Goal Setting

As a manager you are responsible for developing your employees and helping them strive towards reaching their full potential.  A major part of this development process is goal setting.  When goal setting their are several models that you can use to ensure that the goals are practical for your employees growth.  In this blog I will talk about the acronym S.M.A.R.T., which, is a simple and effective way to approach goal setting.  You can use this method in the following way:

Specific- Goals need to be specific.  Establishing specific development goals can be hard but think of the desired behavior and how it can be measured.  I find setting ranges rather than specific targets because a employee may fall just short of a specific target and view it as a failure.  However, by setting reasonable ranges you can ensure the employee builds confidence and succeeds when they attain it.  For example, you you want an employee to meet a specific sales target of 8% you can set a range of 6-12% is their goal.  

Measurable- If your employees goals are not measurable it can cause disagreements and resentment come performance review time.  Setting a general goal of "increasing sales" will not be very motivating to the employee nor will it significantly support company objectives.  So ask yourself  "Can I measure how much or how little the employee met the stated personal objective?" If the answer is "no" than its time to start reviewing goals and setting new ones.  

Achievable- Goals need to be reasonable but challenging.  However, if unrealistic goals are set the employee will feel like they have been set up for failure and will unlikely try to achieve the desired outcomes.  This is where setting ranges can be helpful as they allow you flexibility in the goal where if they are slightly below the expected outcome the employee does not feel bad and get discouraged.  

Relevant- Goals need to support the company's/project's objective.  Ensuring both management and the employee are familiar with the business model will help with creating relevant goals. 

Time Framed- Setting goals with a reasonable time frame will provide clarity to the goal for the employee.  Setting a specific target date will help hold the employee accountable and provide a little positive pressure.  

Remember goals are important for employee growth.  Disregarding goals will only make your employees stagnant and will lead to a workplace culture of mediocre.

Good luck and get to it!