At the start of a new year, people are often naturally inclined toward thinking about new goals and things they want to accomplish. While some of those things may be work related, your staff are probably thinking about personal growth as well. And one of the best ways to keep staff engaged is to show them that they are each a valued member of the team by helping them achieve both personal and professional goals.

There are lots of ways to help staff move closer to their goals. In fact, some of the ideas we’ve been exploring on this blog like peer coaching can be a great way for team members to help develop each other. Here are some ideas for helping your staff start the year with a clear vision of what they want to accomplish:

 

  1. Group vision and goal setting session: butYou could offer this up to a team member to head — one who’s passionate about coaching people toward their goals that can lead the session. Vision and goal settings can include some sort of visualisation exercise, or creating a vision board. As part of the session, it’s also important for everyone to identify at least one action step and share their vision with the group. The action helps create momentum and sharing creates accountability.
  2. One-on-one mentoring: Whether it’s leader-to-leader or teacher-to-teacher, mentoring is a powerful development tool where sometimes the best mentoring relationships develop with people from other departments. Anyone can be a mentor to someone else if they’re willing to listen, make time and support someone else. The best mentors are the ones who represent where their mentee wants to go, and are willing to give someone else the benefit of their experience.
  3. Brief coaching: Much like a mentor, the job of a brief coach is to help you get to where you want to be. Unlike the mentor relationship though, a coach need not be someone you want to emulate. Instead, the coach is someone to help illuminate blind spots and push you out of your comfort zone. Some employ coaches all of the time, and hiring a part-time or full-time coach for your staff can yield powerful results in their journey toward their goals.


These are just a few ideas for helping your staff work toward their short and long term goals. Whatever you choose to do, watch how supporting your employees’ personal and professional goals creates a more engaged and happy team overall.

What are some other ways you empower your team to achieve their goals?

 

Image courtesy of Cristian Newman. All rights reserved. Copyright Unsplash.com