Goal Setting

Why is it important to set goals?

While a mission statement serves to communicate the purpose of a group, goals provide the direction and focus necessary to fulfill the bigger purpose.

Setting a goal does not necessarily mean striving for something colossus; simple goals are no less important than big ones. A group may need to start small and only hold social activities for some time. That is not only ok but is also encouraged. Keep in mind that getting everyone in the group comfortable with each other is a crucial goal. For the group to be fully effective, each member should be willing to share their thoughts, ideas, and experiences. These can take time.  

The work that it takes to sustain a thriving and inclusive culture will be an ongoing journey, so take time to remind each other to enjoy all the steps leading to the goal. All of the creative thinking, the action, the collaboration - these rewards are worthy of celebration.

How should ERG Leaders Identify Goals?

Discuss goals with members

Employee resource groups should be employee-led and employee-focused. This means that the group's goals should be crafted around the wants and needs of the demographic that the group serves.

Leaders should discuss and seek to understand the needs of the group members.

Work with executive sponsors to tie ERG goals to company goals and values

One way to demonstrate your Group's impact is to align your employee resource group's goals with that of the company. This is the purpose of the executive sponsor leadership role: to provide the ERG's leaders with access to the company leadership team.

Look for ways to align the ERG's goals with other company objectives. Work with the group's executive sponsor to help the group align with the business. This also helps promote the ERGs, and DEI as a whole, as a core part of the company culture because it gives top-down support.

Setting goals using the 4Cs

The 4Cs are a framework that lay out four main areas that ERGs can reference when thinking about the impact of their efforts. Dr. Robert Rodriguez of DRR Advisors created this model in order to benchmark ERG's success and goals. By making use of tools such as the 4C model, ERG leaders can fine-tune their approach and focus on areas challenging organizations today in a way that creates measurable value — value they can proudly and confidently communicate and receive credit for these vital contributions to organizational effectiveness. Below are the 4Cs and some pointers on how to think about them as you create ERG goals and efforts.

Career - making an impact on the careers of ERG members

Groups should focus on advancing the careers of the people that the group looks to serve within Fleet Feet. The best way to do this is for leaders to talk with their members and figure out what kind of programming they want exposure to. Consider adding the following questions to the signup form for your ERG: What are you hoping to gain from joining our group? What are your career goals?

• Does this effort contribute to the career advancement or professional development of ERG members or others?

Culture - raising awareness of social and cultural issues

One of the primary reasons that people from underrepresented groups need the support of ERGs is that there are often social, cultural, or economic forces that keep these people from achieving their goals. It’s likely that "in-group" members are already aware of these forces, so the ERG needs to focus on raising awareness for employees who don’t identify with the group. 

• How does this effort strengthen cultural competence or understanding within Fleet Feet? 

Community - benefitting the communities served

The community pillar of an ERG is where the group can create goals that have an external focus. These goals could center around community service or partnerships with organizations whose core values align with Fleet Feet. 

• How does this support the group's mission and align with Fleet Feet's mission?

Commerce - making a business impact 

Although none of the 4 C’s is more important than the other, remember, at their best, ERGs are business resources. If an ERG can support the company’s core business functions, the visibility of the ERG throughout the organization is higher. 

• How does this effort contribute to the company’s business outcomes?

Goal Setting Checklist

Alignment

Align the goal with Fleet Feet's mission and values.

• How does the goal align with the ERG’s mission? 

• Does it align with Fleet Feet's core values?

• Does it align with one or more of the 4Cs?

Answering "yes" to all of the above and being able to explain the "why" can help create clarity and increase buy-in with participants.

Stakeholders

Determine who will be affected

• Are there specific champions leading this goal? 

• Are there ERG members who want to be actively involved in planning events and activities?

• How is the Executive Sponsor involved? 

• Are there teams within Fleet Feet that should be collaborated with (Marketing, HR, Operations)?

• Are there external groups that will be involved (external ERGs, community partners, guest speakers)?

Determining who will see the goal through to success is critical to making sure it doesn’t fall to the wayside. Assigning clear leaders of the specific goal and empowering them with the tools they need for success is key.

Timeline

Establish your Timeline 

• Is this a quarterly goal? A yearly goal? 

• Can it be broken down into different phases and tracked against separate timelines?

• What’s a conservative estimate and an ambitious estimate?

The answers to these questions give the group a way to assign realistic tasks within the goal, track against past success and provide examples for future success/room for improvement. 

Outcomes

Showcase successes and examine how to improve

• Once the goal is completed, how will the group report success? This can be both qualitative and quantitative. 

• For quantitative results, are there concrete metrics you can point to (member participation - ERG active members / ERG total members x 100, # of hires from recruiting events, number of promotions of members)?

• For qualitative success, are you recording surveys or asking for feedback?

• How are you internally messaging success and getting the word about events past and present?

• Are you holding post-event retros and keeping record of successes and areas for improvement?

Metrics are an important aspect of analyzing a business's performance - revenue, sales growth, employee retention are just a few of them. But many performance indicators do not neatly align with a specific metric, and should not be artificially forced to fit into a measurement model. Be mindful of the measurement tools the group uses to report success. When using a quantitative metric, ask what story the number is telling.