Four Strategies to Goal Setting for the Year Ahead
Around this time of year, employees sit with their managers to set goals for the following year. This task can be daunting for some employees if the process feels rigid and formal, especially if they do not have a slight idea of where to begin and what goals they should set up.
During this time, I believe managers have an excellent opportunity to discuss roles and responsibilities overall, what worked well, what didn’t, what support, resources or training is needed to move forward for the following year that might support the alignment with the objectives of the department/organization. Perhaps an opportunity for a productivity tool that might help the performance outcome of a project team or the department’s output overall. The ideas mentioned above can be a great starting point for goals setting discussion. It will provide a more in-depth focus on goal setting, which might shed some light on new employee interests.
Given the above knowledge, how best can managers help their teams to formulate goals with thoughtfulness and encourage ways to help them achieve these goals? Consider the following key points as suggested strategies:
It has to be personal – When employees list goals that are meaningful and fulfilling to them, the possibility of sustaining and following through on these goals is high and will reap excellent results.
Making the time to sit and brainstorm with the employee is the key to finding out what his/her interest and motivations are, as well as what projects or tasks they enjoy doing, and what they would like to do more of at work? This just may be the best starting point to identify the right goals around their interests.
Partner up with your employee to help him/her tweak their goals or objectives. Doing so definitely goes a long way to provide a sense of belonging to the team while also fostering goodwill.
Consistently supporting your employees– providing ongoing support is essential to foster engagement, to show seriousness toward one’s goals. If you can’t ‘walk the talk,’ you will discourage the employee from adopting or believing the goal targets as achievable.
Management needs to help turn aspirations into real achievements. Creating a professional development budget for each individual is one example to use toward future educational objectives or membership. Giving employees the tools necessary to meet or exceed the objectives creates the expectation of a serious commitment to the results and shows that the manager’s interest in their employee’s professional development. This is simply setting the tone for creating an environment for learning, excelling, and leveling up.
As a result, this benefits the organization overall, showing interest and investment in developing their workforce; thus, creating a culture that inspires learning, fosters possibilities, and loyal employees. In order to set the initial goals and see them through, employees will need frequent and ongoing feedback. This will involve conversation/coaching with their managers and open communication all year round with no surprises.
Fear is not an option – Due to inherent fear, some employees might submit a lower-than-normal bar when it comes to goal setting. Your objective here is not to admonish their goals or chastise them for setting them. Find out why by exploring and asking questions to understand their views and discovering the reasons behind the why:
· The employee may already feel overwhelmed with the workload and is reluctant to take more on their plate.
· Accomplishment affects an employee’s performance review: therefore, they may want to see that any goals tied to performance can be easily met.
· Some high performers actually don’t respond positively to a workshop approach with a focus only on winning the ultimate prize. They don’t think with a goal-only related mindset as the overall experience of the journey may be more captivating than the destination itself. These individuals might prefer subjective and descriptive outcomes rather than cold ‘at-a-distance’ objective goals. It’s best to let these types of employees describe what they consider to be a successful outcome, especially focused on what way would work best to achieve the goals.
It is not enough to say; you must also do – Let your team know that you will also be creating goals as well. You might even wish to mention a few from your own list. When you demonstrate openly that you also follow the direction you expect from your team, you will build trust. That trust will be kept throughout the year as you will occasionally update your team on goal success or objectives to their fulfillment. You are now showing goal setting as a normal way of life in the company and that the approach should evoke a sense of respect and appreciation rather than dread.
In summary, by turning goal-setting into an informal and engaging process, you might be surprised at what you could find that motivates and inspires an individual to leap into action with passion, commitment, and renewed energy; when you help them to connect the goals with their sense of purpose, beliefs, and align them with the individual’s core value system. It takes a servant leader to draw out the kind of fire and direction within an individual, leaving behind hidden personal agendas and egos in check, focusing solely on the employee’s success, igniting and injecting a higher morale culture approach.
