Goal setting is an important tool for career development. Since it is so important, why do we shy away from setting goals? Or if we do set goals, do we provide input or contribute to setting our goals? Setting strong, measurable goals can be challenging but rewarding. Some things to keep in mind when setting goals:
One Size Does Not Fit All – Goals should be customized towards the employees role and contribution to the organization. Often companies set the same five goals for all their employees. Companies should have overall goals and objectives, but every employee does not perform the same job or level within the organization. The individual goals need to detail how the individual will contribute towards the overall company goals. For example, if the company has a goal of increasing sales, the employee can set detailed goals on what they plan to do in their work area to increase sales.
Set Performance and Developmental Goals – Typically, supervisors focus on performance goals where employees focus on developmental goals. Why not focus on both? Performance goals should focus on your performance and align with the group and/or company objectives. Developmental goals are set to increase the employees skill and level of knowledge.
S.M.A.R.T. Goal setting - An oldie but a goodie, is the S.M.A.R.T. goal setting process. This link to Goal Setting Guide has a detailed guide and best practices to set S.M.A.R.T. goals. Be precise when setting S.M.A.R.T. goals. Start with an action verb and given a detailed description of what you intend to do. S.M.A.R.T. stands for:
- S – Specific – Keep the goal specific and simple and provide enough detail so it is clear what the goal is .
- M – Measurable - The goal needs to be measurable.
- A – Attainable - Make sure the goals are achievable and attainable with the resources available.
- R – Realistic - Analyze whether or not the objective is attainable and realistic. It is better to set realistic goals and to be successful than to fail with unrealistic expectations.
- T – Timely - Set a time frame to meet the objectives to keep the employee on schedule.
The goal setting process should be a collaborative effort between the employee and their supervisor. Often the goal setting session is tucked in with the performance review and discussed for a few minutes. The goal setting discussion should be separate from the review discussion. The performance review should evaluate how the employee measured against last years goals and the goal setting discussion is planning your goals for the next year. After goals are set, the employee and manager should revisit them in six months to adjust if necessary. Goal setting discussions is not only good for career development, it is another tool to opens dialog between the employee and the manager.
Do you have any goal setting best practices to share?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m great at setting goals but horrible at setting ones that are attainable/realistic. I tell myself I’ll do these 100 things in the next month or two and then I rarely get through even a portion of the list.
Suggestions?
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Hey Chris,
This is a great post, goal setting is important for the development of our careers. I think that this information is great especially, the SMART acronym. It is important to set goals that are realistic or else we can get caught up in unattainable goals.
From my time at Rypple I have realized that having a goal setting system within your team is key and should be collaborative. Even if it is your personal goal, the whole team should be on board. If you have one big hairy audacious goal set for a year from now, set smaller goals that will lead to this in the future. And always re-visit the goals to make sure you are still on track. When you reach that goal, reward yourself or your team. Public recognition is an awesome way to show your appreciation of a colleague and the work he/she has done.
To make it easier to collaborate with your team, try a social networking system like Rypple. Make it easier to give public kudos, collaborate as a team, set up your actions and coming soon: set goals together. Check out http://rypple.com/ for more information.
I really enjoyed your post, excited to read more from you!