Achieving Goals_ Define and Surpass Your High Performance Goals - Kathleen Schienle [16]
Don’t allow individuals to set vague goals that are too unstructured to achieve.
Do encourage employees to drop activities that conflict with their goals.
Do remind employees to work on achieving their goals every day.
Don’t let employees slack off; keep them focused.
Do help employees get the resources they need to meet their goals.
“Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.”
—Conrad Hilton,
founder of the Hilton Hotel chain
(1887–1979)
To create action plans, first meet with your staff and ask all employees to write down all the steps they must take to reach each goal by its deadline. Break down that list of steps into actions to be taken today, this week, this month, and in the coming months. This kind of incremental plan makes goals feel more immediate, more realistic, and more achievable.
Self-Assessment Quiz
THE GOAL-SETTING CYCLE
Read each of the following statements and indicate whether you agree or disagree. Then check your score at the end.
Competencies and performance goals are two different things.
• Agree • Disagree
I need to get my people to stop depending on my instructions.
• Agree • Disagree
Part of my mission as a manager is to train and develop people to replace me.
• Agree • Disagree
Empathy, self-awareness, supportiveness, self-control, and independence are good traits in my staff, and I should help develop them.
• Agree • Disagree
Managing goals and communication go hand in hand.
• Agree • Disagree
My reluctance to write things down is probably a drawback when it comes to goal-setting.
• Agree • Disagree
Personal development goals aren’t usually a factor in performance evaluations but progress toward them can affect the overall evaluation.
• Agree • Disagree
A worker should focus on only one or two big goals at a time.
• Agree • Disagree
My team’s core competencies are the same as those of other departments in my organization.
• Agree • Disagree
It’s okay to let a couple of team members go off to work on another group’s project, even if it means that they are not focusing on their goals.
• Agree • Disagree
Scoring
Give yourself 1 point for every question you answered “Agree” and 0 points for every question you answered “Disagree.”
Analysis
8–10
You’re in great shape to lead your team through the goal-setting cycle.
5–7
You could use some help in honing both your goal-setting and goal-management skills.
0–4
You need to re-examine how your performance management affects corporate goals.
Help employees identify possible obstacles to accomplishing their goals and then develop action steps to avoid them. Always encourage your staff to face their fears. If your employees lack the skills to reach certain goals, build training into their action plan. Schedule some confidence-boosting, skill-building training courses and workshops, or arrange to have employees talk to experts or mentor with more knowledgeable colleagues.
POWER POINTS
TIME TO ADJUST YOUR GOALS
Change happens—and when it does, you need to modify your and your employees’ goals accordingly. Some situations that might require you to revise goals and their corresponding action plans include:
Changes in your company’s industry or in the overall economy.
Changes to your organization’s business strategy and goals.
Changes to your team’s role or resources.
Reorganizations in your business unit or department.
An employee’s acquisition of a new skill, immediately useful to the team.
The early completion of a goal.
“You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically—to say ‘no’ to other things. And the way to do that is by having a bigger ‘yes’ burning inside.”
—Stephen Covey,
author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Make sure they take stock of the resources