In part 4 of this series on fostering a culture of candor, we turn our attention to benchmarks, goals and milestones. Is your team missing the mark? If so, you’re in a holding pattern and there’s little chance for success. If you have a great team (see part 3 in this series), but they aren’t accomplishing what’s necessary and expected of them, consider the following:

• Perhaps they are unaware of the goals.
• Maybe they know the goals, but have no idea how to get there.
• Or (hardest to acknowledge of all), there are no goals.

If our teams have no idea where they should be going, how can we expect them to come even remotely close? We can’t – until we bring immediate candor to the direction we want our organization to travel.

Align: Starting with the top leaders, set the milestones – the big-picture end-results to achieve in one year, and five or ten years. Get to a place where the entire leadership team is aligned on the direction of the company so there is a clear, consistent voice of navigation.

Communicate: Once the milestones – and the short-term goals and daily benchmarks essential to getting there – are firmly established, communicate, communicate, and communicate, again.  Set clear expectations for performance and achievement. Communicating frequently on goals and achievement spreads alignment across the breadth and depth of the organization.

Accountable: Ultimately, we must hold ourselves and each other accountable by supporting, coaching, and mentoring our people, our teams and therefore, our organizations to success. From interviews to training, meetings, and reviews, every conversation is an opportunity for a dialogue about expectations, goals and achievement.

In part 5, we’ll look at how candor builds brand loyalty among your employees and customers.