpoint Two: Set Structure and Goals.
Managing the DIY generation
Summers says leaders should get into the habit of establishing a clear structure and defined goals from the start. Not only will it improve performance, but it can also improve retention. When employees understand what is expected of them and how their work connects to the bigger picture, they perform better, she says. When they don’t, they leave.
Younger workers today are largely self-taught, she says. They grew up solving problems independently, watching YouTube tutorials and online guides before asking for help. That habit follows them into the workplace. At the same time, many leaders still assume that employees will come to them when they need guidance. Summers says that combination is a recipe for underperformance.
"I think a lot of times these days there's not a lot of clear direction, and that can actually cause people to leave workplaces if they don't know what they're doing and how they're contributing to the bigger picture."
“Leaders need to be a little bit more intentional in their direction because if they’re not, they might get work produced that is not exactly to their liking. For younger people coming up in the workforce, there’s a lot to learn from people that have been on the job for a while that you’re not going to find on AI,” said Summers.
Short cycles, real results
Summers incentivizes her team with bonuses tied to a two-week goal cycle. When employees hit their goals, they get paid. She does not wait until the end of the quarter or the year. The shorter cycle, she says, keeps energy high and teaches employees to manage their time.
“I want them to feel that adrenaline rush of, I cleared my goal, and then I can do it again in the next two weeks,” said Summers.
She also found that financial incentives outperform traditional perks. Company outings and parties can feel more like an obligation than a reward.
Making remote work, work
Remote and hybrid work have made clear communication and defined goals more important than ever. Summers says going fully remote forced her to replace oversight with structure and trust. Without visibility into what employees were doing each day, results became the only measure that mattered.
Remote work also comes with distractions that an office environment does not. Family members, household responsibilities, and daily interruptions can divert attention from work. Summers says employees who want to succeed in remote work need to take their workspace seriously.
Structure starts at the top
For small business owners looking to create more clarity and structure right away, Summers says the process starts at the top. Leaders need to identify their company’s priorities and define where they want to be in six months.
“Once you get the entire team working towards a shared goal that they understand, what the objective is in the next six months, chances are you’re probably going to get there faster,” said Summers.
Summers says structure and goals are not about control. They are about giving people the tools they need to succeed. Leaders who define expectations, set measurable goals, and build accountability into the routine will see the results in their teams’ performance and confidence.
ASBN, from startup to success, we are your go-to resource for small business news, expert advice, information, and event coverage.