The Manager’s Playbook: The five key stages of objective setting.
When it comes to performance management, the ability to set effective goals and objectives is not just a leadership skill—it's a strategic imperative.
However, whilst pretty much everyone has heard of SMART objectives, Managers are often less sure on how to prepare and structure the conversations around goals and objectives more broadly.
So why is this so important?
Setting objectives serves as a catalyst for motivation, and influences performance in four key ways:
Focusing Attention: Directing focus toward specific tasks or objectives ensures that energy is concentrated where it matters most.
Regulating Effort: By establishing clear goals, managers can increase and regulate the effort team members invest in their work, driving productivity.
Encouraging Perseverance: Well-defined goals encourage individuals to persevere in the face of challenges, fostering resilience and determination.
Developing Strategies: Goal-setting sparks creativity and innovation, pushing individuals to devise new strategies for achieving objectives.
If clear goals and objectives act as a catalyst for performance, then their absence is equally far reaching - affecting the motivation, performance, and overall success of individuals, teams, and the organisation. They are crucial for fostering a sense of purpose, alignment, and productivity at all levels.
The science bit: The psychology behind effective goal-setting
A collective and enduring interest in how setting goals motivates people really kicked off in the 60’s with the work of Psychologists, such as Locke and Latham, and then by Klein et al in the nineties. (1999). Their work in the 1960s and 1990s highlighted the following key principles:
Difficulty and Acceptance: Difficult goals lead to higher performance when accepted by individuals. Setting challenging yet attainable objectives is key.
Specificity Drives Achievement: Specific goals outperform general 'do your best' objectives. Precision in goal-setting enhances achievement.
Feedback is Crucial: Knowledge of results (feedback) is essential to reap the full benefits of challenging and specific goals.
Goal Commitment Matters: The benefits of goal-setting hinge on a person's commitment to the objectives. It's not just about the goal itself but the dedication to achieving it
The Five Stages of Effective Goal-Setting.
Okay, enough with the theory. Let's talk action—specifically, the five stages of setting killer goals:
1. Reading the Current Situation.
Before setting sail, know where your ship is! In other words, before you get going with setting any objectives, it's crucial to evaluate the current performance of your team members.
Reflect on existing knowledge, engage in conversations, review performance records, and seek input from other managers. This stage ensures that objectives are relevant and tailored to the individual's strengths and weaknesses, aligning with organisational standards.
2. Realising the Future
Look ahead and align individual objectives with organisational strategy. Reference department plans and consider wider team objectives and priorities too.
Also, consider the individual’s personal aspirations; are they aiming for progression, a promotion, sideways move, etc in the near future? Alternatively, there be elements of their role where they’d like to specifically develop, whether it be technical expertise, or what might be considered ‘soft skills’.
By connecting individual goals to the broader business objectives, you ensure a synergy that propels both personal and organisational growth.
3. Pinning down the specifics
With a clear destination in mind, you and your team member can now work collaboratively to develop criteria for success and set out the specifics for how they are going to achieve their objectives.
As we know from the goal setting research, objectives give team members a direction to follow and allows them to really focus on what it is they are trying to achieve. For you as a Manager, this stage facilitates resource planning, ensuring optimal support for your team members' development.
4. Rallying Resources
To set your team members up for success, next work together to identify what support they will to need to achieve their objectives. Think beyond the usual suspects (*cough, training course!) and explore how you can also incorporate other activities such as coaching, shadowing, peer support and project work. Get creative!
5. Reviewing Progress
Don't wait for the annual bash; have regular check-ins! Book in and/or create opportunities to regularly review progress at intervals beyond the annual performance review. Timely feedback empowers team members to make necessary adjustments, fostering a culture of continuous improvement. This ongoing interest in performance not only ensures goal alignment but also serves as a powerful motivational factor.
The Encore.
In summary, effective goal-setting plays a crucial role in empowering managers as leaders, and is a key contributor to organisational success. Combined with a commitment to having frequent and meaningful conversations, the five stages of objective setting give managers a clear structure to follow – harnessing the power of goal setting and fostering a sense of purpose, alignment, and productivity at all levels.
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