Jessica: I've been with the company three years, so you'd think I'd know what I need to do, and the time I have to do it in. But last month I got a new boss, and he asked me for a report on the team's social networking plans. I really wanted to make a good impression, so I did what I usually do – spent a week getting all the data, running the numbers, and writing the report. So I send it to him and he says:
Open:Jessica sitting in her cubicle.
Jessica: “Wow – lot of detail here. You know, just the highlights would be fine."
Jessica impersonates her boss's voice.
Jessica: Just the highlights? That came out of the blue. I mean, my report was the same as the ones I've been submitting for years, but I can see that's not what he needs. And then he asks about my progress on the Service Quality Awareness Report. That wasn't even on my radar. So I'm thinking – where did I go wrong?
Host: Seems as though Jessica's suffering from a case of "Goal Misalignment"– the frustrating disconnect between what you think you should be doing and what your boss expects you to do. Goal misalignment can result in you working on things that don't really matter because you don't know what's really expected of you – or you're not clear on what your boss and your company need from you to get results. Jessica plunged into her task thinking she was doing the right thing ...when she should have checked with her new boss on the goal itself, and how she should go about achieving it. All that added up to disappointment – hers because she put in a lot of time and thought it was important, and her boss's because she wasn't delivering the results he expected.
Jessica: Anyway, I "regrouped"...I talked to my team and they suggested that maybe I needed to clarify my goals.
Host: Jessica wanted to make sure that her goals and expectations aligned with her organization's, so she'll know what she needs to do and the results she needs to deliver.
Jessica: So I met with my boss and he explained the new company directives and how our team fits into the picture...I got it. So I set specific goals for myself to meet these new expectations. And I created a Goal Alignment Worksheet to help me make sure that all these goals line up.
Host: Great idea Jessica. A Goal Alignment worksheet is simply a way for you to make sure the work you're doing is directly related to what your company or team needs to accomplish – for every organizational goal, you have an associated goal. You start with an organizational or departmental goal, and using your goal sheet, discuss with your manager what your part might be. For example, one of Jessica's tasks is to create a report detailing how service quality awareness could be increased through social networks by Q3. She decided to track a "very good" rating on customer service using a social network survey that could be completed by mid-year. She understood the organizational goal – the team goal – and then created a clear, achievable goal for herself. I think she's got it!
Jessica's goal alignment worksheet has two columns labeled Organizational Goal and Your Associated Goal. Her organizational goal is to increase service quality awareness and her associated goal is to track "very good" customer service ratings.
Jessica: This will help me get a much better idea of not only what I'm supposed to do, but how I'm supposed to do it. Now I know what's expected and when – AND how I need to get it done.
Host: She's defined a goal and aligned it with her company's goals and expectations using a simple Goal Alignment worksheet. Now she's got a clearer picture of what she needs to do and how she needs to do it. Frazzled, confused Jessica has been replaced by focused, confident Jessica.
Jessica: So now...I'm going to apply it to everything on my plate so I'm not working on things that don't really matter or aren't that important to me or the company. Now my boss is telling me "Great report, Jessica! Exactly what I needed! Take tomorrow off!"
Jessica impersonates her boss's voice again.
Jessica: Well...maybe he didn't say that exactly.