Welcome to Merge's Monthly Mega Minute - a bite-sized, yet substantial and practical, nugget of information that you can use immediately to enhance your professional and personal success.

Where are you going?

A man was traveling through the countryside and arrived at a fork in the road. There were no signposts, but he noticed an old man sitting at the side on a patch of grass.

“Excuse me, sir,” he said. “Where do each of these roads go?”
The old man looked up with rheumy eyes and asked, “Where do you want to go?”
“I don’t know,” was the response.
The old man replied, “Well, it doesn’t make any difference then. Take any road.”

This folklore story from my childhood rings familiar with this piece from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

“Cheshire cat: Where are you going?
Alice: Which way should I go?
Cheshire cat: That depends on where you are going.
Alice: I don’t know.
Cheshire cat: Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”

No matter which story you pick, the message is clear. It is important to set and articulate goals to achieve outcomes. Which is why establishing targets and monitoring progress is an essential leadership responsibility. So make it a point to do exactly that. Set targets, numeric or qualitative, and then check in regularly to see what sort of headway you and your team are making against those milestones. Be prepared to revise objectives as needed to acknowledge changing circumstances.

But it isn’t good enough to just give your staff destinations, you also need to get their buy-in for the journey. There is no use in setting objectives if your staff members aren’t on board. So, seek agreement on goals by involving your people in establishing targets in the first place. This doesn’t mean you cannot push them to stretch, you can; but if you want commitment to the final outcomes, you have to get them to be part of the process.

I’d love to know about your goal-setting practices, for yourself, and for your staff. Are you doing this? If no, why not? And if yes, is it working for you? I obviously believe that establishing targets and monitoring progress is very important, but I’m open to hearing otherwise. Please share your insights directly on the blog at www.turningmanagersintoleaders.com/blog.

11 Ways to be more engaging online in The Globe and Mail

Virtual, or at least hybrid work, will continue well into next year, and maybe even later. If you’re not sure that you’re engaging online, then Merge’s latest column in The Globe should help. Zoom gloom? Here are eleven ways to make your online events more engaging.

Turning Managers into Leaders

• Video: Leading a virtual team? Then prioritize as a team.If you're leading a virtual team, then you need their buy-in to make things happen. You get commitment when you prioritize as a team.
• Does the wisdom of Segal’s Law help or hinder decision making?The Law is humorously tongue-in-cheek, but it nevertheless offers an insight into how leaders can improve their decision making skills.
• Video: it’s important to establish common working hours for at least a fraction of the day.If you lead a virtual team, it’s important to establish common working hours for at least a fraction of the day.

That Merge can help you (and your people) become more engaging online?

Despite the rollout of vaccinations and the likelihood of a partial return to workplaces by September, virtual (or at least hybrid) work will continue well into next year, and maybe even later. Whether it is outreach presentations and workshops, in-house training, client/community consultations, or team meetings, the truth is that you’re likely still going to be delivering many of your work responsibilities from a distance. At the request of several of her clients, Merge has developed fun content-rich virtual training to help people become more engaging online. By learning, observing, and applying virtual facilitation best practices, you’ll be able to achieve your desired business results, even when you’re not face-to-face. Schedule a short 30-minute meeting with Merge to find out if this type of training can help you and your people.