How to make the most of measures in objectives

The importance of being measured – how to measure objectives

What should you measure? And how should you measure it? These are two very important questions when it comes to setting goals, objectives and targets.

You know it’s important that objectives are SMART, (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bounded) but that’s no good if you are measuring the wrong thing or the wrong person is getting the information.

Example of the wrong measure

I was reading a book about measuring objectives recently. Yes, there are such books.

The thing that worried me was that the author was suggesting that all the information should be going to the manager. In only one casual aside did he mention that people might like to get the measures themselves.

He talks about the objective of reducing errors per 100 sales. `He suggests the Sales Processing Manager and the Customer Relationship Manager should be getting this information.

But he does not mention the people responsible for this task.

A typical mistake made by managers

So often managers put themselves and their processes between the person doing the job and the results they get.

If you want someone to improve their performance and level of skill, it’s vital that they get the information they need in order to do that.

Getting a report at the end of the week telling you that there were 5 errors in every hundred orders is almost useless. What you need is to know straight away if the order is correct or not.

Then you can work out what you need to do to get it right every time.
Even worse, putting all the information in the manager’s hands first is one of the biggest mistakes people make. It’s like being back at school and waiting for the results of your exams.

You can trust your people to get it right if they have the right information
If you get the information you need immediately you can work out how to do a good job every time. To keep this information from people is both patronising and stupid. It’s cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Get people to give you the information

Instead of operating in this schoolteacher manner, either make the information as automated as possible and give everyone access to it, or get the individuals to report the information back to you, instead of you giving it to them.

This will make it much easier for people to take responsibility for improving their performance and you will find they are much more motivated.

Are you distracted by the wrong problems?

This week our government seems completely transfixed by the phone hacking scandal. And I do think it’s a scandal I am completely against this kind of behaviour.

But I also think that there are other serious problems that the government should be focussing on at the moment. Like the economy.

Of course, the media don’t help. This is a problem with the media itself, so it’s bound to be of more interest to them than other issues.

It’s easy to be distracted

The trouble is, when there are very serious problems to be tackled it’s very easy to get distracted by things that aren’t as serious. This is because you lose your ability to prioritise.

Prioritisation is a vital skill that you generally need more of when there are many problems to be solved.

How to prioritise

The first thing is to make sure you have a clear, SMART objective or goal. Once you have this, ask yourself what will enable you to achieve it.

Draw up a plan

It’s always good to have a plan. Even if you change it later, it’s still a good thing to start with one. It helps you to keep focussed on the right things rather than lurching from one thing to another all the time.

Reassess you plan

Lastly, keep checking the plan and update it if you need to. Often new problems crop up that cause extra work or simply divert you from your goals. Make sure you keep your plan up to date so you are always working on the things that will help you the most.

5 Big change mistakes - 1 The wrong objective

5 Big mistakes when implementing change - 1 The wrong objective

One of the big mistakes people make when they are implementing change is not getting the objective right at the beginning.

Make sure you have a SMART objective

Make sure you are clear on what it is you need to achieve through the changes you are planning. The wrong objective (or no objective at all) will lead you down the wrong path.

Time spent on this can seem like a waste when you are keen to get on or there is an emergency – perhaps when the creditors are banging on the door. But it will be worth it.

Ask yourself some questions:

• What do we need to achieve?
• How would we know we had achieved it?
• How would you know you were making progress?
• When do we need to achieve it by?
• What would it look like?
• How do we need it to be in six months?
• How do we need it to be in a year?

Don’t just do this on your own. Ask your team. Run it by others to see if it makes sense.

Don’t worry about how you are going to achieve it at this stage, just what it is you need to achieve.

For example:
Imagine your sales have dropped and the revenue is reduced.
You might start with an objective like:

“Reduce costs.”

This objective is not very specific. What is it you need to achieve?

“Run the company within a new budget”
“Increase revenue”

What budget and what revenue do you need?

“Run the company within a budget of £XX this year”
“Increase the revenue to £YY per year by end 2014”

There are many other objectives that come under these and you need to discuss them with those involved. Don’t start working out how you are going to achieve it at this stage. I know it’s very tempting, but it’s a distraction from getting your objectives clear.

The next posting on big mistakes in implementing change – not involving people early enough – comes out on Thursday 19th May.

For a summary of five big mistakes when implementing change see this article:

5 Big mistakes to avoid when making change

Are you wasting money on events?

Have you ever been to a conference and come away wondering why you went?

I’ve spoken at conferences like that myself and been to quite a few. They are the ones where there seems to be a vast budget, lots of ‘goodies’ that get handed to you, but no clear idea what the purpose of the event is.

They are not so frequent now, but they still happen.

One of our clients told me about a discussion with one of his clients recently. They wanted him to make a film for this event. When he asked them what the objective of the film was, they had no idea – but they were planning to spend thousands on it.

The cost of events

Events cost a fortune to organise and to carry out. But that’s not the only cost. There is also the cost of the people attending the event. For in-company events, this can be huge, but it’s rarely considered.

How to avoid extra costs and make events worthwhile

You need to have clear objectives.

Try asking yourself these questions:

• What do I want to be different at the end of this event?
• What do I want people to do differently?
• What do I want them to say when they leave?
• What do I want them to say about the event when they get back to the office?

And, most importantly:

• Why are we holding this event?
• How would we know that it was successful?