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Performance goal setting plays a role in everything from employee engagement to team alignment to retention. And helping your employees set goals not only helps them reach their full potential, it also helps you hit your organizational goals and objectives.
But what types of performance goals should you be helping your employees set? We’ve outlined some employee goal-setting examples that illustrate the best practices of setting meaningful goals, so you and your team members get goal-setting right.
List of performance goals and objectives for employees examples
Here, we outline some realistic personal and performance workplace goal examples to help inspire you for your next goal-setting session. With each example, we’ve outlined how they meet the SMART goal criteria.
I will increase my daily sales calls by 20% by the end of the month.
I will be in charge of producing the social media strategy for the next quarter
I will volunteer to run at least one team meeting before the end of the quarter.
I will watch three tutorials by the end of the week to learn how to enter contacts, manage correspondence, and run reports on our new CMS.
This week, I will reach out to one co-worker with a role I aspire to. From there, I’ll schedule a video one-on-one to learn more about their role within the company and how they contribute to the team and company’s success.
This quarter, I will schedule one hour every Friday afternoon to read a book on communication styles. When I read, I’ll take notes on how to be a more assertive communicator at work.
This year, I will take a writing course.
This year, I will attend a conference to extend my professional network.
Not every individual goal is created equal. If you want your employees to successfully hit their goals, those goals need structure. And that’s where SMART goals come in. SMART is an acronym, and SMART goals are…
For your employees to hit their goals, they need to know exactly what they’re working towards. A more specific goal is easier to achieve.
Being able to measure progress will keep your employees motivated and moving towards their goals. That means setting clear KPIs, referencing reliable benchmarks, and having the right software or tools to track progress.
Goals should be aspirational-but not so aspirational that they’re unrealistic. If you want people to succeed, their goals need to be achievable.
Employee goals need to feel relevant both for the business context and your team member’s professional aspirations. When you set goals with employees, look for ways to align their personal motivators with the team goals.
Time parameters make it easier for goals to be attainable when you set them, and remain attainable as employees progress. They also help you break employee goals into smaller action items and tick off milestones along the way.
SMART performance goals give your employees a framework to set their individual goals and hit their targets every time.
There are two types of goals you’ll want to work on with your employees: performance goals and development goals.
A performance goal is a short-term objective tied to specific business goals or job responsibilities. For example, hitting a quarterly sales quota or landing a new client. We included a number of performance goals examples above.
A personal development goal is more focused on growth and learning and contributes to business objectives in a more indirect way. For example, improving communication skills through a public speaking course or getting an advanced degree.
Both types of goals are an important part of performance management and professional development. While performance goals help your team achieve and hit specific benchmarks, development goals help employees grow.
Clearly, SMART goals are a must for helping your employees reach their full potential. But what do they look like in action?
Setting goals is something you can tackle with every member of your team in a one-on-one meeting. When you book your employees, let them know ahead that you want to set individual goals with them that align with the team goals. That way, they can arrive at the meeting prepared with some ideas for how they can develop, and where they most see themselves contributing.
With Officevibe’s one-on-one meeting software, not only can you work with individual employees to set goals, but you can also set goals for your entire team. This makes it easier for every member of your team to see how they’re contributing to the greater purpose, boosting employee engagement, motivation, and team alignment.
You can work with your team members to create SMART performance and progression goals in the app. Then, set smaller action items, monitor progress, and offer feedback in every one-on-one. Officevibe keeps a clear record of how every employee achieved their goals, making your next performance review a breeze.
Helping your employees set the right goals is critical to their success. And now that you understand how to use SMART goals to empower your employees (and have these employee goal-setting examples to get you started). From there, all that’s left to do is get out there and start goal setting!
For more on employee goal setting, check out our top employee goal setting tips for managers.
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