Writing Effective and Measurable Goals and Objectives

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1 Writing Effective and Measurable Goals and Objectives Goals and Objectives are the foundation of any performance driven organization, they decide whether employees are good performers or not, and they are the scale upon which career paths and succession planning get built. Setting goals and objectives ensure a proper framework for all team-members as well as a proper tracking method for each manager. Employees become task oriented, proactive, and feel satisfaction once they achieve a certain goal that is tracked and acknowledge by their managers. On the other hand, managers can detect risks of non-delivery of a certain goal at an early stage, can load balance goals and objectives between employees and finally have a solid proof for a better appraisal. Setting goals and objectives can be a challenging task; however, following this guide will ensure that you have enough knowledge to set SMART goals for your team. SMART, such a simple word that can have many facets, which one to follow is what we will show you next: S specific, significant, stretching M measurable, meaningful, motivational A agreed upon, attainable, achievable, action-oriented, acceptable R realistic, relevant, reasonable, rewarding, results-oriented T time-based, timely, tangible, trackable SMART goals and objectives should be seen as a target to aim at, while keeping in mind that your business and management needs should drive the format and style of the goals and objectives you create. Remember the ultimate guiding principle: goals and objectives are a means of expressing mutual and shared meaning about what the employee is expected to achieve. A great goal is made of two statements: The What statement which shows what the employee must accomplish and the criteria which will be applied to determine if the employee has achieved the what. Example: Reduce overall spending by 10%. Reduce overall spending is the what and by 10% is the criteria. If one of the two statements is missing the goal or the objective becomes fuzzy and hard to understand, track, or measure. Top 10 tips for setting goals and objectives: 1. Individualize the performance goal or objective per employee, even if their job descriptions are similar. Not all employees have the same means and strengths to get a goal achieved. Encourage each employee to use their own strengths and enhance development areas. 2. Know your employee s strength, weakness and ambitions. Goal setting is about communication. 3. It s not always easy to write measurable goals, do not shy away from goals that are hard to measure if they are important to the organization. 4. Technically perfect goals are great, but it is extremely important that both manager and employee share the same understanding of a certain goal. 5. Continuous communication throughout the year is essential to translate a well written goal into a well written achieved goal. 6. If available, individual employee goals should be linked to organizational goals; otherwise, to departmental goals or team goals. 7. Focus on the result of the goal and not the means since the means is driven by the employee. Means and ends are not a black and white subject so try not to fall in that trap. 8. Do not use goals to evaluate performance, rather use goals to aim and guide performance goals should cover 90% of what the employee actually does. Try to set goals for the other 10% can prove challenging and allow employees to get beyond their comfort zone into their growth zone. 10. Goals are not cast in stone. Due to the nature of our business, it is only normal that goals transform or even get cancelled during the course of a specific fiscal year. Next is a list of categories and goals examples for you to follow or be inspired by: 1. Readiness for work 1.1. Punctuality Arrive at work on time 95% of the time Arrive at meetings on time so as not to inconvenience other participants. 1

2 Return from breaks on time 98% of the time Begin work within 10 minutes of arriving at work Do not cause more than one client s complaint due to lateness 1.2. Attendance and Absenteeism Limit less serious health-related absences to 7 days per year Notify supervisor of emergency absence as soon as possible Provide documentation, as required by company policy, for any absence greater than 2 consecutive days. 2. Conflict Management and Team Contributions 2.1. Contribution to team health Give credit to others who contribute to team well-being Play facilitating role in team meetings to encourage other team members to participate Balance task and process so work gets done and positive team climate is maintained Capitalize on team members talents to make team more effective Intervene if discussion seems to create embarrassment to other team members Move between leadership role and team member role on various projects, as required Redirect group conversation away from gossip Contribution to team productivity Generate at least 2 ideas per year that help the team improve productivity Encourage others on the team to identify barriers to team functioning and to suggest remedies Make sure projects are not delayed due to lack of team coordination Initiate group discussion for process improvement 2.3. Handling client conflicts Handle client conflict in calm, unemotional, and helpful way to the satisfaction of the manager Resolve client conflicts without directly involving the manager 95% of the time Refer client to manager in cases when the conflict is not resolvable at your level Receive no complaints regarding lack of effort to resolve an issue Handling internal conflicts Deal with differences of opinion in open and respectful ways Address peers privately when critiquing work at hand Accept criticism from peers without becoming defensive Accept help from manager to resolve conflicts, according to manager Refrain from public efforts to humiliate or embarrass colleagues. 3. Self-Management and Work Habits 3.1. Appearance and clothing Ensure zero validated complaints about appearance from clients Follow corporate dress code at all times Maintain a well-groomed and neat appearance 3.2. Ethical / personal conduct Behave ethically and honestly in all tasks Demonstrate integrity and honesty while interacting with clients, suppliers and colleagues Follow all guidelines regarding ethical and proper use of company equipment including internet usage Know and follow all applicable laws Provide visible leadership to colleagues regarding the importance of ethical conduct Receive zero validated complaints from clients regarding dishonesty 3.3. Organization and use of time Keep personal space tidy and well organized Adhere to company policy regarding eating and drinking at desk Balance work-space functionality and neatness Maintain time and attendance log ins and log outs as per company policy Maintain timesheet for clients and projects as per company policy 3.4. Willingness to help / volunteer Volunteer 50% of the time to take team meeting minutes and publish them When your workload is light volunteer to help others in the team to meet deadlines 2

3 4. Work Outputs and Productivity 4.1. Own work Develop and implement at least one cost-saving idea applicable to your department / brand or company this year Keep the file system of the team / department well maintained to reduce file retrieval time Seek out advise from supervisor for ways to improve work quality Meet deadlines 95% of the time Accept responsibility for quality of work without blaming others for problems Properly delegate projects to load balance, so that no projects fall behind schedule Ensure product output is free of errors when you send it to clients Produce presentations and plans that meet agreed-upon standards 98% of time 4.2. Contributing to work of others Spend a minimum of 2 hours per month assisting team members increase their productivity Be transparent with colleagues if you are aware of issues that might hinder their performance Refrain from interrupting the work of others for social reasons Encourage colleagues and recognize their contributions and efforts Coach others in developing sensible goals Document and communicate about shared work so others have information they need to be productive 4.3. Contributing to overall productivity Contribute one useable idea every quarter for improving productivity with department or company Prioritize you own work according to work-unit priorities Lead explaining basics of social media by spending a minimum of one hour per month teaching or helping colleagues to use social media for work Identify and help others identify root causes for lack of productivity 5. Personal and skill development 5.1. Assessment Identify the 2 most important specific skill gaps that might impede work performance and suggest possible actions to address Choose 1 new skill to master that will expand your current abilities to prepare you for other responsibilities and specify the outcomes you expect Target 1 aspect of personal development and specify criteria by which colleagues will assess your growth in that area 5.2. Formal learning Attend at least 2 work-related training seminars per year Attend at least 1 annual professional conference in your field and prepare a report for others in the company Create a list of required training / seminars that positively boosts performance of your department 5.3. Informal learning Seek out coaching from more experienced staff members to build your skills Share new skills with colleagues doing similar jobs Ask others for suggestions about how to do something more efficient 6. Communication 6.1. Interpersonal / team Communicate with respect with others in the organization regardless of their status Accept feedback from others without becoming defensive Reduce the need for others to require clarification resulting from unclear communication Zero work errors verified as a result of being unclear in communication Create presentations and documents free of typographical and spelling errors Use face-to-face communication when issue involve emotional content 6.2. Management Provide essential information to manager as requested and on time Inform management of problems before they affect productivity Respond to management requests for information within 1 working day Document critical client concerns and forward to management promptly 3

4 6.3. Clients Inform clients of unavoidable delays Explain to the client s satisfaction why his or her needs cannot be met Project an image of patience and expertise to the client Follow up all oral agreements with written summaries to the client within 2 working days of oral agreement copying your management Ensure that your communication with clients is clear, and that clients understand exactly what is being delivered Notify clients of any changes to schedules that affect their business, to avoid unnecessary inconvenience 6.4. Media relations Refrain from any public comments on issues beyond the scope of your job including clients wins and losses, awards wins and losses Project a positive corporate image even when provoked Respect confidentiality in all dealings with the media Communicate a calm demeanor when under pressure 7. Planning 7.1. Financial planning Plan expenditure to minimize financial risk to company Provide a work-unit budget for each year that is within 10% of actuals Communicate financial plans to staff so they can use them in making decision Align client expenditure with supplier commitment so that year end outcome is beneficial to both 7.2. Personnel planning Identify at least 2 employees per year to be promoted and create development plans for them Identify alternatives to hiring new staff to cover increased workload and submit suggestions to management Identify for layoffs staff members whose loss will affect work-unit production the least 7.3. Strategic and work-unit planning With staff, develop work-unit strategic plan that reflects the larger organization s strategic goals Define clear and achievable work-unit goals that will contribute to company success Revise strategic work-unit plan in the event that major shifts occur in the market, economy, clients list, or environment Attend annual conferences so as to be able to predict future trends in the industry 7.4. Work planning / scheduling Assign critical projects / plans to the most qualified and appropriate employees as reflected in ontime completion rates Ensure that all deadlines are met according to the planned dates with client Plan work to minimize overtime by 10% Ensure that all employees have the skills needed to achieve their work goals Balance staff workload so that more projects are completed on time this year than last 8. Personnel 8.1. Employee retention Ensure that employees who are not performing to standards either improve within 3 months of notification by manager or are terminated Ensure that key, valuable employees are identified by their managers and retained at a rate of at least 90% Address organizational issues identified in exit surveys that may contribute to above-average turnover rates Ensure that your managerial behavior does not contribute to loss of key employees as indicated in exit surveys Ensure that 85% of new hires are retained past the probationary period 8.2. Forecasting Ensure that no projects are delayed due to lack of staff or lack of skill Identify skills needed for the upcoming year and ensure that employees have those skills so there are zero delays as a result of skills lacking 4

5 Ensure that personnel forecast are accurate enough that no layoffs will be necessary unless revenue drops by more than 15% year on year 8.3. Preparing for hiring Update job descriptions at least once a year so they reflect the actual work done Develop a general plan for bringing new hires up to speed quickly Assist human resources staff in classifying each position accurately to reflect skill and responsibility requirements Collaborate with human resources staff to establish for each position a fair salary level that will attract desirable candidates 9. Leadership and organizational climate 9.1. Communication Align verbal and nonverbal language in a consistent manner Balance listening and speaking to demonstrate an interest in others thoughts and feelings Proactively seek out both bad and good news from peers and employees regularly and systematically Speak with and listen to at least 8 employees each month, o create person-to-person relationships 9.2. Personal and staff development Create a teachable vision a vision of the future that everyone in the company can grasp and understand as indicated by each employee s ability to articulate the vision when asked Seek coaching and mentoring from other effective leaders, both within and outside the organization Conduct a leadership self-assessment every year Identify at least one leadership skill gap and develop and implement a plan to remedy the gap every year Coach and mentor at least one staff member who has leadership potential 9.3. Work climate Make realistic promises and keep them Provide clear goals to employees and leave it up to them to determine how to attain the goals Develop and implement an action plan to improve employee perception of trust Hold yourself and the employees accountable for actions and results without looking for someone to blame when things go wrong Improve employee job satisfaction ratings by 20% next year Recognize employee contributions publicly and privately and share the spotlight for successes Show confidence in staff by delegating important work to them 10. Productivity / Process Improvement / Organizational Results Productivity Increase total work-unit output by 10% this year Increase profit margin by 5% per year without negatively impacting client satisfaction Engage staff in identifying and implementing strategies to improve productivity Ensure that each employee understands his or her role with respect to improving productivity for work-unit Ensure that no productivity is lost as a result of employee being unclear about work-unit priorities Reduce by a month the time it takes new hires to become fully productive Monitor staff and take action if any employees appear to be lowering the productivity of their colleagues Process improvement Create a climate so employees at all levels feel comfortable to offer process improvement suggestions to managers Implement local suggestion box system that generates at least one process improvement idea per month that is implemented Communicate proactively with employees to help remove barriers to improvement Model for employees the importance of a continuous improvement philosophy Use performance management to improve processes rather than assign blame for errors Organizational results Ensure that the work unit achieves goals and objectives for critical responsibilities 5

6 Coordinate with other managers to reduce duplication of effort or wasted effort Identify and recommend actions that will result in cost savings for the company through outsourcing Become a company resource for teaching other managers / employees about applying process improvement tools and techniques 11. Communications Downward Communicate work-unit goals to staff so that they understand the bigger picture All employees can explain their roles in the organization and how they can contribute if asked Zero complaints from staff about having work impacted by lack of management communication Operate on want to know rather than need to know in terms of what is communicated to employees Create communication climate so employees are comfortable questioning and challenging decisions Provide feedback that majority of employees feel is fair and constructive where applicable Clients Collect client satisfaction data at least once a month Communicate bad news to clients effectively and respectfully Resolve 95% of the client s complaints in a documented manner to the satisfaction of both agency and client Peers Refrain from withholding information from other managers that is important for their success Apply a constructive process when project involves decisions that may affect other work units Use effective communication techniques to address conflicts with peers Eliminate any need for involvement by the vice president to resolve conflicts with managerial peers Upward Communicate so there are no surprises to managers higher in the hierarchy Inform your manager of any events of critical importance to the satisfaction of your manager Prepare on submit work-unit reports on time and as required Identify and communicate supplier commitment shortfalls every 6 weeks 12. Client Management Client satisfaction / retention Receive no more than 2 client complaints validated by manager per year Receive no more than 1 client request per year to assign different employee on the business Receive no more than 2 booking cancellations per year resulting from client service complaints Ensure that 99% of clients chose to renew their contracts by keeping a high standard of service Ensure 1 client campaign is nominated / shortlisted for awards this year Client service quality Reduce client brief response time to 2 working days Create a data bank so that work-unit is efficient when responding to client briefs Solve client problems in a single phone call 90% of the time Fulfill promises to clients 100% of time or notify them of changes Handle client complaints without supervisor intervention 80% of time, but keep the supervisor is loop Client service improvement Contribute at least 1 client service improvement strategy per year Evaluate and report on client competitors service procedures 13. Financials Bottom-line results Increase client digital spend by 5% this year Enhance client rates by 3% this year on specific suppliers Identify 5 cost-saving initiatives by midyear and implement at least 2 by year-end Budgeting Analyze and approve yearly budgets of subordinate work units 4 weeks prior to year end 6

7 Reduce operating budget by 10% for next fiscal year Present budgets and obtain approval from executive team Submit budgets that requires no more than 1 modification cycle Identify how corporate allocation for employee development is to be spent Conformance to financial practices Ensure that accounting practices conform to industry standards Ensure that financial reports pass auditors inspection without major challenges Ensure that financial decisions meet legal and ethical requirements Provide documents to auditors within 1 week of request Spending and financial control Develop and implement innovative cost cutting programs for work unit Partnering with auditor, identify possible unnecessary expenditure Partnering with corporate managers, identify areas of redundant or overlapping responsibilities and unnecessary spending With other division managers, identify possible cost savings by using outsourcing or shared resources and prepare recommendation With other division managers, identify functions that may be grouped together (centralized) to yield cost savings Reduce total overtime hours by 40% Processing Accurately process and generate a minimum of 100 invoices per week with no more than 1% error rate Run payroll monthly to be completed by 10AM each 15 th of the month Process and validate expense claims within 5 days of submission Ensure that 90% of accounts are reconciled by the end of the following month Reporting and communicating Prepare and submit monthly financial summaries to the satisfaction of the CFO Inform superior of anticipated revenue shortfalls and surpluses at least one month before final reporting Submit financial reports that are accurate and do not require correction Provide financial projections for 5 year period to be used in annual strategic planning sessions Provide monthly profit/loss statements accurate within 10% Deliver year end reports on time and in proper format Revenue enhancement Identify 2 new revenue streams to come online within 2 years Increase net revenue by 5% Increase gross revenue by 10% 14. Business Development Generating new clients Reduce cost per pitch to $ Coach business development team in improving initial approaches to clients Promote new products through media appearances at least 4 times a year Follow up regularly on prospect clients documenting each encounter Create a marketing strategy to lure new clients into doing business Strategy Development Identify major reasons why client wins aren t happening and suggest strategies to improve gaps Create and follow up client pitches with short survey to document reasons of win or identify gaps or reasons of loss Collect, summarize, and analyze client input; generate suggestions for new products and submit them annually to the product / strategy director 15. Security Theft Implement an employee-monitoring strategy in high-risk areas Keep items identified as high-theft targets in secure areas Personal security Conduct an annual security and safety survey to identify potentially risky personal security habits 7

8 Require a police clearance certificate of employees to keep on monitoring behavioral change Report suspicious persons on premises to security office Conduct half yearly fire drills to get everyone used to the idea Premises / Data security Make sure confidential data is stored in a secure manner Make sure to hide all confidential data when leaving every night Make sure laptop and computers are locked with a high level security password at all times Improvement Reduce cost of theft and vandalism to less than $2000 per year Develop and implement at least 2 new theft-prevention techniques per year P.S.: Remember that this document is a guide only with examples, managers need to give accurate and industry specific goals to their employees. 8