Motivating with Micro-Objectives

This has been a hard year for people.

Personally and professionally, the rules keep changing and the future has lost all its predictability.

At work we are used to planning and following a step-by-step, logical approach. What happens when logic and "doing things as we are used to" no longer apply? In this messier-than-usual world shrouded by a constant fog of uncertainty, it is difficult to inspire and motivate your team.

Building resilience and keeping everyone energized is paramount, but many of us feel unequipped for the task.

To keep myself, and my team motivated, I’ve recently doubled down on my use of micro-objectives.

Micro-objectives are exactly as they sound – small, tangible goals that can be achieved in a short period of time. Don’t let their size fool you; they may be small, but they are mighty when it comes to creating motivation and resiliency.

Setting micro-objectives takes 3 simple steps.

1) Understand where you are in relation to your long-term aspirations

You need a baseline from which to measure. Whether your objectives are tangible (sell X more widgets) or intangible (feel more confident presenting in front of a room), you need to plainly state where you are today.

2) Set a goal you can achieve within a 2-week period

This is the secret sauce of the micro-objective. Long-term goals can be paralyzing in their scale, or demotivating when they change in this uncertain world. Choose a goal that is an achievable stretch, and moves you in the right direction.

3) Commit to the specific actions it will take to get there

In a two-week window you should have a clear line of site to what opportunities are in front of you.

Work back from your objective, and write down the 3-5 actions it will take to get there. These actions can be as simple as booking a meeting with person X, as long as it continues the forward momentum.

If executed correctly, you’ll be able to build a system that strings together a constant stream of wins, keeping your teams motivated and excited.

While they seem almost too easy to do, there are a few watch-outs to be wary of:

Accountability – team members need to be held accountable to hitting their goals, or there is a risk of slippage
Consistency – a two week goal in itself isn’t much of an accomplishment; you need a string of wins to really see progress
Self-Reflection – you need time to look back at the process, and evaluate whether it’s working for you and what may need to change
Long-Term Validation – every once in a while validate the path you are heading down to see if you need a course correction
Positive Energy - people will draw their energy from you, and the more you can laugh and have fun together the more resilient you will be as a unit through the tough times