Setting Goals and Implementing Change
One of the most important aspects of management is implementing
change and setting goals. Managers must decide what their goals
are and how they are going to achieve them. This is a basic part
of strategic planning. Setting small goals is a small part of
the bigger picture in making your business or organization
successful. Managers must decide what goals they believe will be
most effective in improving their business and then decide how
they are going to go about reaching those goals. Whatever the
goal is you must be committed to it in order for it to succeed.
Commitment to a goal and making decisions are not easily done.
Many managers hesitate for various reasons when it comes to
making changes in the workplace. Fear of change, failure, and
upsetting the staff are just a few of the challenges that
managers face when introducing a new concept or idea in the
organization. But it is imperative that managers follow through
on their goals and replace the fear with positive feelings such
as excitement and success. Managers who are afraid to set goals
and carry them through will never be successful. Today's
ever-changing marketplace makes it imperative that every manager
constantly look for ways to improve their processes, systems,
and products and/or services in order to compete successfully in
a growing global market.
Once goals are established it is the job of the manager to
establish a plan for achieving these goals. For beginning
managers it is important not to tackle too many goals at once.
In fact, I would recommend that new managers begin with one goal
and work on meeting that goal before working on another one.
Veteran managers, on the other hand, can often work on numerous
goals simultaneously through the use of teams and careful
project management tools.
Not every one of your ideas or goals will be met with open arms
by your staff. That is normal and be ready to face stiff
opposition by most to any changes that you may want to make in
order to reach your goal. But do not let this opposition stop
you from implementing change if it is for the good of the
organization. It is important that you show your staff how
strongly you believe in your idea or goal in order to get their
support. If they sense that you are hesitant or scared at all,
you will never get the new idea implemented. On the other hand,
if you stay committed to your plan and work effectively at
getting your staff to buy-in to it, you will eventually get the
idea implemented.
Effective change management is a whole area of discussion that
will not be discussed in detail here but should be researched
carefully before implementing new ideas in the workplace. Just
remember that you must communicate to your staff the reasons for
the changes. Just making changes and implementing new ideas for
the sake of "making changes" is not a good idea. You should have
a reason for doing so and communicate the reasons to all
involved in order to get their support. Once the staff realizes
that the new idea will increase revenues or make their jobs
easier then you will get the support you need to carry through
on your plan.
In conclusion, managers must be ready to make changes in the
workplace based on their goals. Careful planning and research is
imperative as is effective communication with the staff. Do not
be afraid of implementing new ideas or making changes in the
organization. It is your job.
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Written by Jason Liptow, webmaster of The Good Manager.
Copyright 2005