We all are familiar with the saying, “A man without a goal is like a bus without a destination.” Even in personal life, everyone has goals, and everyone must have. And in business space, goals are everything to manage the performance of a company and also the employees. Every company that has made huge today was once a start-up with great goals. And the big businesses should have goals to maintain their position in the market and to ensure business continuity. 

How the world will be without goals? For what would everyone be running for? Such is the importance of goals.  

You need it to run a business successfully. The business goals should be tied with the individual goals and vice versa. Attaining goals and aligning them to overall business objectives should be part of the company culture. The employees should be given the training to live out the core values of the organization to carry out the business operations and processes seamlessly.

Employees should understand the importance of Goal-Setting and should be capable of doing the same to improve themselves and contribute more to the organization. 

Here are 7 things the employees and managers must know before setting individual performance goals. 

Aligning Individual Goals to Organizational Goals 

Imagine a company working towards becoming the best HR product company in 2021. And what happens if the social media marketer publishes posts on increasing the image of the company as the best recruiter or workplace. In this case, the individual’s goal is not aligned with the overall business objective. If the employees do not align their goals with organizational goals, then the whole team will not go anywhere with their efforts. 

Therefore, if you are an employee, to improve your performance, you need to be aware of what your company is trying to achieve before setting your performance goals. 

If you are a manager, conduct regular meetings to remind the employees and also clarify where the company is heading to. 

Role Clarity and Deciding the Right Goals 

The right goals should be set to be on track to the intended destination. Before setting your goals, as an employee, you should analyze your skills and your job description to see whether you will be able to work effectively toward that particular goal. If it is a no, then that goal is not meant for you. Do not accept goals just because your managers request you to. Role Clarity and setting the right goals are important to succeed and work efficiently. 

If you are a manager, you already know your team members’ strengths and weaknesses. And so, assign them goals that will help them bring the best out of themselves. Before setting goals for them, take their inputs to get more insights on your employees and their morale level.  

OKR – Objectives and Key Results 

Objectives are where you want to go in three months or a year. OKRs can be short-term or long-term depending upon the business needs.
Objectives Key Results help you to take one step after the other or all the steps simultaneously to achieve your goal. The good news is, OKRs do not work for only an organization but also an individual in his/her personal or professional goals. If you leverage the power of OKRs to the maximum, you will be able to soar higher and reach greater heights.

Managers should help their team members in using OKRs to their fullest potential. The square one should be right before moving on to the next. That is, managers should help the employees set the right goals before deciding on the key results. 

Recognizing and Rewarding Culture 

Children will not grow with a healthy and happy mindset if they don’t get recognition from their parents whenever they do something worth appreciating. That’s because expecting recognition is an innate human nature. Employees are no exception. Whenever an employee puts in great effort to achieve a new milestone, he/she expects the company to reward and appreciate his/her efforts. If the company stays indifferent, the employee will leave.  

Managers should learn to identify high-performing employees and reward them.  Employees, if they feel valued, would set stretched performance goals and try to achieve them. Even half the distance covered can be considered a victory by the company. 

Seeking Guidance from Your Manager 

Whenever you feel like you are lost, do not hesitate to seek guidance and direction from your manager. That way, you will be able to attain the goals with the stipulated time and also produce quality work. Your manager’s guidance can help you learn a lot and gain more knowledge in the particular field. 

If you are a manager, act as a mentor to your team members. Conduct frequent one-on-one meetings and continuous check-ins to track the progress of your employees and guide them in their journey toward the goals.  

Learning and Improving the Required Skill 

360 degree feedback can help you gain more insights on how you perform and where you need to improve. Utilize the feedback to know your strengths and work on your areas of improvement to boost your performance. When you are confident and know yourself better, you will be able to set the right goals that will mutually benefit you and your company.  

As a manager, you will have to deliver continuous feedback to your team members on their performance. You should recommend training programs and development plans to help the employees become a pro in their jobs.  

Love What You Do; Do What You Love 

Only if you love what you do, you can produce quality work efficiently and innovate in every task given to you. If you are passionate about your job, that will be reflected in your efforts to attain the goals and the way you deliver the work. The recruiters should filter the people with high potential and necessarily love for the job. This will benefit both employees and employers.  

Thus, make sure to have the above-mentioned elements before setting your performance goals. 

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• How to Set SMART Goals That Actually Work for Everyone
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• How Does Employee Goal Management Drive Business Outcomes?