Types of Goals for Off-site Local Government Retreats

When you are holding an off-site local government retreat, it's important to determine what type of goals you want to focus on.   Outside of long-term strategic goals, below are examples of more operational goals that you may want to consider:

1. Operational Goals: These are goals related to the day-to-day operations of the local government, such as streamlining processes, increasing efficiency, and reducing costs.

2. Citizen Communication: These goals are related to increasing awareness of services, promoting new services or recognizing citizens or progress toward key initiatives.

3. Human Resources Goals: These goals are related to the management and development of the local government's employees. They can include improving employee engagement, reducing turnover, or implementing new training programs.

4. Innovation Goals: These goals are related to developing new products, services, or technologies to better serve citizens or others. They can include launching a new apps, or developing a new model for how to better engage other community stakeholders. 

5. Financial Goals: These goals are related to the local government's financial performance, such as increasing the reserves, reducing debt, or improving cash flow.

6. Cultural Goals: These goals are related to the local government's values and culture, such as promoting teamwork, fostering innovation, or building a positive company culture.

7. Environmental or Sustainability Goals: These goals are related to the local government's environmental impact, such as reducing carbon footprint, implementing green practices, or expanding the use of recycling by the community.

8. Employee Goals: These goals are focused on improving the employee experience, and can include things like increasing employee satisfaction, improving employee retention, or providing career development opportunities.

As you are probably well aware, the most important thing to consider when setting goals is to be crystal clear on what the outcome is, when it's due and who will do what (milestones).  

We like this as an effective goal template: 

"We will go from ____ to _____ by _____ (date).  

For example, "We will grow the number of people cross-trained in Public Works from 4 to 8 people by December 1, 2023."

We hope this blog has been helpful as you think about ways to maximize your retreats through effective goal setting.  Please let us know if we can help you plan or facilitate your next retreat.   Email us at [email protected] to connect.