Setting Meaningful Goals and Objectives

Mid-year reviews are almost upon us. For managers, preparing for performance conversations means setting aside time to consider and meet with each member of your team. Depending on the size of your team, this can be a tricky time management exercise. For employees this is an exciting time to assess your own progress and plan future achievements. Whether you’re a leader or employee, having a good grasp of what meaningful goals and objectives are and being clear on what you expect from a review conversation can make a busy time of year more manageable and rewarding.

Regular, quality two-way conversations about performance and career aspirations benefit the team, individual and entire organisation. Research from Deloitte found that high-performing organisations with an effective performance management process are more innovative, more likely to meet financial targets, and better equipped to manage change.  

Many employers have shifted away from one annual performance review to more frequent conversations, which tend to be more productive and keep everyone on track. Regular reviews give employees greater focus to achieve their objectives and give managers the opportunity to explain the direction of the organisation and how organisational goals feed into individual objectives.

Setting clear expectations and meaningful objectives is motivational and links to improved employee engagement. In this blog, we provide guidance for employees and leaders in how to set meaningful goals for professional and personal development. Keep reading for an opportunity to cement your learning in our free webinar.

What’s the difference between a SMART and a meaningful objective?

Traditionally, leaders have encouraged employees to set SMART objectives. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely objectives have been around for years. However, being asked to set personal objectives that meet all these criteria can be overwhelming. Not everything we want to achieve can be squeezed into five boxes. Rejecting an objective because it can’t be squeezed it into a box could be demoralising. Just because an objective isn’t SMART, it doesn’t mean it isn’t of value to the business.

An example

Setting an objective to study for a qualification is fairly easy to define and measure using the SMART system. You take the course, do the assessment and pass or fail. If an employee wants to set an objective to develop their listening skills this is much harder to measure, yet equally, if not more, valuable and beneficial to the team.

There isn’t a scale to measure collaboration or a framework for volunteering. Objectives like these require a more flexible approach with potential for much broader organisational impact.

Meaningful goals and objectives simplify the objective-setting process. A meaningful objective means something to the individual. This could be through personal impact, team contribution, or contributing to achieving business goals.

When the outcome of an objective has meaning to an employee, they are much more likely to achieve it. Think about it... if you set an objective you’re excited and feel passionate about, you wake up each morning with a smile on your face, a bounce in your step, and feel driven to make progress.

The power of personalising your objectives

While objective setting is a formal business process, it should never feel cold or routine. Creating objectives that are personal to you will inspire and motivate you to reach your full potential. Your objectives should align with organisational goals and fulfil your hopes and dreams, not someone else’s.

As you head into your mid-year review, think about what you really want to achieve and what steps you need to take to make it happen. Aim high! Focus on meaningful measures and actions that motivate you to do your best and keep you accountable for your own performance.

How meaningful goals and objectives impact employee performance

Creating and achieving meaningful goals that align with individual and business expectations can have a very powerful impact on employee performance and engagement. Understanding how your role and contribution make a difference to the direction of the business can be incredibly empowering.

Meaningful goals enable employees to:

• Gain clarity on what success looks like

• Come together and head in the right direction as a team

• Access the personal and professional development that’s right for them

• Feel supported and motivated in their role

• Focus and maintain momentum in pursuit of their goals

• Achieve a sense of belonging, happiness, pride and engagement at work.

These all make for a more effective, productive, and high-performing workplace.

Balancing personal achievement and business performance

Striking a balance between personal and business objectives shouldn’t be a stumbling block. While many employers have a balanced scorecard that links to overall business goals, this should not be the sole focus for mid-year review conversations.

At P3 People Management, we would encourage both managers and employees to think differently about setting goals and objectives for the remainder of the year. We believe every individual has a responsibility to:

• Question each business goal and what it means to you and your role

• Explore ways you can contribute to achieving business goals

• Be open about what you’d like to achieve on a personal level

• Set meaningful objectives to align your personal goals with overall business objectives.

Learn to set meaningful objectives

When objectives are meaningful they become less of a check-list and more of an ‘I-can’t-wait-to-do-this’ list. Employees have a duty to be open about what makes meaning to them. Managers need to have a degree of flexibility and emotional intelligence to understand and set objectives that are meaningful to the employee, team and organisation.

To help leaders and employees prepare for mid-year performance conversations,  we’re holding a free lunch and learn webinar on Tuesday 28th May from 1.00-2.00pm. In this one-hour session, we’ll share the critical components of effective goal-setting, and the importance of clarity, specificity, and alignment with organisational priorities.

• Learn how to set objectives that drive meaningful outcomes and build a more effective organisation.

• Discover practical tools and frameworks for defining clear, measurable, and actionable goals.

• Learn how to leverage objectives as a catalyst for personal and professional growth.

• Explore how to develop action plans and strategies to achieve set objectives within defined timelines.

Book your free place to access the tools and knowledge you need to set objectives and move you and your team towards excellence. 

Further reading

If this post reflects your interests, take a look at our free guide to Performance Management and our blogs on Goal setting for 2024, and Getting and using feedback.

How we can help

If you’d like to discuss any of the issues covered in this blog, get in touch with us today on 0161 941 2426. We’re here to help.