Do you know your organisation’s strategy? (and why you should)

You may not think this is for you, you’re not high enough in the company.  But no one is too low in the company to not think about it, or at least understand it, and it never hurts to have a way to look clever in front of a bigwig.

Organisational Goals

It starts with a goal.  What is your organisation trying to achieve?  This can be survival, sell products, serve the community, assist special needs with society, or solve world hunger.  If your organisation sells boats, your goals are very different from those of a welfare advocacy group. 

What you are trying to do heavily influences your process- your outputs, but also your processing, and your inputs.  Ferrari aims to make money by selling high quality cars, so this affects not just what finished product they are making, but also how they do it, how much time and attention they take through the process, and also the quality of the materials.  Ferrari customers aren’t going to be happy with cheap leather.

Here are some of the things people may be talking about with goals:

·       Strategic Goals: Long-term objectives that define the company’s future direction, such as expanding into new markets or becoming an industry leader.

·       Operational Goals: Short-term, specific targets that improve daily functions, like increasing production efficiency or enhancing customer service.

·       Financial Goals: Focus on profitability, revenue growth, cost reduction, and financial sustainability.

·       Employee and Development Goals: Aims to improve workforce skills, employee satisfaction, and leadership development.

·       Social and Environmental Goals: Address corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and ethical business practices.

Is it the mission statement?

No.  Short answer, basically no.  Long answer, not really.

Is there a difference between mission statements and organisational goals?   Yes, and mostly it’s a question of public relations (PR); PR being what the company is happy to say to the world- the public, the market, competitors, employees, government and so forth. 

A mission statement is a broad, guiding statement that defines the company's purpose, values, and reason for existence. It reflects what the company does, who it serves, and how it operates. Unlike organizational goals, it is more philosophical and long-term, without specific measurable targets.  Building stronger communities through innovation-  yadda yadda.

Organisational goals are specific objectives that a company sets to guide its operations and measure success. They can be short-term or long-term and focus on different areas such as growth, profitability, employee development, and sustainability.  For example, a tech company’s goal could be to diversify into a new market, with X revenue within two years.

How to figure it out

I can’t do this for you- your organisation might be a private security firm, a food and beverage wholesaler, a not-for-profit, shelter for the homeless- too different to generalise.  But here are some questions that give you insight into what’s going on without someone telling you.

“Hang on that’s a bit sneaky-why do I need to know what I’m not being told?”  Good question.  We know better than most that internal communication needs to be 100% before it can go out- management doesn’t communicate where there is uncertainty- whether it is how things are going, or what we are trying to do because they don’t know it’s going to work (and good old fashioned reasons like it’s secret). 

But for personal development, progression and potential opportunism, it’s good to know what is in the works.

·       What’s important right now?  If you’re new, this is hard to tell.  But if you’ve been around, what’s a new focus?  What is the buzz about, and what is the benefit of that buzz?   This could be a source of new business, OR it might be a ticket to the game for other new business. 

·       Who have you seen around?  Visitors will turn up from time to time- who are they, where are they from, and why are they being given access?  For example, if your competitors are coming through- maybe someone is buying someone else.

·       What does your boss care about after a meeting with their boss?  This is particularly important if your boss doesn’t report to another person in your field- If your boss reports to the CEO, or your boss is the CEO who reports to a board or an owner.  This gives you are strong idea of what other people are planning, and in addition, it give you an idea of what these plans mean for HR.

·       Where do you think the next healthy chunk of cash is going to come from?  This is something that applies to both profit and not-for-profit companies; every organisation needs money to run, so money coming in is critical, and not every revenue stream can be relied upon.  Not even government departments can be certain, so need to keep looking for new ways they can justify that cash inflow.  So in addition to how your organisation gets its money today, what might they do tomorrow to get more?