A supervisor can not only encourage development in employee performance by creating quantifiable and attainable goals but also actively help grow the firm and increase its reputation as an employer of choice when you set measurable and attainable goals.
Any manager’s responsibility for defining employee goals is critical. A supervisor can assist grow the company and increasing its reputation as the employer of choice by setting realistic and attainable goals.
Other advantages of target setting at work include:
- Aligning employees’ efforts with the company’s overall short- and long-term objectives
- Creating standards and criteria for reviewing performance successfully by an employee.
- Increasing employee commitment
Here are some things to think about while target setting at work that can help you achieve these possible rewards.
- Establish goals that are in line with the company’s objectives.
The objectives of each employee should be aligned with the overall growth strategy of the company. Employees are solely focused and driven to achieve goals that benefit both the company and themselves when they understand how their specific roles and responsibilities fit into the wider picture. Employees can be kept motivated in their job by expressing strategic business goals on a frequent basis.
- Ask employees to come up with job-specific objectives.
Managers may have certain goals made up for each employee, but asking employees to establish goals that are specific to their position and significant to them will often provide interesting responses. There’s a considerable difference between forcing goals on staff and motivating them to come up with their own ideas. A manager can engage with employees to establish action plans to achieve their stated goals if they correspond with corporate objectives.
- Establish SMART objectives.
Employees may be unsure of how to set work goals that they can actually achieve. They may have formed ambiguous or poorly crafted goals in the past, which made them feel intimidated and set them up for failure in accomplishing their goals. Instead, using the SMART framework, properly prepared, clear, and trackable goals can help describe the steps needed to achieve a goal. Each component of the SMART framework, as shown below, works together to establish limits, define next steps, identify required resources, and provide progress indicators. When dealing with employees, consider using the SMART goal framework to help them lay a solid basis for success.
Specific
Make your objectives very clear and straightforward as possible. As you meet an employee for the first time and want to know about a goal they want to achieve, their response may be ambiguous. However, the more explicit the employee’s intended goal, the more you may assist them in understanding the procedures required to attain it.
Measurable
The SMART framework’s measurable section lays forth specific criteria for signaling benefit toward a goal. It keeps staff on track, considers them accountable, and adds encouragement by quantifying how near they are to attaining a goal.
Achievable
A well-defined objective is one that an employee can achieve realistically while simultaneously stretching them in their current work and making them feel challenged. Consider any limits that may prevent the employee from achieving the goal during this stage of goal-setting.
Relevant
A goal should not only be aligned with other objectives, but it should also be beneficial to the employee. They should be able to clearly identify the benefits of pursuing the objective, comprehend how and why the goal is vital to the company, and assist in reinforcing how their job fits into the larger picture.
Rewarding employees after they have achieved their goals is also a way to encourage them to work better. So target setting can prove beneficial in many ways for the workplace.