There are only two months left before the new year, and businesses are currently prepping their goals for 2017. By helping employees do the same, managers and business leaders ensure a successful start come January. If you’re trying to figure out how to set goals for employees, here are three goal setting tips for employees to assist them when it comes to setting their 2017 business goals:
1. Review Their Accomplishments and Struggles
Before heading off into the new year, take time to reflect on the one that just passed. During your final check-in sessions, ask employees what they liked about their jobs during 2016. Have them rate the projects they worked on, identify what they felt strongly about and list any issues or frustrations they encountered.
Surveying an employee’s accomplishments helps the two of you understand where his or her strengths lie. In a similar manner, identifying poor performance shows you what to avoid – or, alternatively, what to focus on – when setting goals for 2017. Don’t spend too much time looking backward, however. Employees who are too focused on the past are more stressed and less proactive.
2. Encourage New, Specific Goals
Instead of re-listing the same goals as last year, encourage employees to try something new, especially if it helps them advance their career. For example, a web developer fluent in HTML, CSS and JavaScript can add mastering PHP to their goals in 2017. As Business2Community mentioned, when employees set goals that relate directly to their careers, they grow more engaged with your business. Plus, the more specific those goals are, the more likely employees are to accomplish them.
Creating S.M.A.R.T. – specific, measurable, aspirational, relevant and time-bound – goals helps people narrow their focus on what they plan to achieve. Combining S.M.A.R.T. goals with objectives and key results creates an actionable plan that guides employees both day to day and in the long term.
3. Align Their Goals with Their Peers and the Business
As Oracle detailed, keeping employee goals aligned with one another provides purpose. This way, members of your staff know they’re doing more than just a series of tasks. They understand their work is part of a collaborative effort and that they’re a valued member of their team.
In addition, aligning employee goals keeps everyone productive and on track. It eliminates the possibility of two people accidentally working against each other or the business in favor of their own ambitions. Goal-setting software that everyone in your organization can view shows employees how their objectives relate to those of their peers and the company as a whole.