The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the world’s most prestigious, has a 13-year-long wait list for its weekend concert memberships. To command such high demand, the talent of the group is a given, and its synergy even more so. Rigorously selected from the Vienna State Opera, the individuals that comprise the orchestra represent the most skilled even among professionals. Part of the crowning achievement then, especially for the conductor, is rallying these high-flying artists into a symphonic singularity known the world over.
In the tech industry, engineering teams often function as a similar cohesive unit, pushing out products and code in collaborative unity. But to eschew individual expression in the name of efficiency can often lead to misalignment of goals, as disengaged employees find fewer reasons to adhere to company objectives.
“People make up businesses,” said Cinthia Assali, Gympass’s VP of product management. “Individual goals that are too far apart from company goals may lose potential impact due to a lack of motivation, miscommunication and fragmentation.” Before long, job dissatisfaction can spread and lead to burnout in a disengaged workforce.
Fortunately, tech companies that value alignment and employee well-being have found ways to avoid discord among staff motivations. For some, it falls on the leadership to set the course. “Companies change, goals shift and reorganizations occur,” said Assali. “Leaders must constantly readjust this equation, matching people with opportunities and expectations with potential.”
For others, it’s about giving their engineers reasons to own their role. In today’s post-pandemic work environment where remote teams can feel siloed, managers have to maintain better communication with their direct reports, whether through surveys or performance reviews. “When employees are empowered to own those goals and their outcomes, they have a direct impact on those company priorities, boosting their sense of pride and responsibility in their roles,” said Hardware Engineering Manager King Moy of Mason America.
To conduct an orchestra necessitates an understanding of its modular parts. After all, it only takes one misaligned player to throw the sound off. To see how tech companies complement both individual and group priorities, Built In Seattle sat down with two engineering managers that found success in harmonizing their team.
Gympass is a health and wellness company with an all-in-one subscription platform that offers an expansive selection of gyms, studios and apps for company employees. With a global team that spans 11 offices around the world, the company knows the importance of aligning its goals with the individual employees that make up such a large workforce. “Individual aspirations, in my experience, can help managers drive even larger changes, such as fostering an international relocation process or providing a more robust continuous learning program,” said VP of Product Management Cinthia Assali.
In your experience, what are the best ways to create and maintain alignment between an individuals’ goals, hopes or expectations and the broader goals of the company?
The first step is to hire wisely — hiring talent who are a good fit for the team and the company, and who will have room and opportunity to grow and make an impact. It may require a significant time investment, but the payoff is usually substantial.
Company objectives should be viewed as opportunities for growth and linked to individual aspirations. It is critical that the leadership fosters such an environment in which individuals understand their direct impact on the company’s growth as well as their own development and aspirations. Having the leadership communicate goals in a way that the teams can understand can help to create a more tangible link between goals. Tools such as OKRs and a well-structured performance evaluation would undoubtedly be beneficial.
Companies change, goals shift and reorganizations occur, and leaders must constantly readjust this equation, matching people with opportunities and expectations with potential.
The greatest regret a manager can have is losing talent for something on which they could have acted.”
How can managers get more proactive about ensuring misalignment between individual and company goals doesn’t develop?
Communication is the most important factor. Inquire about their ambitions, assess how their individual goals connect to company opportunities and collaborate to create a plan. Constant feedback and check-points will ensure that the plan is not forgotten or that nothing has changed, and adjustments will be made more quickly.
The fact that everyone’s expectations are clear is critical. Remember that not everyone feels comfortable immediately sharing their personal goals with managers, so be proactive and inquire. The greatest regret a manager can have is losing talent for something on which they could have acted.
We can’t always perfectly match those goals; some may be on track, while others may not be there yet. However, being open about it and truly invested in finding these opportunities within the company will help to straighten the relationship and avoid a surprise misalignment.
Why is it important to ensure individual and company goals remain aligned?
People make up businesses. Individual goals that are too far apart from company goals may lose potential impact due to a lack of motivation, miscommunication and fragmentation. Dissatisfaction with the company and the team may grow and spread, causing more damage than anticipated, affecting not only the company but also individual relationships and people’s careers.
A common group goal that is aligned with individual aspirations fosters motivation and empowerment while also motivating people to collaborate more effectively. People become owners of the process instead of feeling like a small piece in it when they recognize their own growth and contributions to a larger goal. Teams become more engaged, decision making occurs more quickly and horizontally, they become more autonomous and their impact grows.
Keeping track of this alignment allows managers to anticipate changes and ensure that teams are engaged with the company vision and invested in growing together. Employee engagement survey tools can help to gauge a team’s overall pulse, but managers’ investments in understanding individual goals are even more important.
Mason America is a software platform that helps clients develop and launch dedicated smart devices for business or government use. With a focus on end-to-end mobile infrastructure, Mason gives users the control necessary to build smart products that suit their purpose. For King Moy, the company’s hardware engineering manager, individual goals and ownership complement company vision and success. “When the entire company is aligned in this way, with every individual laser-focused on the company goals, you create a driving force for success,” he said.
In your experience, what are the best ways to create and maintain alignment between an individuals’ goals, hopes or expectations and the broader goals of the company?
Communication is key to adding value. As a manager, you must communicate regularly with your staff. Many organizations’ annual goals shift as their priorities change during the course of the year, so I prefer quarterly performance and goal reviews that keep both employee and manager aligned to the broader vision. Frequent performance reviews allow the team to touch base, ensure alignment and course-correct more often throughout the year. Creating opportunities for the report and manager to discuss performance in relation to plan reduces the likelihood of miscommunication. Too often have I seen staff fall short of goals, both their own and the company’s, simply because priorities have changed or resources have become unavailable. With regular communication between yourself and your reports, each of these situations is avoidable. Let’s commit to reviewing goals frequently and regularly to truly add value.
Success doesn’t occur spontaneously — it’s achieved through continuously working together as a team to meet our goals.”
How can managers get more proactive about ensuring misalignment between individual and company goals doesn’t develop?
Encourage your staff to own their goals. Make it clear via the goal setting and review process that your desired end result is individual ownership of those goals. A popular standard for goal-setting is ensuring they’re SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. If your employee’s goals are missing one or more of these key characteristics, misunderstanding or misalignment can occur. This is especially true in today’s post-Covid-19, remote hybrid work environment where staff do not always have daily face-to-face communications with their managers. When individual goals are aligned with company priorities, either through the SMART method or others, your employees become the owners of their goals.
Why is it important to ensure individual and company goals remain aligned?
We need to succeed as part of the stage crew. At Mason, we think of ourselves as the stage crew, the behind-the-scenes team that enables our company and customers to be their best. Success doesn’t occur spontaneously — it’s achieved through continuously working together as a team to meet our goals. From successful goal setting at the beginning of the year to company goal alignment with our reports, we all must work towards a productive outcome. And though the outcome is never guaranteed, we can guarantee that we’ll work towards achieving that goal together.
Employees with clear manager communication and support develop goals that align with company priorities. When employees are empowered to own those goals and their outcomes, they have a direct impact on those company priorities, boosting their sense of pride and responsibility in their roles.
