Having been responsible for leading teams of all shapes and sizes throughout my career (and because I am curious about people behaviour) I have learned that employees have more than one way of operating. They have different styles of social behaviour that vary from one context to the next. For example, how you behave when out drinking with friends and family will be different from how you show up at a company event (I would hope!)

This may sound obvious but I’ve been horrified on occasion to have caught a star employee behaving in a way unbecoming in front of customers. Remember, we only see the side of people they want us to see (and we all do that to some degree).

Telling your team members the reason their objectives exist is a powerful motivator. It means they can use that information to prioritise those goals in a way that they complement each other rather than competing for time. This makes it much more likely that people will follow through without you having to chase.

Our objective at Robertson Fox is to help business leaders realise their strategic aims through a network of highly motivated and competent people managers. Whilst everyone in the team has different roles and responsibilities, they can see how their goal fits the company strategy; and they can be confident that pursuing it will be regarded favourably.

So, the next time you are reviewing your people’s performance, make a point of checking that their objectives are tightly connected with the purpose of the job. Consider this within the context of company values and what it means for the customer when everyone lives them.

The benefit to the organisation is the development of brand loyalty which attracts new customers, whilst helping to retain existing ones. The benefit to company Director’s is the achievement of their business related aims and objectives and; the bottom-line benefit for everyone is a happy and fully engaged workforce.