Inculcating a sense of team achievement

With four months left until the end of 2011, now is the time many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are working harder to hit targets. If companies find themselves behind plans now, they are hoping to maximise what is often the busiest quarter of the year in the Middle East.

For companies that are ahead of plan, they must keep up the momentum and push for greater than expected results — a luxury if you've grown your business to that position. If you're behind target, how can you get that extra ounce of effort from the team without creating burnout or resentment?

If your company has been falling short of expectations all year, you need to review your target levels.

It suggests your targets can't be achieved, making them look more like a self-fulfilling prophecy. You need to break that pattern. If you can't, maybe it's time to drop the target for a few months to rebuild energy, belief and that winning feeling.

Don't just focus on quarterly or monthly targets; break them down to the smallest possible measure. For example, ‘we just have to sell one more sofa per day than we did last year.' You need to help teams see that the big target is just a series of changes every day and is achievable.

Hand over ownership

Sometimes we may be micro-managing people to achieve results. The manager's role is to set the target, build believability and then let the team brainstorm and come up with the best way to reach the goals. Only by doing this will they take accountability for their actions and the results.

Each team member should also know what is needed to contribute to the company's priorities. This will give them more confidence to deliver, knowing that even if they aren't on the front line, they still make a difference.

The key to stretching a goal is to ask your team to do the impossible and, at the same time, make them believe it is possible. Liz Wiseman, author of Multipliers, describes this practice as being a challenger, someone who can provide a vivid and intriguing puzzle that people want to solve, but at the same time making it realistic by breaking it down, or drawing a comparison with something else, or just by creating belief in the individuals.

Make it visible

Some companies only look at their metrics at the end of the month and then act shocked — or pleasantly surprised — with the results. You need to be looking at your key goals daily!

If you focus on a handful of priorities and numbers and visualise these for all the team members to see, it will create a sense of urgency and energy.

Find great excuses between September and December to celebrate the small wins. Make sure the celebration matches the win; otherwise you'll be bankrupt before the end of the year.

If you've been missing targets until now, make the most of every opportunity to show you are a winning team. From September 1 you have just 17 weeks left to make target. Are you ready?

The writer is the CEO of biz-group, a consultancy.