7 tips for setting effective employee goals

If you’re a manager, you’ll know there’s a lot to juggle – including keeping tabs on what your team is achieving. Flying by the seat of your pants isn’t an option if you have KPIs in place, and know that your performance will be tracked and evaluated by those above you.

The solution? Setting effective employee goals for your team. It’s a key part of managing and motivating your employees. Here are 7 steps to ensure you can get it right

Step 1. Make sure your goals are SMART

Any goal-setting expert will tell you to focus on the SMART framework, which ensures the goals you set are Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Realistic and Time-Bound (SMART).

Setting SMART goals is especially important when there are different team members working on the goal or tasks related to it – as it helps to ensure the goals are clear, and that your team know what’s expected of them.

Step 2: Make sure your goals align with your company objectives

This step could come first, to be honest – because any goal you set needs to be aligned with the business objectives.

If your goal is vague, not defined or not in line with the company’s vision, you’ll confuse your employees and leave them feeling like they’re not sure of the direction to take. So always consider the bigger picture and chat to your superiors about the types of goals you should prioritise, before taking it to the team.

Step 3: Involve your team in the process

If you don’t involve your staff, they may not see the importance of the goals you’re setting or won’t be as committed.

Instead, call a meeting about company objectives and the goals you’re wanting to put in place, and ask employees for their opinions and suggestions. This will ensure the goals are relevant to their skills and interests, and that they’re more likely to get on board.

Step 4: Set priorities for your employees

For big goals that are well-defined and have lots of moving parts, it’s important to break them down into steps and allocate them to specific people in the team, so everyone knows what they’re doing.

Set priorities for your staff and allocate tasks based on your team’s strengths and weaknesses. Try not to get too gung-ho and set too many goals, or goals that are too complex or unrealistic – that’s a one-track ticket to burn-out.

Step 5: Keep track of your team’s progress

It’s no good to set big goals for your team and leave them to it – as the manager, the onus is on you to perform regular check-ins and take on feedback.

Plus, being across the process will help you to pinpoint any issues or delays that have cropped up , and address them before your goal gets derailed.

Step 6: Make changes when something’s not working

Changes in the economy, a team member leaving or a new one coming on, new tech innovations… all of these things might mean you have to evaluate the goals your employees are currently working on.

If a goal is currently stagnating, get the team together and discuss it – gathering your employees’ input is important, and you might get some valuable perspectives you hadn’t thought of in regards to moving forward.

Step 7: Celebrate achievements

Numerous studies show just how important it is to recognise the achievements of your team – in fact, one Gallup study found that employees who didn’t get adequate recognition were twice as likely to say that they’d quit in the next year.

So when it comes to goal-setting, build in milestones to celebrate along the way – it’ll help to keep your employees motivated and focussed on hitting targets and reaching that final destination.

Got a big goal on the go and need resources? Chat to our recruiters

We know how stressful it can be when you’re working on a big project, and suddenly require extra staff or contractors to plug the gaps.

Chat to us – we have our finger on the pulse in a range of industries across Australia and New Zealand, with an extensive database of talented candidates to introduce you to. Or head to our blog for more great content on employee management.