The thick folds of the prefrontal cortex are a hotbed for decision-making and self-perception. When you set an autonomous goal, the negative feedback mechanisms in your ventromedial prefrontal cortex are dulled, creating a surge of internal motivation.
Engineering managers might take note: Leadership can harness this neurological spark to further company goals, too.
At Peloton, for instance, Vice President of Engineering, Digital and Partnership Matt Skavenski channels the individual ambitions of his team members into the company’s larger mission by engaging each person in the goal-setting process.
“We recently settled on some concrete growth and engagement goals, brought everyone in to brainstorm ideas and built a roadmap to get there,” Skavenski told Built In New York. “By involving everyone in the process, we’ve built something that has buy-in and high ownership.”
At software purchasing platform Tropic, Vice President of Engineering Nathan Verni agreed: “Goal setting should be an honest, collaborative process, where team members come away from the process feeling challenged and supported.”
But keeping individual and company goals in sync doesn’t end after the meeting has wrapped. “As managers, we have a longer view of the roadmap,” said Padmini Pyapali, engineering manager at Uniswap Labs. “We’re able to spot those individual opportunities.”
It’s important work, because to miss these unifying opportunities is to risk a reduction in efficiency. “Misalignment will act like an anchor slowing movement,” warned nate Director of Engineering Damien Hampton. “The net result is a company full of people all pulling in different directions.”
That’s why finding the intersection between collective and independent initiative makes magic happen, said Peloton’s Skavenski. “Aside from the natural benefits like happier people, lower attrition and that great feeling that comes along with helping to progress someone’s career — you end up with a higher quality product as a result. There is mutual interest in achieving success that goes well beyond just financial interest.”
When individual dreams are tied to the fabric of company goals, it’s easier for managers to keep the motivational neurons firing among their reports. Through collaborative planning and mentorship, engineering leaders have the opportunity to sustain inspiration — and spark symbiotic growth that serves both the employee and the organization.
Peloton is a global interactive fitness platform that serves a community of more than seven million members in the US, UK, Canada, Germany and Australia. Peloton aims to make fitness approachable, effective and convenient. For Vice President of Engineering, Digital and Partnership Matt Skavenski, creating alignment between collective and individual employee goals is an ongoing process. “I’ve found that it also really helps to connect team members’ passions to broader initiatives with regular check-ins and workshops,” he said. Skavenski recommends formalizing goals using concrete terms and reviewing them with the employee multiple times per year.
In your experience, what are the best ways to create and maintain alignment between an individuals’ goals and the broader goals of the company?
We’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about what we’re trying to accomplish in the next year and defining what success looks like. One of those things is really driving additional use of our iOS, Android and other mobile apps — which offer up content to people who don’t necessarily have our hardware.
We recently settled on growth and engagement goals for our apps and brought everyone in to organically source ideas.
Have explicit conversations about how your team members are looking to grow and then map that to open opportunities.”
How can managers get more proactive about avoiding misalignment between individual and company goals?
People change perspective all the time, particularly in high innovation and high growth spaces. I find very few people have the same personal goals for themselves at the beginning and end of the year because they probably accomplished a few of them along the way: learned a new technology, delivered a cool product, tried out management.
You can be proactive by realizing when the game changes, and ensuring you use that opportunity to check in with your people and update that alignment. It’s best to have explicit conversations about how your team members are looking to grow and then map that to open opportunities. As a manager, it’s your job to make that connection.
Tropic provides an intelligent software purchasing platform built for modern companies. The company aims to save tech-forward companies time and money by delivering data, tools and services to automate software procurement. Asked about how to earn individual buy-in and trust, VP of Engineering Nathan Verni spoke to the value of flexibility. “It’s ok to change goals: In a fast-paced setting, priorities can and do shift,” he told Built In New York.
What are the best ways to create and maintain alignment between an individuals’ goals and the broader goals of the company?
The best way is to connect the work we are doing as an engineering team directly to the objectives of the business — and to find a specific role in that mission for each team member.
Some team members might be looking to level up certain technical skills while others might be looking for opportunities to lead. A good engineering manager can identify the areas their team members are looking to grow in and present opportunities to achieve growth in service of the company’s goals.
How can managers get more proactive about avoiding misalignment between individual and company goals?
Goal setting should be a collaborative process rather than a top-down assignment.
The next step is to regularly check in on the progress. At Tropic, we use software to track company, department and individual goals. Each individual’s goal relates to a department goal, which in turn relates to a company goal. Because we use this software for our weekly one-on-ones, these goals are always front and center.
Releasing something into the wild and getting positive feedback from actual customers is one of the most rewarding parts of working at a SaaS company.”
Why is it important to ensure individual and company goals remain aligned?
In my experience, the biggest source of burnout on engineering teams is when an inordinate amount of work is put into a project that is ultimately not something that moves the needle for the business.
When the company, team and individual goals are misaligned, team members can feel like the work they are doing is not appreciated. As engineers, we enjoy solving hard problems and can get excited about the technical implementation.
Ultimately, we want people to use the things we are building. Releasing something into the wild and getting positive feedback from actual customers is one of the most rewarding parts of working at a SaaS company.
Uniswap Labs is a startup created to build a stronger future for decentralized finance. When it comes to creating alignment, Engineering Manager Padmini Pyapali, strategizes at the micro level. “It’s helpful for managers to understand the personal goals of each individual,” she said. “Then create a path from the company goals to an individual’s daily tasks.”
In your experience, what are the best ways to create and maintain alignment between an individuals’ goals and the broader goals of the company?
Managers can create the bridge between an individual’s personal goals and the company goals by looking for opportunities for the individual to create impact and get them to the next level.
At Uniswap Labs, we take time to ensure all employees understand the company goals. When everyone is on the same page, we find our team feels more empowered to come up with ideas on their own that create impact towards their own and company goals. When our employees understand and believe in the company goals, they’re able to better forge their own path in creating impact for the company.
How can managers get more proactive about avoiding misalignment between individual and company goals?
Managers should ensure that the company goals are transparent and visible. They should also create a safe container for members of their team to question why something needs to be done.
At Labs, we have a strong culture of transparency and feedback on every level. This not only leads to better understanding of company objectives, but encourages the whole team to feel empowered to come up with new, creative ways to achieve both the company’s goals and their own goals.
Managers should also take the time to check in with their reports and understand what their personal goals are.
With goal alignment, our work has greater meaning.”
Why is it important to ensure individual and company goals remain aligned?
Company goals — when they’re transparent and regularly communicated — provide us with opportunities to be challenged and feel inspired. With goal alignment, our work has greater meaning. It becomes our connection to the company’s mission and our means towards significant personal growth. Teammates and managers may change, but the mission remains the north star.
nate is a fintech company that has designed a mobile app that allows customers to consolidate all online shopping into a single private interface. Damien Hampton, director of engineering, believes less is more when it comes to developing company goals. “Company goals should ideally be clear and simple,” Hapton said. “We don’t want to present a confusing set of goals that make it hard for teams and individuals to understand how they can add value.”
In your experience, what are the best ways to create and maintain alignment between an individuals’ goals and the broader goals of the company?
Assuming the company goals are clear and simple, it’s likely they will cascade down to teams and individuals. Teams should also have clear goals that are easy to trace from the company goals.
When company and team goals are simple and well-aligned, individuals are set up to understand and identify how they can meaningfully contribute within the given timeframe.
How can managers get more proactive about avoiding misalignment between individual and company goals?
This is tough. Managers can manage up and down. Managing up, they can make it clear when company goals are not easily understood and help company leadership to define goals that will be easily understood.
Managing down, they can help to provide missing context and ensure that the teams and individuals start on the right track. They can also support alignment in recruitment.
Regular team and individual check-ins help to ensure that people stay on track. Managers play the role of the oil in the engine, keeping things running smoothly.
If goals are not communicated effectively, then individuals may misunderstand the goals or substitute company goals with their own well-intentioned priorities.”
Why is it important to ensure individual and company goals remain aligned?
Individuals all contribute effort towards the company’s purpose. If goals are not communicated effectively, then individuals may misunderstand the goals or substitute company goals with their own well-intentioned priorities.
If these forces are in opposition, the effects might be noticeable — but if the forces are vaguely in the same direction then it might not be so obvious and value delivery will suffer, unnoticed.
Conversely, if the company sets a clear direction and teams are aligned, then we will have everyone pulling in the same direction. It will be like a tug-of-war team all pulling in the same direction and at the same time, maximizing efficiency and effectiveness.
