Team Goals

No man is an island, so they say. Because behind every successful venture lies a team of dedicated individuals who sacrifice more than enough for the sake of a whole. But a single team represents a complex piece of the puzzle and without it, a project cannot be completed.

As much as we like working on our own, we often need help to complete tasks and assignments a lot faster. The people you work with are considered to be your teammates, and as a team, you need to achieve particular objectives in order to prosper. Setting goals can allow your team to determine what really matters in the end. These team goals will motivate members to do their best for the good of all.

Examples of Good Team Goals

Being a leader of a team, you may have your own set of leadership goals you want to accomplish. But things can be quite different when a group of individuals is involved, as these ambitions start to center on the growth and development of each member of the team as well. So regardless of the type of team, you have, here are some examples of team goals to inspire you:

1. Boost work performance

The primary goal for any team is to grow better and better as each day goes by. But this cannot be achieved unless the whole team stays committed to this goal. First, you need to identify the various elements that affect your work quality. There are endless possibilities for such, anything ranging from personal challenges to external distractions. For instance, a person may be struggling with his or her task for an important project. But just because every person has his or her assignments to deal with, doesn’t mean lending a helping hand to a team member is forbidden. Learn to bring each other up, not pull someone down. The attitude and outlook that every member possesses can greatly impact the team’s overall performance.

A team’s success lies on how well their foundation is built. One of the best ways to enhance the skills and abilities of each member of your team is by conducting a thorough training process from the beginning until the end of your team’s journey. Remember, there’s always something new to learn everyday. If you do have a training plan available, analyze the steps or processes that affect the progress of each member. You also need to make sure that each program is specially designed to improve a person’s capabilities in a certain matter. But instead of pushing an individual, allow the person to grow along with the program. This involves a lot of time and effort to complete, but the results is definitely worth the sacrifice.

3. Finish projects on time

An essential goal that every team needs to possess is to finish projects before they are due. There are various factors that can affect a team’s performance, one of which includes procrastination. You see, if a project isn’t due until the following week, it’s likely for the team to wait until the last minute to actually begin working. This type of mindset can greatly affect the whole process along with its result, considering the amount of stress and pressure that the team has to put up with. Knowing this, it’s important to practice proper time management. The leader must create a timeline of tasks and events in order to guide the whole team. Once this is done, it is up to the team to stay committed to the plan. This requires a fair level of participation and cooperation to pursue.

4. Increase status

Whether you’re running a corporate team or a sports team, the status your team has is a reflection of your performance. It’s all about making progress in order to succeed in the industry you are in. But this status is not easy to acquire, as the team must work hard to make their way up to the top of the ladder.

Let’s take this for example. A national swimming team won silver in their last competition. So for the upcoming Olympic games, they aim for gold. This vision of taking a step higher is not something that may be attained overnight, as it requires hard work, patience, and determination to achieve. For some, merely maintaining this status can be quite difficult as well. You don’t want your team to fall behind everyone else. Otherwise, this can only make members feel disappointed and discouraged to go on.

5. Win back what has been lost

Think of it this way. When you do something wrong, you’re bound to lose customers, fans, and followers in a snap of a finger. Bad decisions and poor marketing strategies aren’t something you could take back, but this doesn’t make it the end of the world, either. Instead, this serves as your motivation to keep going. This can help you determine whether or not your actions are effective enough to entice your respective audience. As a team, you must work hand in hand to come up with better plans and strategies for the future of the whole team.

6. Explore individual talents

Every individual has something great to offer that could be beneficial for the whole team. That being said, you need to discover what a member’s function is. Does his or her expertise fall under the category of marketing? How about operations? Or maybe this person thrives in the field of information technology? Focus on these individual talents. If you pay attention to what a person is capable of doing, you can discover hidden talents that you didn’t think your team needed. As mentioned before, you can help a person improve his or her strengths through various training programs. In order to meet the needs of the team, you must have members that can work both efficiently and effectively in their own field. This can help simplify assigned tasks, allowing the team to complete projects a lot quicker than what has been initially planned.

7. Strengthen relationships

Remember, a group of individuals can only work as a team if they learn to treat one another professionally. Do not let personal differences and arguments get in the way of your work performance. Otherwise, you may just stir up problems that can do nothing but slow your team down.

While it’s not unusual for members to feel awkward and out of place when they first join a team, it’s still up to the leader and the existing members to break the ice. Misunderstandings come when members fail to see eye to eye, so open communication must be encouraged at all times. Leaders may arrange a variety of team building activities as well. This can help break any tension between members, and make everyone feel comfortable with each other’s presence. Not only will this allow the team to work together in harmony, but this can also help you determine the strengths and weaknesses of each member.

Tips for Setting the Right Team Goals

In the real world, it’s all about building an environment that you can thrive in. The people you work with have the ability to influence the outcome of your work, as well as your attitude towards your job. So when it comes to setting the right goals, you have to make sure each objective leaves a positive impact on the whole team. Here are some tips on how you can set your team’s goals:

• Make it SMART – Specific. Measurable. Achievable. Relevant. Time-based. Smart goals are the type of objectives you would want to incorporate into your personal development goals and professional goals as well. Think about it this way. The kind of goals that you can think of at random circumstances are nothing more than items fit for a bucket list. If you make it SMART, you’re thinking of long-term goals you wish to accomplish within a given time frame. This is because these goals can leave a great impact in your life in various ways.
• Define your objectives – When you have a goal, then you must have a good reason to consider it as your goal, right? Write your goals with a purpose in mind. Make it clear and understandable enough for you to look back to when things get tough, as this will inspire you to get through the obstacles that may come. Once members of your team know what to expect, then they’ll know exactly how to act towards particular situations.
• Break it down – If you plan on graduating college, then you need to take baby steps first. Do your homework. Start making your project. Engage yourself in different campus activities to earn extra credit. It’s okay to dream big, as long as you’re willing to go through every stepping stone to get there. Consider these short-term goals as a guide for your team to follow. It’s a lot to do, but as you gradually cross every milestone along your journey, you’ll come to find that these mini-goals aren’t so bad after all.
• Motivate one another – You are each other’s support system. As a team, you can’t set a goal unless everyone is on board. There will always be doubts, but that shouldn’t stop you from chasing something great. If someone commits a mistake, refrain from pointing fingers. Allow each member to grow individually in more ways than one. Decision-making should be done as a team, and nothing should be finalized until the whole team comes to a mutual agreement.
• Provide rewards for accomplishments – After a long, productive day at work, what do you look forward to? Bonding time with family? A night out with friends? You may consider these activities as your reward for doing a job well done. When managing a team, providing recognition and rewards as a form of acknowledgment for one’s accomplishments is an excellent way to encourage an individual. It’s common for one to feel a bit lost along the way, losing all faith and enthusiasm due to the stress and struggles encountered. With this in mind, you need to give team members something to look forward to. You can organize a team lunch every now and then, or even give out gift certificates for them to enjoy.

Goal-setting plays a critical role for any team. When the road gets too difficult to pass, these goals serve as a trail for the team to follow. Instead of relying on a single person to act as a dominant or superior member of the group, having a common goal will allow each member to contribute to the success of the whole team. Remember, it’s a slow process. But what makes our goals even more valuable is not just the accomplishments rather, it’s the journey of ups and downs that we need to encounter before reaching our dreams.