We discussed in our blog a few weeks ago how to reach your goals, today we’ll deep dive into how to set goals that excite and motivate you and your team. Setting goals and looking ahead to future projects shouldn’t be stressful or overwhelming for your team. With this guide, your team will rest easy knowing they can handle any project that comes their way.
Before we jump into how to set successful business goals, we have an exciting announcement. Recently, our marketing team sent out a survey to our high-engagement clients gauging the quality of our weekly emails. We wanted to know their take on the content, frequency, and format of these emails. While we work hard to provide nuggets of gold in every weekly email, we heard the overwhelming response of our clients, saying every week was just too much.
In response, our team decided to scale communications back to once a month and provide all our info, updates, and events in our end-of-month, all things Bloom digest. To celebrate these changes, this is a special blog edition! This blog is the round-up of all our best goal-setting emails, including setting goals as a team and as individuals. We don’t want these nuggets of gold to be lost in the abyss, so we’ll compile these short, informative emails into themed blog posts. Today’s theme is all about setting goals, so without further ado, let’s set some goals!
Email 1
This email is the inspiration for this blog; if it weren’t for this blog post, it would never have seen the light of day. This last weekly email was written but never sent out—until today!
One sentence summary: The tips and tricks our team uses when project-planning to get projects completed every time. 🔥
Subject: Writing goals that get completed on time—every time.
Preview: Our tips for project planning to streamline your team.
Starting with a new team or software can take some adjusting—to put it lightly. Once you’ve gotten familiar with your team members, completing projects can go from stressful, busy periods to fun, productive opportunities for bonding. That’s our goal for your team.
Here are our tips for getting projects completed on time—every time.
- A reasonable, reachable goal
- Think about your team’s capacity when project planning. The secret to not overwhelming your team is being realistic with deadlines.
- A badass marketing plan
- Your marketing plan should be the all-knowing document of wisdom for your projects. Any big project should have a plan that answers the when, where, how, who and what for your team. This includes accountabilities, deliverables and rough estimations of deadlines.
- Break down tasks into bite-sized pieces
- Your subtasks should be as small as they can be. From drafting copy to sending that copy to design, make it easy for your team to succeed and stay on top of things.
- Strong project-management tools
- After you’ve got your game plan (aka a detailed marketing plan) the next step is to put each and every one of your subtasks into the Bloom software.
- Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines
- We consider this tip the underdog. Underappreciated yet extremely powerful and simple—assign due dates to every sub task.
- Rinse and repeat
- You have the tools to get across the finish line every time. With each project, you’ll see room for improvements, work on these and watch your team work together like a well-oiled machine. 😎
Learn more tips on streamlining your team and getting projects completed on time—every time
Email 2
The next email is the first of a series and will lead you and your team through setting professional goals for themselves. We understand that goals for team performance aren’t the only goals that need to be set in a professional environment. To keep a well-rounded, content team, every member should have opportunities for growth and education. Here’s how to facilitate those opportunities.
One sentence summary: Why professional roadmaps are essential and how they can impact the future of your team.
Subject: Skyrocket your business with a professional roadmap
Preview: Why you and your team can benefit from having clear career goals.
Do you know what your employees want to be doing in 5 years? How about 10? 15?
Career development programs are an essential part of team engagement and satisfaction. By helping your employees set goals, achieve milestones and identify opportunities, you’ll develop a team that works with you—not just for you. Our favorite way to do this? Building professional roadmaps with direct reports.
Over the next three weeks, we’ll guide you through the ins and outs of building a professional roadmap, coaching direct reports through their own roadmap and setting actionable next steps for following through—both for you and the team members you supervise.
What are professional roadmaps? Professional roadmaps are high-level plans that define an employee’s ultimate career goals and the steps it’ll take to get there. More than just a strategic document, professional roadmaps serve as a powerful communication tool allowing you and your team to work purposefully.
Ready to go after your goals? Use this template to start your professional roadmap today. 🥇
Email 3
Part two of the professional roadmap series, this email focuses on helping each member of your team set goals for themselves. Not only will this help with a strong sense of job satisfaction for your employees, but this will also help you understand where your direct report’s interests and skills currently are. Checking in regularly with your direct report will allow you to gauge their satisfaction with their accountabilities and stay on top of the team culture and productivity. When all team members are in the right seats for them, you’ll have an incredibly productive—and satisfied—team.
One sentence summary: Help your team reach their goals by leading them through their own professional roadmaps.
Subject: Professional roadmap: tips for a productive roadmap conversation.
Preview: Motivate your team and reduce employee turnover with 1-on-1 meetings.
In last week’s email, we provided a framework for drafting a professional roadmap. Now, it’s time to ask your direct reports to create their own roadmap.
Once they’ve completed their roadmap, we recommend scheduling regular (at least annual) 1-on-1 conversations to discuss their career vision. The goal is to align their personal objectives with resources and opportunities within your business—elevating your team member and your organization in one fell swoop.
Empathy and a coaching mindset are crucial for getting the most out of these meetings. When you’re ready to meet, here are a few tips for guiding the conversation:
- Read your direct report’s professional roadmap ahead of time, and take notes.
- Practice active listening and exhibit genuine curiosity.
- Prepare a list of coaching questions to help your team member dig a little deeper. Download the attachment for a list of example questions.
- Research and document a list of potential resources aligned with their goals. Be ready to discuss them.
- Document any opportunities for improvement that could help their career—and deliver the feedback empathetically.
- Don’t forget to discuss soft skills. These are just as important as technical know-how!
Take your team to the next level.
Email 4
The last email in the professional roadmap series, and arguably the most pivotal part in this process—the aftermath. We all know how easy it is to get in the heat of the moment, make a bunch of promises, follow through for a few weeks, and then lose the momentum completely. To help your teammates follow through with the goals they’ve set, you’ll can follow up with them during regular check-ins.
One important thing to keep in mind at this point in your roadmap journey, these goals and deadlines you’ve set for yourself aren’t set in stone. It’s totally acceptable to pivot and revise your goals over time. Don’t overwhelm yourself, this process can be highly enjoyable if you do it right.
One sentence summary: The follow-through of the professional roadmap, following-up to verify you and your team reach your goals.
Subject line: Professional roadmaps: following up after a roadmap conversation
Preview: Elevate your team member’s careers through empowerment, communication and follow-through.
Over the last two weeks, you’ve learned how career roadmaps can elevate your and your team’s careers. But the journey doesn’t stop there.
Your roadmap is a living document. We recommend returning to it annually to update your priorities, goals and skills. Additionally, we recommend meeting with your direct reports each year to review their updated roadmaps—with lots of informal check-ins along the way.
Tips for staying aligned with a direct report after their roadmap conversation
- Add a recurring topic to your one-on-ones. How are their roadmap goals panning out? Do they need additional support?
- Actively look for new opportunities in line with their goals. As a supervisor, you’re well-positioned to identify opportunities they may not know about.
- Connect your team member with the right people. For example, if a sales team member’s long-term goal includes learning about marketing, ask your Marketing Director about opportunities for cross-department collaboration.
Ready to bring professional roadmaps to life?
Missed our last few emails? No worries. Click here to download our complete career roadmap packet.
Email 5
The bonus email! To put a nice bow on this topic, here are a few more tips on following through with your goals after they’re set. How to take your goals and start setting them into action.
One sentence summary: Our top 3 tips for moving projects forward and reaching your goals.
Subject: Are your projects completed on time?
Preview: Tips to meet deadlines on time from our learning experts
Getting from a goal to a completed project can be a long process. Bloom Growth™ is committed to making that journey more manageable with our world-class project management and meeting software. Here are some refresher tips from our Learning Team to help you utilize your Bloom software to its fullest potential.
Getting goals completed on time
Quick tips from the experts on our Learning Team at BloomU:
- Break projects into small tasks
Each task should be clearly defined and easily understood. From drafting copy to sending it to design, all tasks should be documented.
- Assign due dates
Every one of those small tasks should have a clear due date assigned to prevent a pile-up of work at the end of the project.
- Clear blockers
Not only will your productivity soar by removing blockers but consistently working as a unit to find creative solutions is a great way to promote healthy communication as a team.
Learn more about getting your Goals organized in your Bloom software with more tips from our expert Learning Team.