by Garrett Mintz

Fri 16 August 2019

A goal without a plan is a wish. Is this common sentiment true? Is it impossible for us to achieve a goal that we never planned for?

The ability to set goals equates to an ability to possess control of the outcomes of your situation.

If you are in a job and think to yourself “I hate this job and would be more than willing to accept an offer from another company” but don’t do anything to get an offer from another company, how do you really expect to get another job? Your complaint falls on deaf ears. I have interviewed roughly 100 recent graduates in the past year that are seeking new jobs and about half of them aren’t doing anything to actually “seek” a job. In fact, the closest they got to “seeking” a job was telling me in that interview that they were probably seeking for a new job. I then follow up to ask them “how long have you felt this way?” and the response is typically at least a month to sometimes at least a year.

Why? Your career is typically one of the most prominent sources of professional aspirations. Why are young professionals so complacent in being unsatisfied? Rather, once they realize they are unsatisfied, why is there not a process of setting and achieving goals to get out of that unsatisfaction?

Actually seeking a new career is hard, takes time, and typically isn’t fun. The irony of getting out of a bad job situation is that you have to work even harder outside of that job to find a new one. The issue is that most people enable themselves to not work as hard outside of their job because of the stress they receive from their job. Then, through some random job opportunity (a friend mentioning it, a random email, etc.), you jump on it like it’s the gold rush without thinking “is this job in fact better than my old job?”

Part of goal setting, especially in a professional environment, requires self-awareness. Working to better understand yourself should be the first plan to achieving any professional goal. Taking the time to write down what you like and don’t like (in this example, in your job) is vital to understanding what your next move will be. This takes time and may even require the help of your peers, close friends, and family to inform you of what you like to do and what your strengths are. This is because sometimes you are so deep into what you are doing (and what you think you should be doing) that you can’t see the forest from the trees. From there you can analyze what jobs you think you might like and then reach out to people actually doing those jobs (LinkedIn is great for this) to get better insight on what the job is like. When reaching out to those people, don’t ask whether or not they like the job because that depends on their personality and work style and how that meshes with their work opportunities. Their work style is completely different from yours so their feelings about the job should be irrelevant to you. Questions like “is the work autonomous or structured?” are better because they are not as subjective.

This is just an example of setting a plan to achieving a goal, but the point is that it pays off to plan and not let things come at you as random happenstance.

by Aaron Grady

Wed 22 July 2020

In my discussion with my mentor this month, we talked about challenging ourselves and setting tangible goals. It’s common knowledge that the best way to succeed at anything is to set goals and objectives and measure yourself against them. It’s not always so easy to actually do it, or even remember that you should. It is very easy to get lost in the business of daily life and work and forget to set goals for yourself. It’s also easy to make excuses that allow you to put them off.

For me personally, there’s a level of fear in setting goals as well. If I go through the process of setting a goal, then that means I could fail. If I don’t set any goals, I can never technically fail. That’s not really a useful way to accomplish anything though, which is why having a mentor is so helpful. Among many other things, a mentor can be an accountability partner. This partnership is a powerful tool for both creating and reaching goals, which is exactly what we talked about in our last meeting.

My mentor and I helped each other create some goals for the next few months. My goals were created as a result of my most recent peer review. My self-ratings were pretty well in-line with those of my peers, however my own scores were slightly lower than my peers’. With some insight from Garrett Mintz of Ambition in Motion, we figured out that this means I’m likely able to ask a little more from my colleagues. My mentor and I took that idea and created a goal from it. My goal is to make at least three asks per week that I normally wouldn’t. This may seem simple, but it’s a confidence building exercise. It’s a stepping stone on my way to larger, greater goals as well. My mentor has his own goals too, and we’ll be checking in with each other weekly to see if we’ve followed through, that’s where the accountability comes in. I’m excited to get started and see where we go next!

by Geoff McCuen

Tue 16 February 2021

One of the lessons that I’m continually being taught is the value of reflection and retrieval. Our last two sessions certainly reinforced this lesson.

Reflection: Making time to deliberately review an event, a day, a week, etc. Reflection is more than just recounting the details or the chronology, but it involves evaluation and analysis. What went wrong? Why? Could it have been prevented? Could it have been anticipated?

More often than we might like to admit, we can learn far more when things don’t go the way we planned, or even if they completely fail, than if they had gone perfectly.

Retrieval: The ability to recall both specifics and related information from a past event. One of the challenges in the field of education and training is not just how to cram information into a person’s head, but teaching them how to retrieve them quickly and correctly when needed. Sometimes the ability of retrieval can mean the difference between life and death. The military uses repetition and drills to create muscle memory so that some actions don’t even require concentrated thought. They become more of a reaction than a decision – but “time to think” (or retrieve) isn’t a luxury you often have in combat.

So how does retrieval connect with reflection? If you only take the time to reflect after an event you can glean a lot of useful information. Some of which you may be able to put to good use right away. But if you don’t learn how to retrieve those lessons later, when they are needed, they have greatly diminished value.

I’ve heard many people say how much they “hate” quizzes and tests. I think it’s because we don’t do a good job explaining to students what the test is trying to do – if we did, they would study very differently. Tests don’t measure what you “know” or what you crammed into some small crevice of your brain. They measure what you can retrieve.

Now let me try to bring this all together. In our last two Peer Mentoring sessions, we had the opportunity to revisit some of our past goals and discuss which ones were successfully accomplished and which ones taught us something.

None of the stories we shared were new to either one of us. But in the process of retrieving these stories and telling them again, I was reminded of past lessons learned, maybe even almost forgotten. It helped me to remember how important it is to revisit our own past, success, and lessons, so that when the “next time” comes around we can quickly retrieve the knowledge to help us be more successful.

by Mike Johnson

Wed 3 March 2021

In my executive peer mentoring, the latest area we’ve addressed is looking at a major goal in our lives – first, one where we failed to reach the goal; second, where we did.

In both cases, what were obstacles we faced that hindered, derailed, or threatened to keep us from reaching the goal? A great exercise, thanks to the Ambition in Motion team.

Without sharing either story at length (which might interest you, or bore you to tears), two things, in particular, stood out to me:

When is a goal, not a goal?

What are critical success factors, to overcoming obstacles in your path toward the goal?

To flesh this out -

When a goal isn’t really a goal

In the goal where I failed, I realized that I saw it evolve. First, I had the sense that I wanted to do something – that is, write a new book. I had that as a goal in my head, for the better part of a year. Then, I moved the goal into writing – I had set the goal for a specific year, to “write a new book”. I even had a couple of strategies I’d seen presented and used, and thought about the various steps: develop vision and abstract, outline, key themes, and write the introduction.

But it remained unfulfilled because I went month after month without being more specific and intentional. What were the obstacles?

Life: Workload, personal commitments, family, volunteer activity
Me: It became apparent that this just wasn’t a priority for me.

So, a goal is not a goal when I don’t get underneath it, behind it, and intentional about it, and devote time and energy toward it.

Sounds simple – as so many things in life are!

Critical success factors to overcoming obstacles

In both examples where I failed, and when I succeeded in reaching the goal – I reflected on obstacles that were in the way. To get us to a goal that is really a goal, we need to:

Make it a SMART goal (you’ve almost certainly heard this, but it’s no less true):

Specific - concise
Measurable – will know when it’s complete
Achievable – something I can control, vs. solving world hunger
Realistic – something I am equipped for
Time-based – target date, deadline, milestones.

Make it a priority

I tend to be goal and list-focused. If it’s on a list, it gets done. If it’s on a list as an “A” priority, it really will get done (Bs get moved out and done later, sometimes when they upgrade to As. Cs tend to get pushed out and done much later if ever). So, what do I relegate to the B or C list, to make room for the A goal?

Allocate time to it

Plan time in blocks, or chunks, devoted to it. Push off other attempts to encroach on the time that’s been allocated for working on it.

Keep your motivation for it

We build and maintain momentum, from the motivation that comes from within us. Without that, the other steps I’ve outlined, simply won’t happen. My mentor also observed that we can build the motivation for developing a new habit, by “doing” the habit! Practice yields behavior.

So if you’re a bit stymied in getting to something you’ve set for yourself as a goal – consider the above. Is it really a goal for you? Or an idea that you heard or had, or an “external” goal that someone else has for you? If it’s real, reframe it as a SMART goal, and examine your priorities and time.

Happy “goal-tending”…

by Garrett Mintz

Mon 10 May 2021

I lead an Executive Horizontal Mentorship Program and part of what I do is facilitate group sessions where all the executives come together to share their insights, questions, and thoughts on a new topic each session.

For our March group meeting, the topic was leadership and how we can improve our ability to lead at our companies. These meetings tend to start with one topic, but eventually lead to fruitful, wide-ranging conversations that might not obviously connect to our initial topic. For this meeting, we eventually started discussing psychological safety, the belief that you won’t be punished for making a mistake.

And then, one of the executives in our group brought up the point:

“It seems that progress and gratitude are in conflict with each other. If I am grateful, I am celebrating something that existed in the past. But if I am focused on progress, I am quickly dismissing the wins to move onto the next challenge.”

This is a fascinating point that I’ve been ruminating on for the past few weeks. There is a lot of research on the power of gratitude and its correlation with happiness. As a simple demonstration, really try to be grateful and angry at the same time and notice the contradiction between those feelings.

There is also a lot of research validating the power of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals to achieve progress.

Being grateful necessitates focusing on your past; being goal-oriented necessitates focusing on your future.

Can these mindsets work together?

This article is going to assess the merits of both practicing gratitude and goal-setting. I’ll consider their respective implications on business outcomes and analyze whether or not they are truly incompatible.

Gratitude

Gratitude is the public and private act of conscientiously and deliberately acknowledging something that has positively affected you. In a work setting, gratitude can inform your team of a job well done or show how much your team’s efforts meant to you. Gratitude gives your team purpose, a sense of pride, and a sense of belonging. It is an important signal showing the impact of their work and it shows that their work is respected and appreciated.

When frequently expressing gratitude for specific, meaningful actions is ingrained in the fabric of a culture, people tend to be happier and more likely to reach out to a coworker when something negative happens. A culture of gratitude helps build up rapport and unity across people and across teams.

People are also less likely to mistake feedback for criticism. When gratitude is an active part of the culture, it fosters emotional resilience for negative news because they know that there is no malice from the other person when receiving feedback.

The point is gratitude helps build emotional resilience. And a culture of gratitude for specific, meaningful actions helps deflate passive-aggressive mindsets or people omitting information for fear of hurt feelings. A culture of gratitude supports open, honest communication, resilient mindsets, and high-quality work.

Goal Setting

SMART goal-setting means setting Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound activities (SMART) for achieving your goals. This helps you identify a specific vision and create a measurable and achievable plan for something you intend to accomplish. SMART goal-setting helps teams plan for the future, improve performance, and identify specific issues and solutions for the problems they encounter.

SMART goal setting improves the efficiency and effectiveness of teams. It empowers people to envision what they would like to accomplish and helps them create a specific step-by-step plan that will accomplish that outcome.

Can gratitude and goal setting work together?

The Executive Horizontal Mentorship group that started this discussion seems to think that they are compatible, and I am inclined to agree. As mentioned previously, a culture of gratitude can boost the emotional resiliency of teammates, and this makes the identification of challenges faster and finding solutions easier.

When teams don’t have a culture of gratitude, issues start popping up all over the place: an employee trying to solve a tough problem alone; a coworker spending too much time crafting their feedback to avoid hurt feelings; a teammate happy to criticize problems without caring to offer solutions. These brief examples are only the tip of the iceberg.

The ability to identify these challenges and properly communicate them with the team helps support the work of setting SMART goals to solve the issues at hand. Open, honest, grateful communication helps your team look into the future, and SMART goals help your team leverage the present to improve the future.

Taking intentional time for gratitude on a consistent basis creates pathways and lines of communication that make problem-solving and SMART goal setting more effective. So, while the two ideas of Progress and Gratitude seemed to be in contradiction at first glance, hopefully, I’ve shown you how that is simply not the case. Instead, Progress and Gratitude build off each other to create a strong, productive, and engaged workplace.

by Malhar Lakshman

Thu 21 July 2022

Recently, I wrote an article on the differences between a professional degree and a people leader certification. While most people understand how a graduate degree is earned, such as the coursework, thesis, and potentially work-study, not many people really know the processes behind a leader certification program due to its novelty. Recently, Ambition in Motion pioneered their own AIM Insights People Leader Certification, and we’ll be giving you a little more information on it as well.

How to sign up for the AIM Insights People Leader Certification

To be able to enroll in this program, you need to be leading a team. Direct Report reviews are a critical part of this program, and without them, you will not be able to receive the full benefits of the certification. In addition to this, you must have a certain level of engagement and response rates from your direct reports from the previous six months. You will also need to enroll in the AIM Insights program. If you believe you fit these metrics, feel free to schedule an interview with CEO Garrett Mintz at your convenience.

What is included in the AIM Insights People Leader Certification Program?

· Unlimited Email Executive Coaching Guidance

· Conversation Prompts for your 1:1s

· Certification

· Customized monthly executive coaching videos and guidance

The First Tier of the AIM Insights People Leader Certification

There are three tiers to the AIM Insights People Leader Certification- Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. These can all be worked on concurrently, but each tier has certain requirements and unique features.

The first tier of certification allows you and your direct reports to get an understanding of AIM Insights and its platform. Ideally, this should take about six months, but can be retaken if necessary. The main goal of this tier is to become acquainted with AIM Insights but also to increase communication between you and your direct reports.

Direct report responses are requested by the platform once a month, asking about goals, personal feelings, and feedback about the team. The primary requirement to pass Level 1 is to have at least 75% of your direct report responses within a 6-month period. For example, if you were managing ten direct reports, the highest amount of reports you could have would be 60. Ideally, you should be aiming to get 60 every period. However, the minimum number of responses required to get a Level 1 Certification would be 45.

This certification signifies that you have been consistently measuring your team’s productivity throughout the period, as well as their sentiment. Level 1 also demonstrates how you have assisted your team and how they feel about their cohesion, productivity, and engagement.

The Second Tier of the AIM Insights People Leader Certification

The second tier of certification can be worked towards starting on the fourth month that you are using AIM Insights. This is to allow you as a manager to work through an acclimation period for not only yourself but for your direct reports as well. Level 2 of the AIM Insights People Leader Certification not only focuses on consistent measurements, but also on Goal setting, Productivity, and Positive Sentiment.

To earn the Level 2 Certification, you will need a 75% response rate from your direct reports, just like in the Level 1 Program. However, you will now need to demonstrate this response rate over a period of 12 months or over 12 of whatever period length you have decided upon.

Your productivity metrics are evaluated, and must meet our average manager threshold in at least two of the following four categories:

· SMART Goal Quantity- At least 70% of your goals should be rated as SMART

· Goal Relevancy- At least 70% of your goals must be rated as relevant to team goals

· Goal Impact- At least 70% of your goals must be rated as either medium or high impact

· SMART Impact Score- Each of your direct reports must have a SMART Impact Score of at least 30, with a maximum possible score of 108- This is flexible!

A Smart Impact score is designed to have each of your Direct Reports have at least 1 medium or high-impact goal per month. A 50/50 Split allows for 30 points. For goals accomplished, each medium goal is worth 2 points, while a high impact goal is worth 3 points.

For those of you who may also be unfamiliar with the term SMART, it is a mnemonic devised by Management Review to guide in the setting of goals. SMART describes the following descriptors for any goals that are set by management:

Goals should be:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Time-bound

In addition to this, you must achieve at least 80% in 3 areas of your sentiment review from your direct reports, or an average of 75% across all of these metrics. This requires at least 6 cycles of data, and only cycles with at least a 75% response rate will be counted in this.

A level 2 Certification signifies that your team has higher productivity than the average manager and shows more concrete proof of how well you work with your team. With more quantitative data supporting this such as SMART Goals and tracking, combined with more qualitative data, your certification is much stronger.

The Third Tier of the AIM Insights People Leader Certification

The final level of the AIM Insights People Leader certification is the Level 3 Certification. Similar to Level 2, this combines goal setting with productivity and team sentiment. However, in comparison to Level 2, Level 3 focuses on having even stronger productivity.

Like the Level 2 certification, you need to have at least a 75% response rate from your direct reports. You can’t improve without any feedback! Once again, similar to the Level 2 Certification, your productivity is measured, but using higher numbers.

· SMART Goal Quantity- At least 80% of your goals should be rated as SMART

· Goal Relevancy- At least 80% of your goals must be rated as relevant to team goals

· Goal Impact- At least 80% of your goals must be rated as either medium or high impact

· SMART Impact Score- Each of your direct reports must have a SMART Impact Score of at least 30, with a maximum possible score of 108- This is flexible!

Your sentiment rating needs to also be higher for every cycle. You now must have an 85% average across all of your metrics, with only cycles with more than a 75% response rate counting for this. The end goal of this certification is that your team’s productivity is now over 5% greater than the average team’s, and that you are also having better sentiment scores than the average manager.

All in all, the AIM Insights People Leader Certification can offer a lot to both you as a manager, as well as to your team.

by Garrett Mintz

Mon 17 April 2023

With the ChatGPT revolution upon us, many business leaders have been wondering if there can be a productive application of AI (artificial intelligence) within their business.

Sure, AI can help students plagiarize an essay into a good grade,
but can it help companies increase their teams’ productivity?

One option that my team at Ambition In Motion has been testing is
integrating AI into our goal setting system via our AIM Insights program.

Here’s how it works. Every month we ask the direct reports of a
leader to input their goals. We ask direct reports to determine their own goals
(as opposed to the manager) because research shows that people who set their
own goals are much more likely to achieve them.

This has been a great system so far, but one challenge is that not
every employee is adept at consistently setting SMART (Specific, Measurable,
Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals. The issue is that while most
people can understand the idea of a SMART goal, it takes practice to get
comfortable setting and achieving SMART goals each month.

Some managers believe that their employees are incapable of
setting SMART goals. In those cases, those managers are likely micromanaging
and haven’t figured out how to find a balance between their perfectionist
ideals and the practical reality. People are more than just automatons, and
that kind of treatment builds resentment and enables reactive behavior instead
of proactive behavior.

Employees that can independently set their own SMART goals have a
massive ripple effect on the entire company. When employees set their own SMART
goals, their leader trusts them and doesn’t need to be constantly looking over
their shoulder to make sure they are on track.

When leaders aren’t constantly looking over their direct reports’ shoulders,
they can effectively lead more people and focus on tasks that can have a
multiplying effect on the business.

Lastly, both leaders and employees can achieve greater balance
with their work. As opposed to checking, re-checking, and re-checking again a
direct report’s work, the time both leaders and employees are working can be
effectively utilized and allow them to stop working at reasonable hours.

How do we get to a point where employees are autonomously setting
their own SMART goals?

AI!

When a manager sets goals with their direct reports, the manager
thinks that their direct reports are fully participating in the goal-setting
process but in reality, that manager is setting the goals for their direct
reports. Essentially, those managers are enabling their direct reports to not
think for themselves and come up with their own goals and instead tell them
what they want them to do.

This is micromanagement.

The best leaders share an objective that their team needs to
achieve and the key results that they believe it takes to achieve that outcome.
They then empower their direct reports to achieve those key results in whatever
fashion they deem fit. Remember, you are paying these people for their skills
and expertise: learn to trust their instincts.

This leadership style works when direct reports know how to
effectively set SMART goals. It falls flat when employees don’t know how to set
SMART goals.

The reason why AI can be so powerful in this process is the
immediacy of the feedback.

Behavior change and positive habit formation occur when one’s
pattern is disrupted and the feedback they receive is immediate.

Leaders could make themselves available immediately after a direct
report has set their goals to share their feedback on whether the goal is SMART
or not, but that is incredibly time-intensive and not conducive to the leader
achieving their own tasks that they need to focus on. There is interesting
research from Cal Newport on the mental residue people build when they switch
tasks throughout the day. If a leader were to take this route and make
themselves available every time an employee sets a new goal, they would be
constantly switching tasks, building mental residue, and diminishing their own
productivity.

Essentially, leaders are busy and there needs to be a better way
for employees to get immediate feedback on their goals.

AI changes all of that with the immediacy of feedback. In our AIM
Insights program, when employees set goals every month, our AI integration
gives those employees immediate feedback as to whether or not their goal is
SMART. If it is SMART, AIM Insights gives immediate positive reinforcement to
employees that their goal is SMART. If it is not SMART, AIM Insights gives
employees suggestions on how they can re-write that goal as a SMART goal.

This AI integration into AIM Insights has increased the number of
SMART goals set by employees, their ability to autonomously set SMART goals on
their own, and subsequently, those employees’ and leaders’ productivity.

The ripple effect ramifications from this type of innovation can
be huge for the productivity of teams. Sure, employees will be more productive
in less time worked, but they will also be more resilient.

Employees (and really everyone) tend to be resistant to change, so
when a company pivots their business model or the way they work, there is
always some amount of resistance that is met with the proposed change.

When the process in which employees set goals doesn’t change, only
the objective, they are more likely to embrace the change in direction because
the way in which they set goals and achieve key results doesn’t change. The way
in which they work doesn’t materially change, only the objective and key results.
This makes for a more resilient team and that’s able to adapt to change.

This can positively affect the way in which companies integrate
people and strategies during mergers and acquisitions, enter new business
opportunities and markets, succession plan and promote people, and any other
action that might disrupt the way in which employees currently work.

Companies and leaders that can quickly adopt AI into productive
applications will give themselves a major boost into the future.

by Grace Tripathy

Fri 16 June 2023

As an employee, you're not expected to work at the same company forever. Whether you're looking to advance within your current organization or explore new opportunities elsewhere, having a strong resume that highlights your accomplishments and skills is essential.

Building your resume continuously throughout your jobs allows you to capture and showcase your accomplishments, demonstrate career progression, reflect continuous learning, seize unexpected opportunities, tailor your resume for specific positions, build confidence and self-awareness, prepare for performance reviews, and demonstrate career commitment. Here are some reasons why direct reports should prioritize resume-building throughout their careers:

Documenting Your Accomplishments: Continuously updating your resume allows you to document your accomplishments and contributions while they are fresh in your mind. By capturing your achievements in real-time, you ensure that no valuable experiences or skills are overlooked or forgotten. This documentation serves as evidence of your capabilities and helps you present a comprehensive picture of your professional growth.
Showcasing Career Progression: A continuously updated resume demonstrates your career progression over time. It allows potential employers to see how you have advanced, taken on increasing responsibilities, and acquired new skills and experiences. This progression showcases your ability to adapt, learn, and succeed in different roles, making you a more attractive candidate for future opportunities.
Reflecting Continuous Learning: Updating your resume regularly reflects your commitment to continuous learning and professional development. It shows that you actively seek new challenges, acquire new skills, and stay updated with industry trends. Employers value candidates who demonstrate a growth mindset and a willingness to expand their knowledge and expertise.
Seizing Unexpected Opportunities: Opportunities can arise unexpectedly, such as a new job opening or a chance to work on an exciting project. Having an updated resume readily available allows you to seize these opportunities promptly. It enables you to respond to job postings or network with potential employers without delay, increasing your chances of being considered for desirable positions.
Tailoring for Specific Opportunities: Each job opportunity is unique, with its own requirements and desired qualifications. By continuously building your resume, you can easily tailor it to match the specific needs of different positions. This customization allows you to highlight the most relevant skills, experiences, and accomplishments that align with the job requirements, increasing your chances of being selected for interviews and ultimately landing the job.
Building Confidence and Self-Awareness: Updating your resume provides an opportunity for self-reflection and self-awareness. As you review your accomplishments and experiences, you gain a deeper understanding of your strengths, skills, and professional journey. This increased self-awareness boosts your confidence and helps you articulate your value proposition during interviews and networking interactions.

However, it can be challenging to recall and effectively communicate all the tangible contributions and achievements you've made throughout your career. This is where AIM Insights, a powerful performance management tool, comes into play. By keeping track of your accomplishments at work, AIM Insights helps you build an impressive resume that showcases your value and potential to prospective employers.

One of the key features of AIM Insights is its ability to provide you with tangible portfolio tasks that demonstrate your impact on the organization. These tasks are curated based on your performance evaluations and feedback from your manager, allowing you to focus on the areas where you excelled. By completing these tasks and documenting the results, you create a tangible record of your achievements and contributions. This not only helps you recall specific examples when updating your resume but also provides concrete evidence of your abilities and the value you bring to the table.

A notable aspect of AIM Insights is its emphasis on SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound). When you view the "goals" section on AIM Insights, you can see the percentage of SMART goals you've set and accomplished.

This feature not only encourages goal-oriented behavior but also provides a clear indicator of your performance and progress. It showcases your ability to set high-impact objectives that contribute to team success and drive overall performance. This information is invaluable when it comes to presenting yourself as an effective and goal-driven professional on your resume.

Another valuable aspect of AIM Insights is its ability to generate an impact score average based on your evaluations. This score reflects the overall impact of your work and highlights your contributions to the team's success. Being able to quantify your impact in this way is immensely beneficial when updating your resume. Prospective employers are always looking for candidates who can demonstrate measurable results and tangible achievements, and AIM Insights provides the data to back up your claims.

Furthermore, AIM Insights allows you to compare your impact scores with those of your peers. This feature provides context and perspective on your performance, showing how you stack up against others in your team or department. It offers valuable insights into your relative strengths and areas for improvement, allowing you to tailor your resume to highlight your unique abilities and stand out from the competition.

By utilizing AIM Insights, you gain several advantages when it comes to building your resume:

Firstly, you have access to tangible metrics and portfolio tasks that demonstrate your accomplishments and contributions. This gives you a structured framework to showcase your skills and abilities effectively.
Secondly, you can leverage the feedback and evaluations provided by your manager through AIM Insights. This feedback not only gives you a clear understanding of your performance but also serves as valuable evidence of your capabilities when constructing your resume.
Lastly, AIM Insights tracks your progress and growth within your position and the organization. It provides a comprehensive record of your achievements, milestones, and professional development. This information is invaluable when it comes to updating your resume over time, as you can accurately reflect your career trajectory and demonstrate continuous improvement and growth.

AIM Insights is a powerful performance management tool that simplifies the process of keeping track of your accomplishments and helps you build a compelling resume. By providing tangible portfolio tasks, tracking SMART goals, generating impact scores, and facilitating manager feedback, AIM Insights empowers you to effectively showcase your skills and achievements. Whether you're aiming for career advancement within your current organization or exploring new opportunities, AIM Insights equips you with the tools and data you need to present yourself as a high-performing, results-driven professional.

by Kayla Ambrose

Fri 14 July 2023

Bad news can come in many forms and at unexpected times. Getting passed up for a promotion, receiving undesired project results, or even recognizing disparities in workplace treatment are just some experiences that can decrease motivation and divert progress. These experiences may feel detrimental with little hope for recovery.

A large contributor to how adversity is handled relies on ones mindset before, during, and after receiving the news. Even during unsuccessful moments, prioritizing your frame of thinking will allow for the best future steps.

When encountering difficulties, it is natural to default to a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset is a frame of thinking that inhibits the ability to look past the issue at hand. Individuals who possess a fixed mindset believe that their skill set is relatively inflexible so there isn’t much opportunity for improvement. Setbacks are perceived as limitations of their skillsets which leads those with fixed mindsets to avoid challenges.

To overcome hardship implementing a growth mindset may lead to honing adaptability, embracing creativity, continued optimism, and the motivation to acquire a new skill. A growth mindset stems from the belief that everyone has the ability to continue to develop skills and make improvements based on continuous efforts. One isn’t stuck in their current position with a growth mindset because they can take steps to improve and continue to learn in any given situation. This perspective is particularly important when dealing with setbacks, and can be implemented daily to concentrate on your objectives.

The growth mindset recognizes that challenges will arise and these setbacks serve as opportunities for growth. Possessing a growth mindset may even lead to the pursuit of new challenges as they will serve as further areas to expand knowledge and experience. Utilizing this framework can encourage passion and purpose in both personal and professional settings due to the ability to maintain an optimistic perspective. Overall, this perspective aims to work towards a more fulfilling life because one isn’t self imposing mental limitations.

Maintaining a growth mindset in the face of bad news is a challenge, but it is achievable with diligent effort and continued practice. These are some initiatives geared towards developing a growth mindset during challenging moments to increase your ability to take productive first steps.

Process your emotions:

Acknowledge your emotions and why you are frustrated with the situation. When receiving bad news it is natural to feel disheartened or frustrated with the outcome. Allow yourself the opportunity to embrace these emotions and process them. Recognize the root of your feelings and why it made you feel that way. Initial negative reactions are common when dealing with difficulties and are part of life.
2. Reframe the situation as a learning opportunity:

Seek potential lessons you can learn from the situation and ways you can approach this problem differently going forward. Reflecting on what went poorly may direct you to a new skill you can learn that will be beneficial in the future. Spend time analyzing tangible things that can be enhanced rather than dwelling on things out of your control.
3. Acquire feedback:

Gathering feedback and receiving constructive criticism work to determine areas that need improvement and are good ways to prevent the repetition of similar setbacks. Reaching out to others who have more knowledge of what occurred can provide clarity and prevent you from wondering what went wrong.
4. Identify alternative solutions:

Depending on the situation at hand, there may be additional pathways to pursue to achieve your desired outcome. Pursuing alternatives may mean having a conversation with a coworker about different processes that can be implemented, or a conversation with management to learn what opportunities are available/ feasible. Identifying alternative solutions may ultimately lead to pursuing a position at a company that aligns better with your interests and will value your skill set appropriately. Allow time to use your creativity to find different solutions.
5. Seek support from peers or outside resources:

When managing a setback, speaking with peers can allow you to gain perspective and recognize that others have experienced similar hardships. Vocalizing your outlook on the obstacle will allow for collaborative problem-solving and lead to informed decisions. Surrounding yourself with individuals who positively support and encourage you is key to maintaining a growth mindset. An alternative approach is to seek a mentor removed from the situation and learn how they may approach the current difficulty. A mentor's guidance will allow you to be accountable in your pursuit of growth.
6. Establish Goals:

Goal setting is a powerful tool when working towards a growth mindset. After enduring a difficult situation, creating attainable ways to move forward will allow you to have productive results despite obstacles. Determine what your current goals are and then break them down into smaller more achievable goals. By breaking down your goals, you can maintain motivation and gain a sense of accomplishment. Goal setting creates a strong foundation for accountability and motivation for improvement.

Successfully navigating a setback isn’t an easy endeavor, but maintaining a growth mindset will work toward more rewarding results. Bad news isn’t a determinant of continued misfortune if it is used as motivation to pursue new goals.

Remember that upholding a growth mindset is a continuous process and one that takes time. Commit to embracing challenges as opportunities for development and recognize that a growth mindset can help achieve success in difficult times.

by Grace Tripathy

Fri 25 August 2023

"I'm struggling to find motivation to go to work, I don’t know what to do. Any advice?" Maria recently faced a significant setback at her workplace. Maria was overlooked for the top position within her organization despite being highly qualified and receiving encouragement to apply.

Maria had put in considerable effort to secure the role, so when the decision favored another candidate, it became a public letdown that not only affected her personally but also led them to question the priorities of her leadership. While she contemplated resigning, her dedication to her team and the ongoing projects held her back; she was determined to see it through.

Moreover, Maria had financial incentives, including a bonus and stock vesting, that made staying for another 9 months advantageous. With the job market appearing uncertain, she felt hesitant to make a hasty job change. Therefore, she opted to remain until the end of the year. However, she’s currently grappling with the challenge of moving beyond her disappointment and discovering the enthusiasm to face each workday.

Maria is not alone. Experiencing a promotion setback can be a challenging and disheartening experience, especially when someone new is chosen over for a position you felt you deserved. However, this setback doesn't have to define one’s career journey.

Acknowledge and Process Emotions

It's natural to feel a mix of emotions, including disappointment, frustration, and even self-doubt. Acknowledge these feelings without judgment. Create a space to process these emotions, whether through journaling, talking to a trusted friend, or seeking professional guidance. Remember that all emotions are valid and a natural part of the process.

2. Take a Step Back

Resist the urge to make impulsive decisions. Take a step back to gain perspective. Consider the bigger picture of one’s career trajectory and the organization's goals. Find out if this setback truly outweighs the positive aspects of one’s current position. By allowing more time to process, there’s capability of making a rational decision.

3. Find the Reason Behind Not Getting a Promotion

Actively explore what went wrong, evaluate the situation appropriately, and consider what could’ve been done differently if given the chance. They also gather feedback from a wide variety of people (including superiors, peers, and subordinates), making it clear that they want honest feedback, not consolation.

Approach your superiors or colleagues for constructive feedback on your performance and candidacy for the promotion. Honest feedback can help to understand areas for improvement and self-development. Use this feedback to create an action plan to enhance your skills and competencies.

4. Weigh the Options: Stay or Move On

After gaining clarity, weigh the pros and cons of staying with the organization versus seeking opportunities elsewhere. Consider the culture, work-life balance, growth potential, and alignment with long-term goals. Remember, setbacks are temporary roadblocks that can lead to new paths for success.

5. Utilize Data and Metrics

Quantify achievements by using performance metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs). Tools like AIM Insights can help to benchmark performance against industry standards and the organization's expectations. Use this data to illustrate one’s individual contributions and potential impact on the organization.

Consider how your performance compares not only within your organization but also across industries. AIM Insights highlights instances where you've demonstrated leadership, innovation, and adaptability. Showcasing achievements will position you as a top candidate for future promotions.

6. Transform Setback into Motivation

Use the disappointment as a catalyst for personal and professional growth. Set new goals for skill development, leadership qualities, and innovation. Focus on self-improvement and demonstrate prolonged commitment to continuous learning and growth.

7. Network and Mentorship

Build a network within and outside of the company. Engage in conversations with mentors and peers who can provide guidance and insights. Networking can open doors to new opportunities and perspectives, aiding professional development.

8. Set Clear Career Goals

Refine career goals based on personal experiences and the insights gained from this setback. Create a roadmap for where you want to be in the short and long term. AIM Insights is an example of a platform that can easily align goals with the organization's objectives, ensuring a mutually beneficial partnership.

Setbacks are a natural part of one's journey, and each of these steps can assist an individual in accessing wellsprings of value and motivation. These resources can aid in navigating through moments of disappointment and empower the individual to seize control, optimizing their circumstances and progressing according to their preferences. Additionally, maintaining a positive attitude has the potential to distinguish the individual and position them as a valuable asset to a respective organization.

Remember that setbacks are temporary, and with the right mindset, you can navigate the challenges and emerge even stronger in your professional journey.

by Snehal Mantri

Fri 29 September 2023

Private Equity is a high-stakes arena known for its rapid decision-making processes and unforgiving nature, where fortunes can be won or lost in the blink of an eye. In such an environment, resilient leadership is not just a valuable trait; it's a critical factor in navigating crises, market downturns, and unexpected economic shocks that can disrupt the markets. This article delves into strategies for effective leadership in the fast-paced and high-stakes realm of Private Equity, addressing various facets, including emotional resilience, strategic thinking, adaptability, and risk management skills.

Keep the Bigger Picture in Mind:

In a private equity environment characterized by rapid decisions, the urge to make impulsive choices can be overwhelming. However, taking a step back to gain perspective is important. Consider your long-term career goals and the organization's objectives. Resilient leaders in Private Equity understand the importance of putting their organization's mission at the forefront of decision-making. In times of crisis, the mission provides a North Star, guiding actions and strategies.

2. Stay Educated on the Private Equity Industry:

Private Equity is influenced by many factors, including economic conditions, regulatory changes, and market trends. Stay informed about these external factors and adapt your strategies accordingly. Being proactive and agile in response to changing circumstances can set you apart as a leader.

3. Utilize Tools and Resources:

Private Equity thrives on data-driven decision-making. One key aspect of utilizing data is understanding how to benchmark performance effectively. Benchmarking highlights areas for improvement and showcases successes, enabling leaders to compare their achievements against industry standards and organizational expectations.

4. Find the Cause of Your Setback:

Private equity professionals often have high expectations for themselves and are driven by a desire to succeed. When setbacks occur, it's essential to explore what went wrong. Seek feedback from colleagues and peers. Encourage honest feedback, as it can reveal areas for improvement and personal development. Use this feedback to create a concrete action plan for enhancing your skills and competencies. Consider participating in a horizontal mentorship program, where all participants communicate and learn from each other, regardless of age or experience. A horizontal mentorship program encourages asking questions and sharing past mistakes, creating a two-way communication process that stimulates mutual growth within your team.

5. Use Disappointment as Motivation:

Use setbacks as fuel for personal and professional growth. Set new goals for skill development, leadership qualities, and innovation. Focus on continuous self-improvement and show a long-term commitment to learning and growth. In the private equity world, adaptability and resilience are highly valued traits.

6. Acknowledge Your Emotions:

Just as in any career, it's essential to acknowledge and process emotions. The private equity world can be incredibly unforgiving, and setbacks are not uncommon. Emotions such as disappointment and self-doubt are natural reactions. Embrace these feelings without judgment. Creating a safe space for emotional processing through confiding in colleagues and mentors, or even seeking professional guidance can help maintain emotional well-being.

7. Grow your Network:

Building a network within and outside your organization is important in the private equity sector. Engage in conversations with colleagues who can provide guidance and insights. Networking can open doors to new opportunities and diverse perspectives, facilitating professional development.

8. Set Goals for the future:

Refine your career goals based on your experiences and insights gained from setbacks. Create a plan for your short-term and long-term aspirations. Platforms like AIM Insights can help align your goals with your organization's objectives, fostering a mutually beneficial partnership. Consider getting personalized Executive Coaching from experienced coaches. An executive coach provides an environment for leaders to test their ideas, evaluate their concerns, and receive feedback before going live.

9. Develop Risk Management Skills:

Risk is inherent in the private equity world. Being able to assess and manage risks effectively is a valuable skill. Consider seeking additional training or certifications in risk management.

10. Focus on Long-Term Goals:

In today's fast-paced and high-risk culture, instant gratification is the norm. Adopting a long-term perspective can be a powerful competitive advantage. Resilient leaders in Private Equity have a distinctive ability to embrace the long view. While crises often demand immediate action, resilient leaders understand that focusing on long-term goals rather than short-term setbacks is essential for sustained success.

In addition to the strategies highlighted in this article, leaders in the Private Equity sector must remain vigilant in adapting to the industry's evolving landscape. The global economic conditions, regulatory changes, and market trends are dynamic forces that continuously shape the environment in which Private Equity operates. Staying informed about these external factors and proactively adjusting strategies in response to changing circumstances is extremely important. Adaptability, combined with the leadership qualities discussed earlier, will position individuals to excel in the competitive and fast-paced realm of Private Equity.

Thriving in the cutthroat world of private Equity is no easy task, but success is possible with the right mindset and a commitment to continuous growth and adaptation. This demanding sector requires leaders to possess emotional resilience, strategic acumen, adaptability, and risk management skills. By applying the strategies outlined in this article, you can survive and thrive in the fast-paced and high-stakes world of Private Equity. Embrace challenges as opportunities for growth and development, and you will undoubtedly lead successfully in this dynamic industry.

by Kendall Barndollar

Mon 9 October 2023

An increasingly prevalent menace in the workplace, switchtasking ignites a variety of problems for productivity across all levels. Rather than devoting full attention to one task at a time, many jump from one tab to another, attempting to tackle their overload of responsibilities.

Switchtasking is the rapid change of tasks; toggling from email, to instant messaging, to a presentation and back to the task at hand, which undermines productivity and creates inefficiencies in the workplace. In a managerial or leadership role, it is challenging to reduce switchtasking while still expecting timely responses and completion of tasks. Switchtasking has also been associated with increased mental fatigue, lack of creativity, poor quality work and employees feeling overworked.

In the modern world with technology and the seemingly instant demand of information and collaboration, how do managers regulate switchtasking to optimize their teams productivity and efficiency?

Tackling each of these negative outcomes begins by understanding the root of the cause. The association between mental fatigue and switchtasking likely stems from individuals feeling as though they have attempted to solve a variety of problems and have worked on a number of tasks throughout the day. Yet, in reality they have worked on the same task in 20 minute increments then, have lost focus and had to re-evaluate the situation once returning to the original task. Which directly explains a lack of creativity in problem solving. Having a stop-go motion does not allow for continuous, devoted and fully developed thoughts on how to address specific situations. Being a large contributor to company success, innovation and productivity, behaviors that halt creative thinking are counter productive to the workplace.

Switchtasking has also been associated with lower quality work and increased errors. When switchtasking, attention to detail seems to be spread among a number of different tasks `whereas in a traditional focus of one task at a time, all of the attention is devoted to one objective at a time, improving quality and clarity in outputs. Finally, the obstacle of switchtasking seems to heavily impact reports perceptions of their work-life balance. Individuals frequently feel overworked because with switchtasking, the tasks do not end once individuals leave the office. Switchtasking can frequently grow from the feeling that direct reports need to immediately respond to emails, messages and drop whatever they may be doing to address these things which will continue at home.

Here are some tips to help managers reduce the level of switchtasking within their teams:

1. Create a clear prioritization system for direct reports

Creating a clear prioritization system for direct reports will significantly reduce switchtasking in teams. If direct-reports are able to analyze and determine the importance of tasks, they will be more apt to individually focus on one task at a time and they will be less likely to use time on less-important tasks. A prioritization system will also communicate to direct reports that each task is not urgent and can wait until they have completed their current task. This will also exhibit significant improvements in the quality of work and creativity in the workplace that impact direct reports attitudes, job satisfaction and job performance.

2. Encourage Time Management Planning

Another contributor of switchtasking is direct-reports feeling as though they will not have enough time to address all of their responsibilities. By encouraging segmented days and improved time management with plans of certain assignments, managers can expect improved quality of work and continuous creativity as team members are devoted to specific tasks for specific amounts of time to focus. Direct-reports will be confident that they will eventually address each task they are responsible for. Additionally, direct-reports may heavily benefit from breaks in between these tasks to ensure they do not feel overworked, overwhelmed or that they are experiencing unequal work-life balance. Encouraging transitioning times throughout the day and predetermined plans will significantly decrease switchtasking in the workplace.

3. Set communication expectations

By setting clear communication expectations, managers can indirectly discourage switchtasking. Creating clarity in expectations will allow teammates to address emails or messages once they get a chance, in a break period or, within the time they are working on that specific task. Do not expect immediate responses from every employee the instant they are contacted, appreciate that they are devoting their time and full attention to produce the best quality work possible.

4. Lead by example

If managers expect direct-reports to avoid switchtasking and devote full attention to tasks, they should be exhibiting the same standard. When in meetings, managers should focus fully on the topic of discussion, avoid taking phone calls when in meetings with teams and, confidently demonstrate the expectation of complete attention, effort and persistence when working on tasks that will overall create better results team-wide.

5- Be flexible!

A great deal of managers struggle to embrace mistakes. In implementing these new ideas to improve productivity, managers should focus on building a culture that embraces mistakes and allows collective learning and improvement for an entire team. Being a flexible and innovative role model will heavily improve the effectiveness of these steps. Effective leaders focus on understanding others and the best practices for specific teams. Know that sometimes switchtasking is necessary but, that does not undermine the effectiveness of these tips in a team setting that will overall contribute to the betterment of the team both in the output of work and, the well-being of the team's members.

Reducing switchastking requires time, effort and clear explanation of the new programs for effective implementation. Managers who promote the above efforts and prioritize their employees will see results in attitude and work product.

Although difficult, managers should remember that it may take time to see results and feedback is crucial for growth. To view metrics on the implementation of new programs, consider utilizing AIM insights to view data at any given point throughout the year. Additionally, take time to focus on relationships within teams that lead to productive and cooperative dynamics that will improve the overall efficiency in the workplace.

by Kayla Ambrose

Mon 9 October 2023

Conflicting interests are unavoidable within an organization. Although challenging, aligning conflicting interests is necessary for effective decision-making. Executives and shareholders all tend to have the common objective of company success, however, each individual may have a different set of criteria and incentives that determine what constitutes success. Recognizing these differences in interests to promote success, is important when navigating a situation in which there are many conflicting interests at hand.

Examples of conflicts that arise from parties with competing incentives include:

Sales teams only receiving their commission checks once a client has been onboarded by the onboarding team and the onboarding team wanting to be thorough in the client onboarding processes. The onboarding team is incentivized to be thorough while the sales team wants to get their commission as quickly as possible.
Customer success teams receiving feedback from clients in terms of what technological features need to be created to best support the client and then disseminating that information to the technology team and ask the technology team to prioritize this feedback. The tech team is incentivized to complete the tasks on their roadmap and the customer success team is incentivized to keep the client. By adding a new task on the tech team’s plate, they now have to figure out where this goes in priority order compared to their other tasks while the customer success team thinks it should be their number one priority.

Steps to approach conversations when parties have conflicting interests include:

Create a flexible strategy

It is important to recognize personal company goals and strategies that will be used to achieve them prior to meeting with others to discuss future initiatives. This self-reflection period ensures that all ideas are articulated clearly in this environment with differing interests. After developing goals and implementation strategies, it is important to identify areas of flexibility within these strategies. Even when plans are thoroughly suited to achieve personal goals for the company, it is likely that there will be areas that require adaptation to best incorporate the perspectives of others.

2. Define and understand each party's interest

Prior to or at the beginning of a meeting it is important for each party to articulate their interests. Creating this understanding early on will allow everyone to have some common ground and know why others' interests are a certain way. Certain factors may contribute to these interests, such as organizational policies, deadlines, or resources that are applicable specifically to an individual's role. Being conscious of these different parameters for other's decision-making will encourage a more empathetic environment.

3. Develop open communication and active listening

Respectful communication is pivotal when managing conflicting viewpoints. Creating open communication will allow for clarification of ideas, voicing concerns, and considering other perspectives in order to formulate the most effective solutions. Open communication also consists of encouraging everyone to contribute. If someone hasn’t contributed much to the group discussion, invite them to share their ideas to ensure everyone is on the same page.

During the discussion, be mindful of utilizing active listening habits. Taking notes (if appropriate), providing nonverbal cues, and maintaining eye contact is incredibly important in signaling to others that their contributions to the conversation are valued. Failure to actively listen to others may prevent them from being receptive to ideas later shared.

4. Identify shared goals

To unify a group, it is helpful to recognize what commonalities exist. Within an organization, everyone tends to have similar hopes for future success for the organization as a whole. While the methods to achieve this success may vary, articulating this common goal can help emphasize that everyone is doing their best to fulfill this shared purpose.

5. Compromise

Being willing to be flexible and negotiate can help to manage these differing interests. Sticking to a rigid predetermined set of demands will only lead to a stand-still. Compromising on aspects of a plan demonstrates to others that collaboration can help achieve the best possible solutions for all parties.

Developing innovative solutions may also be a way to best fulfill everyone's needs. It may be possible that all presented solutions aren’t able to properly achieve the best outcome for the group. In that case, brainstorming and innovating can help create a brand-new plan that wouldn’t have been achievable without the input of the whole group.

6. Finalize and implement solutions

When determining the final solution, reiterate the conclusions made to double-check that everyone has reached a similar understanding of the future steps. Ensure that these final plans are in writing and shared with everyone involved in the conversation so they can be referred back to it. Having a finalized document with this consensus will make the implementation of the solution more efficient because it can help to ensure everyone is taking action in the appropriate manner.

It can be incredibly difficult to manage conflict without the proper knowledge of personal conflict management habits and other strategies that are suitable for handling conflict. Incorporating conflict management instruments can help to develop optimal strategies for navigating conflicting interests. The Thomas- Kilmann Instrument is an assessment developed to determine ways to improve personal conflict management strategies. After completing the assessment, individuals will receive their evaluation of overall assertiveness and cooperation during conflict scenarios. From this placement, they will be provided with different strategies to improve their conflict-solving skills. Identifying areas of personal improvement can be difficult, so utilizing an assessment tool that is dedicated to identifying areas to develop for handling conflict can be incredibly valuable.

Joining an Executive Mastermind Group where you can have a group of peers share their feedback on your situation and provide suggestions can be a great opportunity to best prepare to handle these situations.

Managing conflicting interests can also be utilized as an opportunity for growth. If a meeting wasn’t as productive as anticipated, it can be a time to reflect on personal negotiation skills and different approaches to improve upon communication and cooperation in later discussions.

Aligning conflicting interests can also be achieved through more preventative measures. Building capacities to prevent conflicts of interest can work to ensure leaders are on similar pages. This can be implemented through changing metrics in which different departments are evaluated or even in-depth discussions to develop a shared framework for company growth. Implementing training activities to develop strong cooperation and strategies for compromising can also be beneficial to prevent stagnant conflicting interests going forward.

It’s important to keep in mind that aligning interests doesn’t mean 100% agreement at all times. Oftentimes, compromising leads to outcomes that fulfill everyone's needs to an extent, but don’t fully achieve what they sought out to. Leaders need to know how to best align these conflicting interests to prevent impasse and achieve organizational success.

by Garrett Mintz

Thu 18 January 2024

Goal setting is a critical element to any successful team. If businesses fail to create an environment for team members and leaders to set goals, then they are firefighting.

Firefighting is the concept of having employees tactically react to emergencies that come up in the business as opposed to strategically creating long-term solutions for those challenges. Firefighting is exhausting, mentally draining, and leads to burnout for employees. Firefighting is also highly inefficient.

As opposed to strategically coming up with a process to handle common issues as they arise, firefighting is asking individual employees to create unique processes for handling the same issues. This means that the company is not leveraging the knowledge and experience from multiple employees that have already solved that issue. Instead, they are leaving an effective, easy solution on the backburner as challenges arise since nobody can find the time needed to implement it.

In most work environments firefighting is inevitable, but it shouldn’t be your team’s primary focus. Employees should be either following a proven process to solve that challenge, or they should be experimenting and tweaking potential solutions to create a proven process.

One of the best ways to combat a culture of firefighting is with goal-setting. Goal-setting is the practice of reflecting on the challenges one has faced over a certain period of time, ideating on what process or solution can be implemented so then that challenge is less painful or frustrating to handle in the future and then work on testing the best way to go about achieving that desired result.

Most business owners and executives may read this and think to themselves “Let’s start having our employees set goals” or “We have an HR system that allows us to set goals and we encourage our employees to set them”.

These comments miss an important fact: most employees suck at setting goals. And to be fair, that’s not their fault! Good goal setting takes practice, and many people let that skill atrophy if they ever learned it at all.

They have never been taught proper goal-setting techniques like setting goals that are specific, measurable, relevant, attainable, and time-bound. And even if they have learned about SMART goals, they probably haven’t practiced this skill enough to turn it into a habit.

And even if a couple people on the team are good at setting goals, you still need company support to ensure that goal setting stays as a high priority. If nobody at the company is holding those that struggle at setting goals accountable for setting good goals, those that are good at setting goals have little incentive to continue setting goals because those that struggle to set goals are not being held accountable.

This is even more critical at the managerial level.

If managers aren’t setting goals or are setting poor goals, this lack of skill in this area permeates to their entire team. This ripple effect causes the employees of a manager that doesn’t set goals or sets poor goals to have a culture of firefighting – because if businesses aren’t strategically thinking about how to build processes to handle the challenges that comes up, then they will be reactive to whatever challenges they encounter.

The other challenge in goal-setting for managers is isolation.

Even if a manager knows how to set goals effectively and consistently sets them, they still need to understand their company’s objectives to set great goals. If they are isolated, they will set goals based on unclear or out-of-date objectives that were determined internally from the past.

To clarify the difference between objectives and the typical goals set by direct reports. Objectives are top-down, publicly shared and ambitious goals that are strived for over a long period of time. They are set by company leaders to shape the company’s next months or years. Once a company has set an objective, teams will set goals that help achieve that objective. These goals are the steps in the process that determine a company’s ability to achieve the objective.

It’s important to note that objectives are typically broad and non-specific (e.g., optimize operational efficiency and scalability). So, for an objective like optimize operational efficiency and scalability, team members might measure its success with goals like reduce software deployment time by 30%, or enhance server infrastructure to accommodate a 20% growth in user base without performance degradation. At the end of a successful push, team members and leaders will know whether the objective was met because the achieved goals all contributed to optimizing operational efficiency and scalability.

An easy way to understand this concept is by following the format recommended by this article; a company will achieve an objective as measured by several key results. Check out a few examples below to see what this looks like. Also note that an objective is typically supported by 3-5 goals.

Objective: Drive Business Growth through Market Expansion.

1) Enter at least two new target markets, increasing the customer base by 20% in those regions.

2) Achieve a 15% increase in annual recurring revenue (ARR) through upselling and cross-selling to existing customers.

Objective: Drive Business Growth through Market Expansion.

1) Enter at least two new target markets, increasing the customer base by 20% in those regions.

2) Achieve a 15% increase in annual recurring revenue (ARR) through upselling and cross-selling to existing customers.

Because the world (and thus the company) is constantly changing and evolving, if managers don’t have any concept as to what innovations are coming within their departments, they run the risk of their goals getting stale and outdated.

Companies can combat this by having their manager join executive mastermind groups where they are exposed to leaders outside of their company and can learn from their experiences.

Or

Companies can leverage AI to help their managers not only set effective goals, but set goals based on the goals set by other managers of similar teams in similar industries are setting. Through artificial intelligence, managers can glean suggested objectives and goals based on what other leaders of similar teams in similar industries are doing.

How?

AIM Insights has an AI integration that can identify the industry, title, and department of a manager and provide suggested objectives and goals to that manager based on what other leaders in similar roles are doing. AIM Insights also helps managers from across the company see what goals other team members and managers are setting so they can get a better understanding as to what other departments and managers are focused on.

Why is this important?

If companies have managers struggling to identify what is the most important thing that they should be focused on (this typically occurs after prolonged periods of firefighting), having suggestions based on AI can help managers quickly realign and get ideas. When used in conjunction with an executive coach and knowing the goals of other managers in other departments at the company (that are also using an executive coach), managers can combine cutting-edge technology with an experienced professional to get the best of both worlds.

When managers and teams have extended periods of firefighting, doing any work that is strategic can be really hard to pick back up. Employees can become so jaded by strategic work like goal-setting that they sometimes end up weighing the cost of time spent goal-setting as a sacrifice to their ability to put out a certain number of fires. This zero-sum thinking is devastating for a company’s long-term health.

“I can’t believe I just spent 15 minutes goal setting! I could have spent that time checking 5 emails or handling a customer issue.”

If employees develop this mindset around goal-setting, it creates a toxic environment and a culture that is too incentivized to put out fires without considering ways to preemptively stop the fires from ever starting.

There is a story about the early days of Amazon. Jeff Bezos was on the floor with some of his employees packing boxes and shipping them out. Bezos said to his employees “we should get knee pads.” Another employee chimed in “No, we should get packing tables.”

When employees and managers don’t take the time to regularly set goals, they are blinded by what they can do to put out their immediate pain (knee pads help alleviate pain from an uncomfortable position) instead of focusing on an innovative solution that can eradicate the challenge altogether with a side-benefit of increased productivity (getting packing tables).

AI suggestions for goal setting and objective setting can be a great way to quickly get employees thinking about what they can focus on to handle their issues.

Keep in mind, these are suggestions, not mandates. AI can be a great starting point for assisting in goal setting, but it is the human receiving the AI suggestions that needs to approve those goals and subsequently act on achieving them.

by Kendall Barndollar

Thu 22 February 2024

The onus is on leaders to establish trust within a team and foster the best-fit culture. But, building a company culture with a foundation of trust requires commitment and constant communication from leadership. When expectations are met, trust is built. Although seemingly simple, many leaders may struggle with clear communication expectations and setting realistic goals for their direct reports, thus diminishing the trust being built and detrimenting the growth of their team. To set realistic goals, leaders must focus on honesty in expectations and, work to limit unrealistic optimism about the outcome of projects or goals. While setting high goals can be a great motivator, unrealistic expectations discourage direct reports from working towards high standards.

Finding the balance of achievable expectations is extraordinarily challenging for leaders. In working towards direct reports meeting expectations, here are 10 tips for leaders and executives to improve their team culture and build trust:

Lead By Example

Managers and team leaders' indirect actions are key communicators to their direct reports. Managers' commitment to meeting expectations and holding up their end of responsibilities creates a culture that values accountability and builds trust based on past experiences. Leaders set the tone for the whole team, if leaders put trust in their direct reports, their team may autonomously flourish and grow. Leaders' practice of trust will create a ripple effect throughout the entire organization allowing for tremendous growth and innovation in teams.

2. Set Goals

The best way to encourage direct reports to meet expectations is to set clear, SMART goals. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely. When setting these goals, teams, and leaders must collaborate and follow each letter of the acronym for maximized motivation and ability to meet the expectations. In setting goals, consider the use of software such as AIM Insights that will provide continuous feedback for growth. The best tool for establishing these goals is a collaboration between executives and their direct reports to find a realistically attainable goal without jeopardizing the work-life balance of any team member.

3. Encourage Open Communication

Open communication is essential for the development of trust. Leaders must be deliberate in effectively communicating with their teams promptly. With open communication, direct reports are better equipt to meet and exceed goals. Managers should consider sharing decision-making practices and promote open discussions that will encourage a community feeling. Trust in a team where individuals know that the managers value their contributions and work in the best interest of the team will see tremendous growth.

4. Set Accountability Standards

Accountability is a key aspect of establishing trust within a work culture. Over time, direct reports meeting expectations build trust in company culture. Holding individuals accountable for mistakes and errors along the way, without scrutinizing them will work to build a company culture foundation of trust. Open discussion of errors or shortcomings will allow individuals to learn from their mistakes, build trust, and, allow executives to learn how to better their team. Trust cannot only be built on exceeding and meeting expectations but in honesty through shortcomings and errors along the way as well.

5. Practice Consistency

An important factor in establishing trust is consistency and predictability. With executives in decision-making processes, leaders must practice a process of consistency to build trust with direct reports. Inconsistencies in leadership build a culture of uncertainty and fear within direct reports. With a lack of reliability, direct reports will not be meeting their fullest potential and may be negatively impacted by fear or uncertainty within their team.

6. Emphasize Team Building

Team building, in and out of the office is imperative to build a culture with trust. Team building enables individuals to see their co-workers as friends, and builds a community with camaraderie and morale that will encourage collaboration and success. Getting to know peers allows individuals to build connections and trust with their teammates. These connections will not only improve trust but, will improve accountability and collaboration amongst direct reports.

7. Establish Recognition Norms

Regularly recognizing individuals who have met or exceeded their goals builds a system of appreciation and will further encourage success within a team. With a regular practice of acknowledging individuals, management can express the value of hard work and determination. Sharing team members' success will greatly improve trust and morale within a team's culture. Additionally, recognition can serve as a great motivator for direct reports to meet their goals and expectations of managers. When a company creates a culture that communicates how valued each employee is, turnover will decrease and a team community will be built.

8. Promote Psychological Safety

As always, managers must consider the psychological safety of their team environment in working to establish a productive culture. Psychological safety builds an environment centered around valuing individuals and building trust. Any individual on a team may detriment to the psychological safety that is built, from managers to direct reports. In this instance, managers should focus on building an environment that values individuals and their contributions which will build mutual trust for both management and direct reports.

9. Limit Jargon

A crucial factor in building trust in a team environment is to be clear and honest in all communications, including limiting jargon and phrases that are intentionally indirect. To establish expectations and build trust, leaders must be transparent with their direct reports. The same holds for recruiting practices. In recruiting, leaders should be clear in their communication of the expectations and culture of the team, avoiding phrases such as “work hard, play hard” that create a confusing expectation of the work environment.

10. Empower Team Members

Members in teams with trust should feel empowered to succeed and excel with the support of their peers. Managers working to build trust should focus on empowering direct reports to meet expectations independently. Direct reports sense of belonging and support from teammates will enable individuals to meet and exceed expectations with the help of their peers. Building a culture that values inclusion will create a safe space for members to productively fail and find great success.

In establishing a culture of trust, leaders need to recognize that the results may not be noticeable overnight. Building trust takes time. To build trust, leaders need to provide ample opportunities for direct reports to meet and exceed set expectations while still maintaining a productive team culture. In creating attainable expectations, trust within a team will unlock growth and collaboration, leading to great success.

by Kendall Barndollar

Fri 5 April 2024

It is crucial for managers to advocate for their team in a deliberate and intentional manner to promote a positive work environment. In meeting with executive leaders, managers should prioritize the needs of their team as a whole in order to be optimally productive.

However, sometimes executive leaders can be a bit out-of touch on the day to day details of teams activities. Unrealistic expectations can lead to burnout, turnover and massive inefficiencies, producing problem areas for all levels of an organizational hierarchy.

How can managers advocate for the needs of their team without compromising their own ability? How can direct reports voice their needs to their manager without affecting their work ethic or commitment?

To better analyze the impacts of this situation, consider Alex who is a manager of a mid-size team at a large accounting firm. Alex’s superior is Sophia, a director, who is responsible for eight groups similar to Alex’s across the office. In meeting with his team, Alex realizes that his team has been asked to work significantly more hours this past month compared to previous months. In continuing the conversation, Alex is stunned to hear that many members of the team have felt overworked and exhausted over the past month. Individuals on the team voice their concerns and request for a reduction in work, lowered expectations, a clear plan to help them achieve some semblance of balance, or a combination of these outcomes.

Now, Alex must meet with Sophia and explain the circumstance, while trying to demonstrate that this is not a representation of ability or willingness to work, but a result of the psychological safety and productivity expectations set for Alex’s team.

When Alex has his meeting with Sophia, there are a couple of important factors he should keep in mind in order to find the best results for his teams productivity and contributions to the company. Rather than beginning the meeting with an accusation of overworking employees or assigning too heavy of a workload, Alex should explain this situation to help Sophia better understand the effect on the team.

When Sophia begins to discuss the new work assignments for this month, Alex could ask a question like “Where should this be on the priority list?” This question respectfully points out that his team is working on several assignments and puts the responsibility on Sophia to recognize the tasks the team is already working on. Additionally, this gives Sophia an opportunity to explicitly state what the main focuses are, enabling Alex to prioritize these goals across his team. In any circumstance, it is crucial for managers to advocate for their teams while still prioritizing the needs of the business.

Here are 5 tips for managers to be better advocates for their direct reports:

Encourage Communication

Encouraging communication enables managers to better understand their direct reports. Through increased communication, managers should be able to find fixes and suggestions to improve the experience, lives, and workload of their direct reports. For example, in the scenario above, Alex’s team could have previously shared their feelings of burnout and exhaustion, allowing Alex to discuss with Sophia in advance and better plan the workload for his team. Communication between managers and their direct reports will optimize productivity and quality of work throughout a team.
2. Collect Feedback

As always, a crucial part of success in a leadership role is collecting feedback. If managers work to collect constant feedback, they will better understand the lives of their direct reports. Managers could consider utilizing software such as AIM Insights to collect continuous feedback on performance measures and goal attainment. With a tool like this, managers can view the work put in by their direct reports and alter expectations to meet the needs of the team and business.
3. Set Goals

Setting goals sets an expected standard for a team. With these goals, members of the team can have a better understanding of the work they should be inputting. In the case of Alex and his team, if he had set an hours-based goal for the team, these members may not be experiencing such burnout. Setting goals is a great method of communication for managers to set clear forecasts for direct reports. In practicing SMART goal setting, managers could consider using software such as AIM Goals to help set specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely goals.
4. Use Quantitative and Qualitative Data

In serving as an advocate for their team, managers' use of employee data and feedback is an extremely impactful tool for guiding a discussion. In the case of Alex and Sophia, Alex should bring the monthly productivity or hours worked reports as a demonstration of the work that his team has been inputting. With this quantitative data, Sophia will better understand the pressure and workload put upon these individuals.

5. Prioritize Work-Life Balance & Psychological Safety

In working as an advocate to create an ideal team environment, it is crucial for managers to put work-life balance and psychological safety at the forefront of their focus for teams. Psychological safety focuses on ensuring a compatible and inclusive environment in the workplace and throughout teams. With psychological safety prioritized, individuals will feel encouraged and valued to share their opinions and thoughts, even if they oppose those of the group. In focusing on promoting work-life balance and psychological safety, managers should work to lead a team that values learning from mistakes, innovation, sharing ideas, and setting transparent goals for growth.

Serving as an advocate is not easy. It is challenging for individuals to represent and speak on behalf of others but, working in the best interests of their team, advocacy is a crucial component of leadership. In learning to advocate for other individuals, it is essential for professionals to prioritize transparency and accountability along the process. Additionally, if managers feel they need additional assistance, they should consider joining an executive mastermind group. Joining an executive mastermind group allows individuals to discuss scenarios with leaders with similar experiences in the workplace. As always, managers need to remember that change may not happen immediately and will take time to see the effects across a team. However, when individuals feel valued within a team, they are more likely to demonstrate increased job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Serving as a representative for a team is an integral component of leadership and allows great opportunities for managers to grow as well.

by Kayla Ambrose

Fri 28 June 2024

Mid-year evaluations are critical for maintaining motivation, addressing concerns, and setting goals for a successful performance during the year's second half. During these evaluations, Managers and employees can openly discuss past performance, current focuses, and future expectations to ensure continuous improvement and engagement. Through effective and meaningful performance reviews, managers can align team goals with organizational objectives to set their team up for success during the year's second half.

Importance of Mid-Year Reviews

When preparing for mid-year reviews, recognizing the importance of evaluations and their critical functions can greatly increase effectiveness and efficiency. Establishing meetings with each team member to provide feedback allows for increased communication and problem-solving abilities. While performance metrics may be utilized to gather information on each individual's performance throughout the year, underlying factors may be impacting the success of some team members. Creating this opportunity to communicate with them can identify challenges and allow for discussion on possible solutions.

Along with facilitating communication, mid-year reviews serve as a means for goal adjustments. While establishing goals at the beginning of the year can be effective, team members must reflect upon their goals throughout the year and make adjustments accordingly. Factors impacting a goal may have developed throughout the year resulting in the completion of goals or potential setbacks. These new factors are important to incorporate into mid-year reviews to establish attainable goals for the second half of the year.

One of the most crucial benefits of conducting effective mid-year reviews is maintaining motivation and engagement for team members. During the year, team members can lose motivation and struggle to recognize the purpose of their work. By allowing for one-on-one conversations that focus on supporting each individual, managers can collaborate with team members to develop solutions to re-engage their team.

Strategies for Effective Mid-Year Reviews:

Prepare Thoroughly

Proper preparation for mid-year reviews is indicative of the effectiveness of mid-year reviews. Throughout the year, managers should keep track of the performance of their team members to incorporate within their reviews. Performance software can be utilized to gather data on individual team members to track progress and drive goal-setting. In addition to manager preparation, it is important to encourage team members to prepare for their performance reviews. Encouraging self-reflection on employee performance for the first half of the year will allow them to come prepared for the meeting and highlight success potentially overlooked by management. Reflection can also identify areas for improvement, helping team members to make adjustments to their personal goals.

2. Open Communication

To ensure effectiveness for mid-year reviews, managers should encourage open dialogue during the meeting. Identifying open-ended questions that allow team members the opportunity to share their insights can drive meaningful discussions on team productivity. Creating an open and honest environment will encourage team members to provide authentic feedback and areas for improvement benefiting the team as a whole. Ultimately, the goal of establishing open communication is to demonstrate support for team members and continue to motivate their continued growth.

3. Constructive Feedback

A key element of conducting effective mid-year evaluations is to deliver constructive feedback to each individual. Collecting specific behaviors to improve upon and highlighting specific achievements are beneficial to creating individualized performance reviews. Emphasizing specific occurrences rather than generalizations is important because it allows the feedback to be more understandable and easier to implement solutions for within the remainder of the year.

4. Goal Setting

Establishing metrics and means for team members to develop goals creates motivations for team improvement. When conducting goal setting, establishing specific performance criteria develops a more structured means for team members to gauge their performance throughout the year. Collaborate with each team member to ensure that the goals created best reflect the objectives of the team and each individual.

5. Action Steps and Follow-ups

Conducting mid-year reviews are incomplete if they lack further actionable steps and methods for goal applications. Identifying development opportunities for team members to have a curated improvement plan can serve as an effective means for learning and growth. Within development plans, incorporating a timeline for following up on the implementation of development plans will encourage accountability and maintain motivation.

Employee Bonus Structure

An important aspect of mid-year reviews is recognizing achievements and rewarding team members accordingly. While it may seem motivating to distribute bonuses to all team members on a semiannual or annual basis, direct reports with exceptional performance may lose motivation due to a lack of incentive. Developing a structure to motivate team members and recognize achievements is a primary purpose of effective bonus structures.

In addition to considering who receives bonuses, an important consideration is who will determine bonuses. Upper management or middle management may be tasked with determining which team members receive bonuses based on their annual or semiannual performance. Both approaches have benefits and drawbacks to consider when implementing.

Upper Managers Determining Bonuses

Pros:

Fairness: Upper management interacts less with team members, which can prevent favoritism or potential bias. Additionally, upper management can ensure bonuses that are more standardized across all teams.
Organizational Goal Alignment: Since upper management has a better understanding of organizational objectives, they can ensure that bonus allocations properly align with the direction of the organization.
Resource Allocation: With increased knowledge of the financial resources available, upper management can reward bonuses that are consistent with the organization's budget.

Cons:

Limited Direct Interaction: Upper management doesn’t interact directly with employees daily. This limited interaction can lead to less of a perspective on the actual performance of individuals.
Employee Morale: Since employees aren’t directly interacting with upper management, they may feel disconnected from them. This lack of interaction may lead employees to feel unmotivated and unable to change bonus outcomes due to their actions.

Middle Managers Determining Bonuses

Pros:

Proximity to Employee: Middle management works directly with employees, thus allowing them to have a greater understanding of each individual's actual contributions.
Timeliness: When relaying review feedback to employees, middle managers can inform them of bonus decisions associated directly with the feedback. This allows for a more comprehensive understanding of how performance is tied to bonus rewards.
Increased Motivations: Employees may feel more motivated to perform well daily because they know their interactions with their manager are directly influencing their bonus potential.

Cons:

Potential for Bias: Middle managers can possess bias towards employees since they interact directly with them. This bias or potential favoritism can influence the perceived performance of employees and who is deserving of a bonus.
Limited Perspective: Middle managers may have limited knowledge of organizational goals, leading their bonus allocation to be misaligned with company objectives

Balancing Approaches

A balance of both approaches can be utilized to mitigate the weaknesses of each approach while leveraging the strengths of both. This can be achieved through collaboration between middle managers and upper management to develop a comprehensive approach to bonus determination. Since middle managers have more direct interactions with team members, they can convey insights to upper management on team member performance beyond the statistics. Using a balanced approach, upper management can monitor for potential middle manager bias, ensuring a fair bonus recipient structure.

Mid-year performance reviews are a powerful tool for ensuring motivation, goal progression, and continued development. Through proper preparation, honest communication, relaying feedback, setting goals, and establishing actionable plans, managers can maximize the effectiveness of individual reviews. Along with ensuring review effectiveness, providing incentives for high-performing team members encourages motivation throughout the year. Considering approaches for establishing objective and accurate allocation of bonuses is critical.

As the year approaches the halfway mark, managers must consider strategies to ensure their teams are on track to meet their yearly goals. Mid-year reviews are a crucial tool to motivate employees to continue to excel towards their goals or to redirect employees struggling to perform, ultimately serving as a support system for all team members to reach organizational goals.

by Kayla Ambrose

Fri 9 August 2024

Managing a team is complex and empowering, but becomes difficult when factoring in the intricacies of team relationships. When a team member is charging towards a promotion, it can be an exciting and delicate situation for managers. This situation is especially challenging to navigate when a manager has a good relationship with the individual, but they are not prepared to receive a promotion. Determining how to support their ambition while simultaneously managing their expectations for a promotion requires immense consideration.

Creating a structured plan in advance can help managers feel equipped to handle a situation in which they are unable to promote a motivated team member. Workshopping methods of communicating empathy, conveying constructive feedback, setting realistic expectations, creating an actionable plan, and providing continued support will set managers up for success when leading these challenging conversations. With appropriate mechanisms, managers can communicate promotion decisions effectively while also supporting employees' growth.

1. Objective Assessment

Prior to relaying the news that a team member will not receive a promotion, conduct a clear and objective assessment of their performance. Considering the employee’s current performance, skills, and readiness for promotion can focus the assessment and work to eliminate bias due to relationships with the employee. Regardless of personal relationships with the team member pursuing the promotion, it is important to evaluate tangible contributions they make to the team to ensure a comprehensive understanding of their performance.

This objective assessment will prepare managers for their conversation with the employee seeking a promotion. Being able to recognize specific areas of strengths and weakness will demonstrate to the employee that careful consideration was given to this decision. Use this step to provide concrete examples during the conversation to help the employee understand the decision from an outside perspective.

2. Conversation Preparation

After establishing a complete understanding of the employee’s contributions, take steps to determine the logistics of the conversation. Managers may find it beneficial to communicate the news that a promotion was received in an email prior to a one one-on-one conversation as this can help to mentally prepare their employee for the conversation. Other managers prefer to communicate directly with their team member through a face-to-face conversation. Regardless of how the news is broken, a one-on-one conversation is a necessary element of communicating with the employee.

When planning the message for this conversation, outline key points to be addressed and reference specific examples. Consider how the team member may react to these points and empathetic responses to their emotions to ensure a productive conversation.

3. Communicate Empathetically

When beginning the conversation, acknowledge their hard work and strong ambition. Make sure to express appreciation for their contributions and the value they provide for the team. Creating a positive environment early on will set a supportive tone for the conversation. Being empathetic allows the employee to feel understood and valued which is vital for keeping this conversation in a constructive direction. With a compassionate approach, the disappointment from not receiving a promotion can be eased and foster open dialogue.

4. Provide Constructive Feedback

After establishing a positive tone, provide constructive feedback to communicate why the promotion is not on the table at the moment. It is important to be honest about the assessment of their promotion readiness while also considerate of their feelings. Since they were eager for a promotion, they likely believe the are prepared for the role. Ensuring that they understand areas that need to be focused on before they are ready for the promotion can help them understand the decision.

While communicating honest feedback, incorporate specific examples of areas that need improvement or further development. Any skills, behaviors or achievements that are necessary to receive the promotion should be addressed. Along with addressing these deficiencies, frame them as growth opportunities. Using growth focused word choice can maintain a forward focused and positive conversation.

5. Develop an Action Plan

After discussing areas for improvement, set realistic expectations and actionable steps for a promotion timeline. Be transparent about the company’s promotion criteria and associated timelines. Explain why their current timeline may not be achievable and outline specific steps needed to fulfill promotion requirements.

Work with the employee to create a concrete action plan with steps needed to properly prepare them. Include specific goals, a realistic timeline, resources, and regular progress check ins. Developing a clear path forward gives them a better sense of direction and demonstrates support for their aspirations.

6. Maintain Support

Consistent with developing an action plan, to support employee’s growth provide ongoing guidance and encouragement. Dedicate time for regular check ins and implement mechanisms for consistent feedback to continue their progress and address challenges. Encourage the employee to reach out with any concerns and questions that arise on their journey towards their goals.

In addition to maintaining a strong presence through check-ins and feedback, a key component of providing support comes from positive reinforcement. Recognize and celebrate their achievements throughout their journey to increase motivation and engagement. Maintaining support creates a stronger relationship with the employee and actively increases their chances of success.

Regardless of preparation, managers may receive pushback from their ambitious employees. Given their strong pursuit of a promotion, they may feel disappointed or defensive. Advanced preparation for these reactions and methods to respond with empathy are vital for ensuring a productive conversation. Acknowledge their feelings, and reiterate support for their goals and continued growth. As a manager, maintaining composure and professionalism are also key during these difficult conversations. Avoid being drawn into emotional confrontation and steer the conversation back towards actionable steps.

Giving constructive feedback to an eager employee seeking a promotion is a delicate task that requires preparation, empathy, and transparency. By objectively considering the situation, communicating empathetically, and developing growth strategies, managers can help guide employees to success while maintaining a strong relationship. While achieving their current goal of being promoted wasn’t attainable, these conversations can empower them to continue to grow in their pursuit of longer-term career aspirations.

by Grace Tripathy

Fri 4 October 2024

Emma, a seasoned manager at a mid-sized technology company, had always believed in the power of innovation. Her company was known for its cutting-edge solutions, and leadership consistently emphasized the importance of staying ahead of the curve. However, as the company grew, Emma noticed a disconnect between the innovative goals the company was setting and the day-to-day efforts of her team. Despite their technical skill and dedication, her team seemed to be losing focus on the big picture—where the company was heading and how they fit into that vision.

As the company rolled out a new initiative to demonstrate innovation to clients, Emma knew she needed to rethink how to align her team’s goals with the company's larger vision. It wasn’t just about setting targets or assigning tasks; it was about ensuring her team felt motivated and understood the value of their work in driving innovation forward. Emma began to consider how incentives could play a role in achieving this cohesion, but she knew it would require careful evaluation and constant tinkering.

Establishing Clear Job Goals

To begin, Emma revisited the job goals for each member of her team. While everyone had clear responsibilities, Emma realized that the team needed more than just a list of tasks—they needed a deeper understanding of how their roles contributed to the company’s goal of demonstrating continuous innovation to its clients. She gathered her team for a meeting, focusing on how their individual efforts fit into the bigger picture.

Key elements Emma focused on:

Ensuring each team member understood the specific outcomes their work was driving toward (e.g., new product development, process improvements).
Aligning short-term goals with long-term innovation targets set by leadership.
Regularly updating job goals to reflect shifts in the company’s priorities.

By breaking down broader company objectives into actionable, measurable steps, Emma’s team began to see how their contributions mattered. However, simply understanding the goals wasn’t enough; Emma also needed to create incentives that reflected these objectives.

Crafting Incentives That Align with Organizational Goals

Emma knew that financial incentives could motivate her team, but she also understood that innovation requires more than just monetary rewards. To keep her team inspired, Emma developed a balanced system of financial and non-financial incentives that aligned with the company’s vision.

She also considered how different members of her team were motivated by different types of rewards. Some employees thrived on the prospect of a bonus, while others valued recognition or the opportunity to grow professionally. To create an environment where innovation was constant, Emma decided that the incentives needed to reflect both individual motivators and the collective drive to push the company forward.

Financial incentives Emma implemented:

Innovation bonuses: Team members were rewarded for submitting and implementing new ideas that improved products or processes, with quarterly bonuses tied to the success of their innovations. This direct financial reward ensured that those who contributed to the company’s progress saw immediate benefits, encouraging a proactive approach to problem-solving.
Profit-sharing linked to innovation milestones: Instead of traditional profit-sharing based on general company performance, Emma adjusted the plan to reflect key innovation achievements, ensuring her team’s financial rewards were directly tied to the company’s larger goals. This not only incentivized innovation but also helped employees feel more connected to the company’s financial success.

Non-financial incentives Emma introduced:

Recognition programs: Emma launched a monthly “Innovator of the Month” award, spotlighting employees who contributed to the company’s innovation efforts. This not only boosted morale but also encouraged healthy competition. Public recognition in company-wide meetings gave employees a sense of pride and ownership over their contributions.
Opportunities for professional growth: Emma partnered with upper management to provide her team with opportunities to attend conferences, enroll in advanced courses, and participate in cross-departmental projects that aligned with the company’s innovative initiatives. Offering educational incentives reinforced the company's commitment to long-term development and creativity.
Time for creative exploration: In addition to formal rewards, Emma allowed her team to dedicate a certain percentage of their work hours to projects outside of their typical responsibilities. This freedom gave employees the space to experiment and explore new ideas without the pressure of immediate results, fostering a culture of curiosity and innovation.

Evaluating and Re-Evaluating Incentives

After a few months, Emma took a step back to evaluate how her incentive structure was working. She noticed that while financial rewards motivated some team members, others were more driven by recognition and professional development opportunities. Innovation had increased, but there were still areas where the team struggled to stay focused.

To address this, Emma made adjustments to the incentive plan. She introduced periodic check-ins to gather feedback from her team on what motivated them the most and what barriers they faced in achieving their innovation-related goals.

Emma discovered three key insights:

Flexibility was crucial. Some team members valued immediate recognition more than long-term rewards, so Emma implemented smaller, more frequent bonuses alongside the larger innovation-based profit-sharing program.
Transparency drove engagement. By sharing detailed updates on how their contributions directly impacted the company’s client relationships and overall growth, Emma’s team felt more connected to the larger vision.
Continuous feedback improved performance. Regular one-on-one meetings allowed Emma to tweak incentives based on individual preferences and changing market conditions, keeping her team motivated and aligned.

Emma’s journey taught her that the key to aligning team goals with organizational vision lay in balancing financial incentives with a broader sense of purpose. By crafting a dynamic incentive system, Emma helped her team see the value of their contributions not just in terms of personal gain but as part of the company’s mission to lead in innovation.

by Grace Tripathy

Fri 27 December 2024

In her early days as a department manager, Casey prided herself on her ability to adapt quickly and solve problems on the fly. Yet, she often found herself wondering if she was truly excelling or just keeping her head above water. Without a clear benchmark to compare her performance to other leaders, Casey’s confidence wavered. She worked hard, but without a frame of reference, she struggled to identify areas for improvement or celebrate meaningful progress.

Casey’s lack of benchmarks led to a cascade of challenges. Team morale was inconsistent, as she couldn’t pinpoint where her leadership strategies fell short. Her department’s performance was average, which was frustrating for someone who aspired to excellence. And personally, she felt stuck, unsure how to position herself for the next level in her career. It was clear: Casey needed a way to measure herself not only against her past performance but also against other successful leaders.

Discovering Benchmarks and the Journey Ahead

Everything changed when Casey discovered a leadership development program through AIM Insights, a system dedicated to helping managers grow through actionable data. The program introduced her to benchmarking, a way to compare her leadership practices and team performance against other managers in similar roles.

At first, Casey felt apprehensive. Comparing herself to others seemed intimidating. But she quickly realized that benchmarks weren’t about competition; they were about clarity. By leveraging AIM Insights’ analytics, Casey gained access to key metrics, such as employee engagement scores, project delivery timelines, and leadership style assessments. She also participated in peer-to-peer feedback sessions, where she could learn directly from other managers.

The Benefits of Benchmarking

Through this process, Casey experienced several transformative benefits:

Clarity on Strengths and Weaknesses: By comparing her team’s performance to industry standards, Casey identified her core strengths, such as fostering innovation, while recognizing areas like delegation that needed improvement.
Actionable Goals: Benchmarks helped her set measurable, realistic goals. For instance, she aimed to improve her team’s engagement score by 10% within six months, a target informed by best-in-class practices.
Enhanced Leadership Strategies: Learning from peers allowed Casey to adopt proven strategies, such as conducting weekly one-on-one check-ins, which boosted team accountability and trust.
Confidence in Performance: Benchmarks validated her efforts. When her department exceeded the average productivity rate for similar teams, Casey celebrated this as a milestone.
Career Advancement: With clear data to back her leadership effectiveness, Casey positioned herself as a strong candidate for promotions.

AIM Insights: Tracking Data for Growth

AIM Insights goes beyond simply providing benchmarks as it tracks comprehensive performance management data for both managers and their teams. By analyzing key metrics like productivity, engagement, and leadership effectiveness, AIM Insights empowers managers to identify growth opportunities and implement targeted improvements. This continuous feedback loop not only helps individual leaders like Casey advance in their careers but also drives collective growth within their organizations, fostering a culture of excellence and innovation.

Six months into using benchmarks, the results were evident. Casey’s team exceeded their project deadlines by 20% according to the AIM Insights analytics tool, and their employee engagement scores were among the highest in the company. Her newfound clarity and confidence also led to her promotion to Senior Manager, where she continued to inspire her team and peers.

Casey’s journey illustrates the immense value of benchmarking. For managers looking to elevate their leadership and create measurable impacts, tools like those offered by AIM Insights provide the roadmap to success. By comparing herself to other leaders and leveraging benchmarks, Casey not only achieved her career goals but also cultivated a thriving, high-performing team.

For managers who feel stuck or unsure of their progress, AIM Insights is a powerful resource to gain perspective, set goals, and transform your leadership. Just as Casey discovered, benchmarks aren’t just a tool, they’re a catalyst for growth and excellence.

by Kendall Barndollar

Fri 2 May 2025

Effective leadership has become increasingly complex and important in today's fast-paced workplace. Leaders must align communication methods with team culture to optimize results and create psychological safety within teams. Each team or group in the workplace, classroom, or any environment creates its own specific culture and dynamic. Teams go through stages of development that contribute to building a productive team culture. These phases are form, storm, norm, and perform. Following through phases of meeting, role alignment, conflict, resolution, and completion, teams create a curated dynamic. Much of a group's culture is developed in the storm and norm phase, where teammates are enabled to establish team processes and group values. Understanding the developmental stages of a team's experiences enables leaders to foster connections with team members, support groups through challenges, and improve overall engagement.

Although there are a variety of factors contributing to these team cultures, Dutch author and researcher Fons Trompenaar has established a model breaking group types down into two spectrums: relationship-oriented or task-oriented, and egalitarian or hierarchical. Relationship-oriented cultures value personal connections over a focus on goals and work towards building relationships early on. Task-oriented cultures value objectives, prioritize goal completion, and do not necessarily emphasize personal connections. Hierarchical cultures emphasize titles, roles, and the overall structure of the organization, whereas egalitarian cultures value achievement, ability, and experience. The various combinations of these aspects create 4 different group types: Family, Eiffel Tower, Guided Missile, and Incubators. Trompenaars' model has explained that the overlap of these dimensions creates these categories of general team environment habits, values, and norms.

Family Culture

The family style culture is hierarchical and relationship-oriented. Leaders of family-style groups create nurturing team cultures that foster personal and professional growth for team members. As implied by the name, this group type generally has a tight-knit, loyalty-based culture for support and mentorship from the top down. Family-style cultures focus on communication and trust within the group or organization. Because of the emphasis on personal relationships, communication may be informal, and group members may be more expressive in their emotions.

Mentorship programs would be particularly useful for this culture, reaching alignment in prioritizing relationships, growth, and connection within a team. In such hierarchical environments, leaders serve as leaders, mentors, and friends who support both professional and personal growth. These programs can aid in formalizing connections in the workplace, to ensure that each member has a mentor or guide to help support them.

2. Guided Missile Culture

The guided missile style culture is egalitarian and task-oriented. The guided missile group type values direct communication and is driven through results-oriented processes. Furthermore, teams of this type generally have a shared goal and work towards efficiency and specific objectives. This group type heavily emphasizes feedback and enables opportunities for professional growth, but relationships are not personal. The Guided Missile group thrives in a fast-paced, results-driven environment where collaboration is structured around expertise and ability over role or title.

Groups of this type may benefit from utilizing a tool such as AIM Insights. AIM Insights enables managers and their teams to view goals, progress, and benchmarks. A transparent platform works to build team alignment and enables timely and objective feedback to optimize productivity and reach team goals.

3. Eiffel Tower Culture

The Eiffel Tower group culture type is hierarchical and task-oriented. In these groups, leaders and roles are distinct, and expectations should be clearly communicated across individuals. Teams in this category prioritize direct communication and emphasize the importance of formal processes and standardization. Because this group type concentrates on clarity, these teams tend to be very organized and decisive. To best align with team culture in this environment, members should focus on organization and prioritizing procedures and efficiency in their work.

Leaders of these groups may experience some isolation due to the emphasis on hierarchy; many of these leaders may benefit from horizontal mentorship programs. Horizontal mentorship programs enable executives to connect with their peers for mutual growth, learning, and guidance. These peer-to-peer relationships foster a sense of mutual support and collectiveness that enable members to learn from each other. Additionally, horizontal mentorship programs enable leaders to continuously learn from each other's experiences and provide a private setting to discuss challenges.

4. Incubator Culture

The incubator group culture is egalitarian and relationship-oriented. These teams generally communicate informally but form close relationships across peers. These teams focus on self-expression, personal growth, and innovation. Furthermore, these relationships and growth efforts create environments where team members are connected and engaged in their work and environment. Incubator cultures often build environments where team members can learn from their failures, and open communication is encouraged. Aligning with these cultures requires individuals to be adaptive and free-thinking to engage in team-wide collaboration. This group type is well-suited for startups or innovation hubs that value entrepreneurial efforts, curiosity, and creativity.

Although challenging, recognizing and adapting leadership and communication styles to team cultures is crucial to enable long-term success. To foster a collaborative and productive environment, leaders should prioritize aligning their communication methods and styles with the group culture they have observed. Each of the group culture types, Family, Guided Missile, Eiffel Tower, and Incubator, represents an overlap of two key dimensions driving workplace cultures. Through analyzing the dimensions of relationship or task orientation and egalitarian or hierarchical outlook, leaders can better adapt their communication tactics. By aligning leadership, culture, and communication, teams are enabled to reach higher productivity and efficiency. Furthermore, leaders' efforts towards alignment work to foster team values of trust, clarity, and connection. Ultimately, leaders who are attuned to their team's cultures and needs are best positioned to build resilient, successful teams.

goal setting

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