Tips for Goal-Setting

Why is goal-setting so important?

1. Provides clarity around job expectations and performance measures
2. Creates self-awareness around current skills, strengths and areas requiring improvement
3. Helps determine future desired skills and a roadmap to get there
4. Gives people an opportunity to better define their vision of success
5. Encourages people to think outside of the box, beyond simply “meeting expectations”
6. Provides a deeper meaning of their role and its connection to the bigger picture of the organization

• Familiarize yourself with organizational and team goals and objectives
• Provide team member with the autonomy to set their own goals and come to the meeting(s) prepared to discuss
• Schedule face-to-face meeting(s), if feasible, to allow for a meaningful discussion around goal-setting
• Conduct the meeting privately, with little to no interruptions
• Review the individual goals drafted by the team member and compare to the previous year to ensure newly set goals have been captured
• Reflect on organizational and team objectives/values/goals and ensure alignment with individual goals set
• Leverage job descriptions and competencies to confirm and better determine current skills and desired future skills
• Schedule regular career and performance conversations with your team member to check-in on progress of goals throughout the year (not just at the annual review)

• Familiarize yourself with organizational and team goals and objectives
• Review your goals from the previous year and/or feedback received
• Reflect on the upcoming year and determine what skills you need to successfully complete objectives
• Leverage job descriptions and competencies to confirm and better determine your current skills and desired future skills
• Identify strengths and areas requiring improvement to advance in your skills and/or job in the upcoming year
• Define your career aspirations and identify your future desired role and development opportunities to get there
• Formalize both shorter-term goals and longer-term goals
• Ensure goals are specific, learning is measurable, learning plan is achievable, learning opportunities are relevant to aspirations, and that there is a timeframe for completion included
• Schedule regular career and performance conversations with your leader to check-in on progress of goals throughout the year (not just at the annual review)