The New Year is just around the corner, and with it comes the opportunity to set new goals for your business. But why go it alone? Including your employees in the goal-setting process can foster collaboration, increase engagement, and align your team around a shared vision for success.

In this blog, we’ll explore why involving your team in setting business goals is so powerful, how to structure the process, and practical tips to ensure their input leads to actionable results.

Why Include Employees in Goal Setting?

1. Increased Buy-In and Accountability

When employees contribute to the goals they’ll help achieve, they feel more invested in the outcome. Their involvement creates a sense of ownership that translates into greater accountability and motivation.

2. Fresh Perspectives

Your employees are on the front lines of your business, interacting with customers and handling day-to-day operations. Their insights can help you identify challenges, spot opportunities, and set realistic goals.

3. Strengthened Team Morale

Involving employees in goal-setting sends a powerful message: their opinions matter. This can boost morale, strengthen trust, and create a more inclusive workplace culture.

How to Involve Employees in Setting Business Goals

1. Review the Past Year Together

Before looking forward, reflect on the past year’s successes and challenges. Gather your team to review key metrics, accomplishments, and areas for improvement.

How to Do It:

• Host a year-in-review meeting to discuss highlights and lessons learned.
• Share performance data and invite employees to provide their perspectives.
• Celebrate achievements to build positive momentum for the discussion.

2. Ask for Input Through Surveys or Discussions

Your team likely has valuable ideas, but not everyone may feel comfortable speaking up in a group setting. Offer multiple ways for employees to share their input.

How to Do It:

• Create an anonymous survey with questions like:
  • What’s one thing we should improve in 2025?
  • What goals would you like to see the business achieve next year?
• Hold small group discussions or one-on-one meetings to gather feedback.

Pro Tip: Combine survey results and discussion takeaways into key themes to guide your goal-setting process.

3. Align Goals with the Bigger Picture

Once you’ve gathered employee input, connect their suggestions to your business’s mission, vision, and overall strategy. This ensures everyone understands how their work contributes to the bigger picture.

How to Do It:

• Present your business’s high-level goals for 2025.
• Show how employee ideas can fit within those priorities.
• Work together to refine goals that balance ambition with feasibility.

4. Set Team-Specific Goals

Break your business goals into smaller, team-specific objectives. This gives employees clear direction and makes large goals feel more achievable.

How to Do It:

• Assign each department or team a set of goals tailored to their role.
• Invite employees to define specific action steps to achieve these goals.
• Set deadlines and milestones to track progress throughout the year.

Example:

 If your business’s goal is to increase online sales by 20%, your marketing team could focus on boosting website traffic, while your customer service team could work on improving response times to inquiries.

5. Create a Feedback Loop

Goal-setting isn’t a one-and-done process. Regular check-ins help keep your team aligned and provide opportunities to adjust goals as needed.

How to Do It:

• Schedule monthly or quarterly meetings to review progress.
• Encourage employees to share updates and challenges.
• Use these check-ins to celebrate wins and recalibrate as necessary.

Pro Tip: Use tools like HubSpot, Asana, or Trello to track goals and milestones visually, making it easier for everyone to stay on the same page.

Tips for Successful Employee Involvement

• Be Transparent: Share your business’s financial and operational performance to give employees context for their input.
• Recognize Contributions: Publicly acknowledge employees whose ideas help shape the final goals.
• Make It Collaborative: Encourage brainstorming sessions to generate creative ideas and solutions.
• Focus on Measurable Goals: Ensure all goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

Benefits of Collaborative Goal Setting

1. Improved Team Performance

When employees understand the “why” behind their tasks and goals, they’re more motivated to perform at their best. Collaborative goal-setting creates alignment that drives results.

2. Enhanced Problem-Solving

By involving employees early, you can address potential challenges and roadblocks proactively. Their insights often lead to more effective solutions.

3. Stronger Workplace Culture

A collaborative approach fosters a sense of community and trust within your business. Employees who feel heard are more likely to remain loyal and engaged.

Conclusion

Including your small business employees in setting goals for 2025 isn’t just good for morale—it’s good for your bottom line. By inviting their perspectives, aligning goals with your mission, and creating actionable plans, you empower your team to take ownership of your business’s success.

Ready to plan for 2025? Contact us to explore tools and strategies that can make goal-setting and tracking a breeze!