How to boost performance with transparent goals

Top-down, cascading goal-setting doesn't work as it used to in today's hybrid, agile, and global business environments. It creates a culture of silos, reduces team alignment and agility, and encourages thoughtless tasks-driven execution.

Research and real-world success stories suggest that making your goals open to your entire organization produces better results. The world's most successful companies, such as Google, Amazon, Deloitte, GE, Intel, Netflix, and Samsung, have transparent goals. Here's how:

Use OKRs

OKRs, or Objectives (What) and Key Results (How), is one of the most popular goal-setting frameworks. OKRs are public for everyone to see what objectives the company is trying to achieve and what others are working on. Using OKRs brings transparency and agility into your goal-setting. Read more about OKRs: Here, here, and here.

Share goals, context, and results

Communicate your organizational goals (the "Whats" and "Hows") with everyone in the company together with the context (the "Whys"). It will give your employees a complete picture of what you are trying to achieve. And once the results are in, share them too. Avoid the temptation to spin. Communicate your failures and learnings, not just wins.

Trust employees to make decisions

After you've communicated top-level business goals to your employees, trust them to make decisions independently. Micromanagement is mismanagement. Autonomy is crucial to creativity, innovation, and experimentation. Let your employees forge their own paths to achieve the desired outcomes.

Hire people who care about transparency

Building a transparent organization starts with the interview process. Hire people who care about your mission and values, especially a transparent work culture. The correct candidates will be excited about joining an open environment and not just the role.

Create a communication infrastructure

Communication is crucial in a transparent organization. Build an infrastructure to foster communication in your company. It could be Slack channels, Microsoft Teams, or a modern HR system like Mesh. With Mesh, you can set public goals, manage projects in a better way, and have 1:1s with your employees to coach and develop. Learn more at mesh.ai

Today's employees have become more purpose-driven, relationship-focused, and aware of the employer's impact on the world. Having transparent goals earns their trust and provides them with the context, purpose, and motivation to perform their best—a win-win for the company and the employees.