As a manager you are responsible for understanding what your staff are doing, and equally they should know what is expected from you as a manager. Good managers set clear objectives so staff know what is expected of them and they can form part of the wider aims of the team and business vision, giving an employee an understanding of the ‘bigger picture’ for the work they are doing.
Involving staff in setting their own and their team’s objectives is an excellent way to achieve this and provide staff with a sense of empowerment.
Objectives or standards can be used in one to one sessions, job chats, for customer service charters etc.
Many people set objectives outside work to help them focus their mind and helps motivate them to achieve – this could be something quite simple – to learn how to play golf or spend more time with the family.
How do you set good objectives?
The ‘SMART’ acronym is a useful way of getting objectives right. Objectives should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Resourced, and Trackable
Specific - objectives should state a desired outcome - a standard. What does the employee need to achieve? Is it clearly linked to business plans?
Measurable - how will you and the employee know when an objective has been achieved? As well as the standard, what is the quantity of work required? Quality, Quantity, Time and Cost are the measures.
Achievable - is the objective something the employee is capable of achieving, but also challenging enough to provide a sense of achievement?
Resourced – does the person have the time, skills, equipment to deliver the objective?
Trackable – Are there any milestones that need to be achieved along the way.
Example SMART objectives