No Resolutions, Only Goals - And Why SMART Goals Matter.

Resolutions Are So Last Year

We’ve all heard it: “What resolutions are you making?” “What’s your plan for 2024?” Sometimes, it can be overwhelming. 

But as we come to the close of 2023, it’s time to start feeling those whispers of optimism and excitement. The new year is a fresh start, a clean slate, and every other cliché you can think of. 

Resolutions are our attempt to apply what we’ve learned from this year, envelop only (usually) the losses or misses, and vow to do better next year. Whether it’s your diet, your finances or your career goals, resolutions typically come from a place of lack, from something we didn’t accomplish or achieve. And resolutions usually come with a strict regimen or structure to knock the new ones off the list. When we set the bar so unattainably high (say, a night owl vowing to get up at 4 a.m. to go to the gym before work), we’re bound to fail, only fuelling the endless cycle of feeling bad about our misses, how we screwed it up, and how we MUST be better. 

Why do we do this to ourselves? What if we shifted our focus, just a little bit? 

What if we rethought “making resolutions” as an opportunity to “set goals”? Not only do we dispel this idea that we didn’t do enough in the past year (because - newsflash - you kicked butt this year!) but we also refocus our internal efforts on growing rather than changing. 

I find goals more attainable, more approachable. They’re things I can break down into smaller pieces and apply to my days, with the aims of a cumulative effect. Resolutions somehow expect results right away; goals know they require some time. 

So, How Do You Set Your Goals?

I’m sure you’ve heard of the SMART framework, but if you haven’t, it’s honestly a really great way to develop your goals. 

SMART is a handy mnemonic, standing for: 

• Specific

• Your goal(s) need to have an identifiable outcome, something that’s easy to understand.

• Measurable

• You’ve got to have a way to track your progress, so decide what data will be used and how you’ll track it. 

• Achievable

• Big, big goals are good, too, but you need some realistic, achievable ones, too. Even if you’re breaking those big goals down into smaller pieces, you need to be able to execute.

• Relevant

• Your goals have to mean something to you. If they aren’t relevant to what you want to achieve, then what’s the point? 

• Time-Bound

• Deadlines are good. They give us something to work against and to be accountable for. 

You want each of your goals, whatever they may be focusing on, to embody these five elements. Without all five, you’re setting the goals but missing the plan to reach them. By defining your goals with this method, sometimes you find other things you want to accomplish you hadn’t considered yet. It’s a great way to shimmy out of your comfort zone and truly grow in new, albeit sometimes uncomfortable, ways. 

But Now What? Follow Through! 

Write it down! Whether you’re a post-it note fan like me, or you want it on your desktop, write your overarching goals down and keep them visible. You’ll find it motivating, these colourful little reminders. 

Keep track of your progress. We’re all usually pretty good at this part, as it’s a way to see how far we’ve come and how far we’ve got left to go. The trick here is not to over-track. Some changes happen really slowly. While you may not see changes daily, if you back-off your check-ins, you’ll start to see the small micro-movements. 

Lastly, celebrate those wins. Whether it’s a treat to yourself, a celebration with your team, or just the subtle sense of satisfaction, don’t forget to celebrate. You’re doing the work, you’re getting to where you want to go. Hell yes, you should enjoy the fruits of your labour. 

From all of us here at Reimagine Work, we hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season. Go easy on yourself - regardless of what your season looks like, find some time to breathe, set a goal or two, and simply revel in how far you’ve come. 
We will see you in the new year! And if you have any questions or want to talk more about all things HR, you can reach us at connect@reimaginework.ca. (PS: Our offices will be closed December 22 to January 2.)

Strategic Planning and Succession Planning - These Aren’t Mutually Exclusive!

As the year draws to a close (wait, what?!), it’s natural to start turning to focus on the future opportunities of 2024 and talking about planning for the year ahead, in all the various forms this might take for your organization. Whether you’re a large organization or a small business, planning for success is truly the key to making it happen. 

“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.”
Alan Lakein, author

And when it comes to planning for success, Strategic Planning and Succession Planning are crucial to any business, believe it or not, and planning the company’s future isn’t mutually exclusive to planning individual career paths (including your own) within the company. 

Generally, strategic planning looks at who a company is, where they want to go, and how to set concrete targets or checkpoints to get there. Succession planning, on the other hand, refers to a company’s planning for its people and roles, whether that’s to fill an upcoming vacancy or to provide a roadmap for career growth (hint: this part is key to long-term retention). It’s the plan within the company’s strategic plan to ensure there aren’t any hiccups in service or business operations if and when someone leaves. (Think of adequate and proper coverage for parental leave - you want that transition to be as seamless as possible.) 

Strategic Plans - Your Map Through the Woods

Strategic planning is a crucial process for companies, regardless of size, to set clear priorities, allocate resources, and guide decision-making to achieve long-term goals and objectives.

Strategic planning is important even if you’re happy with the way business is going and don’t have ambitious plans to change your direction. Your strategy could be simply to find ways to be more efficient in what you already do. The planning process also lets your team brainstorm about coming changes that could affect your business and how to be ready for them.

In simple terms, there are generally five steps to mapping out your strategic plan: 

1. Identify your mission and vision

2. Conduct an environmental (SWOT) analysis 

3. Define goals and objectives

4. Plan implementation

5. Monitor & evaluate

Your mission defines your company’s purpose, its reason for existence, and the value it provides. Your vision describes what you want the company to be or achieve.

Your goals are broad, overarching statements that articulate what the company wants to achieve in the long term. Your objectives should be specific, measurable, and time-bound targets that contribute to reaching those goals.

Your strategies are the company’s plans or approaches designed to achieve the goals. Your tactics are the specific actions and steps taken to implement those strategies.

After setting the strategic direction, it’s time to implement your  beautiful plan. To do this, you’ll be developing  an action plan outlining how strategies will be executed and targets achieved. This involves assigning responsibilities and allocating resources effectively. 

Once the plan is in motion, monitor its progress and make adjustments as they’re needed (pivoting in a timely way is key here!). By establishing key performance indicators (KPIs), you can begin to measure progress (and success!) towards reaching your goals.

Succession Planning - But Where Does That Go? 

Succession planning should happen right in the middle of your strategic planning. If people are the heart of any business (or at least should be), it makes perfect sense that a proper succession plan is a big component of any strategic plan. So, how do you go about developing solid, robust succession plans? 

The University of Washington has a great overview of how they opt to tackle this project, but there are many ways you can go about it. This team breaks it down into three specific phases, with achievable, identifiable components. 

• Assessment phase

• Step 1: In tandem with your strategic plan, Identify any significant business challenges in the next 1–5 years.

• Step 2: Identify the must-have positions that will support business continuity.

• Step 3: Identify the competencies, skills, and company knowledge that are deemed to be must-have success factors.

• Evaluation phase

• Step 4: Take a look at your roster and identify your high-potential employees.

• Step 5: Isolate the competencies needed for individuals to be successful in positions and to meet those impending business challenges.

• Development phase

• Step 6: Start your exit surveys! Gather individuals’ knowledge before they depart the company. 

• Step 7: Develop a pool of talent, both internally and externally, to step into those critical positions.

So, Now What? 

We get it - this is some heavy, big-picture, in-depth, future-placed thinking to tackle. You know it’s vital to your company’s success, but it’s totally understandable to not know exactly where to start.  This is where Reimagine Work can help. This is our jam–helping companies see themselves in a future-focused mindframe and break down an   overwhelming project into smaller, easy-to-manage pieces. 

Ready to start thinking about the future and planning for your company’s continued success? Let’s talk. You can always reach us at connect@reimaginework.ca. 

We can’t wait to connect with you.

When Feedback Goes Right... (And How to Get It Right!)

I’m sure you’ve heard the term “feedback” tossed around a lot, especially from us folks in People & Culture. Gosh, do we love good feedback skills! But we also know that not everybody has the inherent knack (or comfort) when it comes to giving and receiving feedback gracefully.

When feedback goes right, though? It’s magnificent. 

So How Do You Do Feedback Right? 

Well, for starters, it is a process and it’s not something implemented overnight. It takes time, it takes trust, it takes follow-through. With regular candid feedback, high performers can become truly outstanding performers. 

With regular, consistent, quality feedback, you can: 

• Increase the speed and effectiveness of your team

• Create crystal-clear expectations

• Help your team learn from their mistakes and, more importantly, build their confidence, both in their skills and in their team!

In Kim Scott’s book Radical Candour, she explains how caring personally for the receiver of your feedback can improve the effectiveness of that feedback and your overall relationship with that person. Imagine the other person: how would you want to receive feedback?

Let me be clear: Radical Candour does not mean you have the right to give unfiltered, brutal honesty or to be unkind - it means Caring Personally and Challenging Directly. 

Here is an example (for someone you don’t have that established relationship yet): “You are extremely valuable to [Company Name], and even though we don’t know each other that well yet, I wanted to give you some feedback. Are you open to that?”

The Disconnect Between Managers and Their People

Feedback tends to flow easier from the top down rather than bottom up. Typically, managers are more prepared to give their directs feedback while directs rarely feel empowered to give their managers feedback.

This creates asymmetry in the feedback loop and can have effects like leadership being out of touch with reality, seemingly unexplained turnover, or other issues that “appear out of nowhere.” 

Managers can contribute to a candid, receptive feedback culture by:

• sharing the feedback you've received with your teams;

• proactively soliciting feedback from your directs and peers;

• practicing active listening when giving AND receiving feedback;

• responding positively and with gratitude when you receive feedback.

Bamboozled? We Can Help.

This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive how-to. We know that giving and receiving feedback is a skill that usually requires some fine-tuning. We can help you there. Whether you’re looking for some leadership coaching to become a better manager or you’re looking for your whole team to brush up on their feedback and communication skills, we’ve got workshops that can be tailored to exactly what you need. 

Plus, on November 17, we’re hosting a virtual learning session on “Feedback Done Right.” Click HERE to secure your spot today. 

Ready to send your team to the next level? Let's talk. You can catch us at connect@reimaginework.ca. 

Feedback vs. Coaching - Do You Know the Difference?

We’ve all been there, faced with the daunting prospect of meeting 1:1 with a co-worker, or a colleague, or an employee, or a consultant. Someone in our work realm that we need to have a direct conversation with. 

If you’re like me, sometimes it can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re tasked with giving critical feedback the recipient needs to hear. But sometimes those conversations are where the good stuff happens, where you can really drill down into the working relationship and both parties come out of it with a stronger, more empowered attitude. 

While all positive, constructive conversations are helpful, the biggest success element is knowing how and when to employ different tools. Understanding the difference between providing feedback and offering coaching and recognizing when different scenarios call for specific tools is key.

So, What Is The Difference?

The biggest difference is the scope of the conversation (or conversations). Offering feedback typically entails a one-time conversation intended to address a specific action or issue related to performance. Whether it is positive feedback (i.e. you really nailed that presentation!) or constructive feedback (i.e. your work was good, but…) the intention is to focus on a specific subject while remaining objective.

Coaching, on the other hand, is more broad and focused on individual capacity-building. Coaching is employed to help colleagues or team members build a plan, hone a skill, or develop a process. It is meant to happen over time, like building blocks, with regular check-ins and consistent progress. 

Another key difference is that feedback is generally focused on the past whereas coaching is much more focused on the future. When we give feedback, we’re talking about a past meeting, or a past interaction. When we’re coaching, we’re laying the groundwork for future success. 

 In short: coaching is meant to prepare, while feedback is meant to correct. We want to prepare with our coaching; we want to adjust with our feedback. 

Feedback vs. Coaching Best Practices

For feedback, you want to: 

• Be specific - isolate the exact situation or skill you are speaking about.

• Give feedback on the behaviour, not the person - this one can be tough, but you should stay objective and avoid language that could be perceived as an attack (i.e. “You’re always making mistakes.”) 

• Be aware of tone and body language - you want to stay open, honest and unbiased, so scan your voice, posture, and demeanour– keep your tone supportive and your body language neutral. 

For coaching, you want to: 

• Narrow in on a scope and set clear goals - this helps you design your time together to achieve the most. Where do you want to go? What do you want to accomplish? 

• Create an open and trusting environment - Coaching is about relationship-building, too. Successful coaching involves sharing openly about yourself and encouraging the person you’re coaching to do the same. It helps to keep this a two-way dialogue by asking for  feedback about your coach approach!

• Do what you say you’re going to do - this one goes both ways. Recap each session so both sides know they’re on the same page, then follow through on your part.

What Comes Next? 

One blog post won’t answer all of your questions about feedback or coaching or when to employ the right one with your team. The good news is that we can help you build an effective culture of continuous feedback and growth. 

On November 17, we’re hosting a virtual learning session centred on “Feedback Done Right.” Click HERE to reserve your spot today. 

Need something a bit more tailored? Whether you’re interested in booking a leadership coaching package or scheduling an Effective Feedback workshop with your team, Reimagine Work can help you maximize your conversations and help your team be the best that it can be. 

Ready to take your team to the next level? Let’s talk. Connect with us at connect@reimaginework.ca.

Are You Ready for Pay Transparency?

BC has taken a significant step to promote pay equity and combat systemic workplace discrimination with the introduction of the Pay Transparency Act. It's a game-changer for both employees and job seekers, offering them easy access to crucial data points during their job searches and shedding light on internal pay disparities.

As discussions on transparency and pay gain momentum globally and provincially, leaders should brace themselves for a growing interest in compensation discussions.

What does the Pay Transparency Act mean for employers?

BC employers will now:

• Be required to include wage information or salary ranges on all job postings.

• Refrain from asking about candidates' pay history.

Employers now also cannot discipline or dismiss an employee if they: 

• Ask their employer questions about their pay 

• Reveal what they’re paid to another employee or applicant

• Ask the employer about the pay transparency report

• Give information to the Director of Pay Transparency about their employer

Finally, employers are also mandated to prepare and publish pay transparency reports, addressing the gender pay gap. To facilitate a smooth transition, this requirement will be phased in:

• November 1, 2023: BC government and public-sector organizations (ex. BC Hydro, BC Housing, BC Transit, the Insurance Corp. of British Columbia, and WorkSafeBC)

• November 1, 2024: Employers with 1,000 or more employees

• November 1, 2025: Employers with 300 or more employees

• November 1, 2026: Employers with 50 or more employees

Regardless of your org’s size and when you will be officially required to publish pay transparency reports, the Pay Transparency Act is set to make significant waves in every workplace. In today's competitive landscape, even small businesses must proactively address pay transparency and tackle gender pay gap issues sooner rather than later.

As an employer, what’s the first step you need to take? 

Be ready for the tough questions from your team! This means understanding your duties under the Act and taking a critical look at your current internal pay philosophy, strategy, policies, procedures and practices. 

We recommend that every employer conduct a thorough internal pay audit to prepare for close scrutiny. This will allow you to identify any potential gender pay gaps or areas where you may need to adjust your total compensation practices to address inequities (and comply with the Act). 

Wondering how this new legislation will impact your organization? Unsure about where to begin with an internal pay audit? Reach out for a conversation with one of our experts today, we’re happy to help. 

PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio

How to Write YOUR Job Description - A Toolkit for Founders

As a business founder, owner, or C-Suite leader, you wear a lot of hats on a daily basis. With all that you’re juggling, drafting a solid job description for yourself is probably the last thing on your list. Not only is your role multifaceted and demanding, your responsibilities and skills are likely diverse and ever-evolving, making it hard to articulate exactly what it is you do in writing.

A well-written job description that captures your role’s accountabilities is a key asset that articulates your responsibilities accurately to potential investors and partners, serves as a personal guide for your ongoing activities, and guides effective decision-making and delegation. 

It’s also an essential step to take before adding to your leadership team, ensuring recruitment activities focus on the right people with the right skill sets to complement your existing team.

Write Your Job Description - Step by Step 

Step 1 - Pre-reflection: Before you start drafting your job description, complete the self-reflection prompts below to help you articulate your role and responsibilities as a founder clearly. By taking this time and engaging fully with the questions below, you'll gain a more nuanced understanding of your role and be better equipped to write a complete job description. 

Reflection Prompts:

• Day-to-Day Operations: What does a typical day look like for you? List all the tasks you find yourself engaged in.

• Strategic Priorities: What are the long-term strategic priorities for your company? How do your daily and weekly tasks serve these priorities?

• Skill Sets: What are the key skills you bring to your role as a founder? What are the skills you lack and might want to hire for?

• Delegation: What tasks are you currently handling that could be delegated to other team members? What roles would you ideally like to fill to lighten your own load?

• KPIs and Goals: What does success look like for you in your role as a founder? How would you measure it?

Step 2 - Feedback Loop: Before you move on to Step 2, share your reflections with a trusted advisor or peer to get their insights. They may point out gaps, identify changes to the status quo, or suggest clarifications that could be useful.

Step 3 - Draft the Job Description: Use the information from Step 1 and feedback from Step 2 to write your job description. Fill in the following information: 

Title 

Start with your title. This might be "Founder," "Co-Founder," "CEO," "Managing Director," or any other title that you feel encapsulates your role.

Reporting

State to whom you will report (if applicable, like a board of directors) and who will report to you (e.g., all department heads, CFO, COO, etc.).

Objective / Purpose

State the core objective of your role. Why does your role exist at a high level and what is your purpose? As a founder, this might include providing overall leadership, setting strategic direction, and accountability for the success of the company.

Key Responsibilities

List the main responsibilities of your role. This section can be broken down into big themes like strategic planning, team building, product development, financial management, or compliance and governance.

Skills and Qualifications

State what skills and qualifications are needed for your role. These might include degrees, certifications, competencies, experience, hard skills, or personal attributes.

Performance Metrics

List the key performance indicators (KPIs) by which your performance could be evaluated (think revenue growth, customer acquisition, employee retention, investor satisfaction, etc.)

Other

You might also want to include:

• Working conditions: Office-based, remote, or hybrid.

• Travel requirements: Whether or not travel is expected and how often.

• Term of Employment: Full-time, part-time, contract, etc.

Step 4 - Iteration and Final Feedback: Before you finalize your draft, sit on it for a few days and review again. Your perspective may change, or new ideas may occur to you. Once reviewed, share it with a trusted advisor or peer to get their insights. They may point out gaps or suggest clarifications that could be useful.

Creating a job description is necessary for efficient growth and scale up. It helps clarify thought processes and set clearer goals and boundaries for your founding team, contributing to more effective leadership.

If you’re struggling to articulate what you do clearly and a follow up chat would be helpful, we support our clients with JDs (and associated leadership recruitments) all the time! We’d be more than happy to help you with a rewrite, or share some strategies / approaches we've learned that may save you time and headaches!