This week has been so hectic, I am so happy it is the weekend again. To be honest, what would we do without weekends? Some people are in jobs that don’t have weekends, meaning they work with the same intensity throughout the week. I feel for you because, after most weeks, people are so grateful for the weekend. There actually was a time when there were no weekends. The weekend was a human resource victory. More about that later.
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In the last article, we were talking about Performance Appraisals and about how it starts with setting well thought out goals, today we will look at how to set goals.
Goals help both employer and employee focus, with the efficient use of resources, it helps to accomplish more. Goals serve as communication tools to convey what needs to get done and enhance mutual understanding. it increases the likelihood that the desired results will be achieved. Goals challenge and stretch employees to be better.
Goal setting fosters alignment within groups and among co-workers. It helps Identify resources and collaboration needed to accomplish work and finally, they clarify how work is accomplished – the behaviours we use to achieve goals-.
There are two types of goals to be set. Job performance goals which focus on what needs to be accomplished during the year including specific tasks, projects, or outcomes and professional development goals which focus on how the work will get done by the acquisition of skills, competencies and knowledge.
Over the years, people have come up with an acronym of how to recognise a good goal which has been properly crafted. it is referred to as a SMART goal.
SMART:
S stands for Specific; the question to answer here is, what is the outcome expected? Clearly state the outcome of what is to be accomplished. This plainly means stating what you want to achieve.
M stands for Measurable; how will goal achievement be evaluated? You will need to provide the metrics to indicate the level of completion. This is important because if you can’t track it, how will you know it has been achieved or that it will be achieved within the expected period. What you don’t measure you can’t manage.
Measurable Goals equal the evidence of progress. The goal must state to increase, to provide, to improve, to save, etc.
If a goal can’t be clearly measured, then describe clearly what successful completion of the goal will look like. For example, what the current state is and what the desired state is. How it will be evaluated. What specific results and behaviours indicate success and how you intend to evaluate performance against this goal?
A stands for Attainable; what will it take to achieve the goal? Discuss indicators, activities and resources that will contribute to successful performance.
R stands for Result-oriented; does the goal focus on the right results? Describe the desired changes, improvements or output. In goal setting, there has to be a lot of description so that everybody understands what the expectations are and what the outcomes will look like.
T stands for Time; identify the target dates and milestones for completion. This has to be done realistically with all parameters taken into consideration.
Example: This year’s Job Performance Goals in Finance
Improve the monthly financial reports that are delivered to the management committee, add comments to fields so the data is easier to understand – Ongoing
Create a tracking system that will identify deficits and discrepancies in our accounts – March
Generate financial reports and documents to support portfolio spending – Ongoing
Assist with grant proposals by collecting data, proofreading and delivering the proposal according to deadlines – Ongoing
Prepare payroll documentation for the department when necessary including new hires, additional payments, and personal data change forms – Ongoing
In the appraisal goal setting form, personal development goals must also be taken into consideration. lack of personal development goals will hinder the achievement of performance goals, The supervisors need to work closely with staff to set both performance and development goals.
In achieving developmental goals, there are some important questions to be asked;
What key skills and knowledge do you need to develop, in order to meet expectations and be more effective in your current or future roles?
What would make work even more satisfying for you?
Supervisor and staff need to discuss and identify a few specific development goals, and list activities that will foster learning, consider different approaches to learning: on-the-job assignments, mentoring / peer coaching, and training or coursework.
The example;
Increase editorial skills and knowledge of departmental accounting systems.
Attend two GAD training: “Proofing and Editing” and “Chart of Accounts Training” – March
Explore interests in a future financial management role. Identify stretch tasks to expand skills and test abilities in a broader job role. Ongoing
Work closely with the Senior Manager Finance to learn more about her role and determine what might come off her workload to serve as a development opportunity – Ongoing, with formal check-ins at calendar year-end and in April.
Strengthen teamwork and collaboration skills. Ongoing
Seek feedback from supervisor and fellow team members to design the new tracking system – October
The above are examples I pulled from a Harvard Human Resources goal setting sample. What is clear is that the goal setting is deliberate and properly done, It can’t be a cut and paste matter. Goals are intertwined with the job descriptions, career path and succession planning.
