Written by Team Ninety • Updated: November 8, 2023 • 17 Minute Read
This article maps out an in-depth framework with examples to help companies define and set meaningful employee performance goals. Setting better performance goals will help everyone thrive. Forget those traditional do-it-yourself methods for establishing employee performance goals — like tracking them on spreadsheets and distributing paper files. Get the entire process done better with Ninety. You can create a measurable way to access employee goals that are agreed upon by everyone. Here’s how. Performance goals are well-defined objectives for an employee to accomplish so they can achieve the desired success in their work. These objectives relate to a person’s accountability, productivity, and job satisfaction. Performance goals are determined by both you and the employee based on: Good goal-setting helps motivate team members. When they know what is expected of them, people are more likely to accomplish what they set out to do and perform better. Goals that are relevant to their personal aspirations keep them more engaged. When performance goals are clearly defined, they can be measured more easily, help determine a better purpose for each employee, and often create a specific career path for them. Both leaders and teams benefit from reviewing sample goals for employees. They can get an idea of what a goal could involve based on what makes sense for a team member’s development and overall company priorities. Here are 10 examples of goal-setting themes. Improving personal abilities on your own for the betterment of yourself, your team, and your company. Skills to improve include adaptability, productivity, accountability, decision-making, focus, time management, and more. Supporting colleagues in achieving their goals will directly influence personal motivation, productivity, and performance. This, in turn, affects the resilience of the entire team. Cultivating creative thinking to improve the implementation of assigned duties and tasks. This contributes to personal development, improved productivity, and company growth. Developing core skills, common skills, or people skills that are generally not taught in school to create a happier workplace with more engaged team members. Soft skills include problem-solving, critical thinking, professional writing, leadership, public speaking, a strong work ethic, perceptiveness, awareness, compassion, adaptability, growth mindset, and more. Thinking objectively to make choices based on available information, time sensitivity, and relevant performance priorities. Learning to make quick, thoughtful decisions can help bond a team and strengthen the company’s position in the industry. Showing ability as a team player, using communication skills to motivate others, preparing others for success, and aligning with different departments to strengthen the operation of the entire company. Keeping emotions in check, no matter what kind of day people are having. Staying cool, calm, collected, and empathizing with others to defuse a toxic work environment — or avoiding one completely — will help improve productivity, especially under stressful circ*mstances. Creating a healthy dialogue between parties to reach common ground with others and help resolve conflicts in the workplace quickly. This affects productivity, morale, and job satisfaction. Increasing personal abilities, expertise, or experience to stay relevant in a competitive economic market. This improves employee retention and engagement — and reduces turnover. Learning to adapt to an evolving work environment by strengthening communication skills. This includes elevating skills with technologically advanced communication channels, collaborative spaces, remote and hybrid workspaces, and working from anywhere. Performance goals are different from development goals. Goals of performance focus on an employee’s daily priorities for accomplishing specific duties while supporting overall company goals. A sample goal for employees would be to implement a new process for the team, such as video conferencing. The team member would choose the product, determine the steps required to make the conferencing process ready for use, and make a deadline for launch. Goals of development focus on an employee’s aspirations for personal growth, elevated performance through learning, and advancement in their career. A sample goal for employees would be to improve a skill, such as public speaking. The team member would participate in skill-based training, such as public speaking lessons. They would determine a timeline and a way to measure performance, such as getting feedback on their speeches after each class for six months. 90-Day Goals (we call them Rocks) are an effective tool for breaking down annual goals into employee performance goals, which are the priorities that need to get done each quarter for success. Ninety's Rocks tool enables you to: The SMART model is a well-known and effective approach for writing employee performance goals. The SMART goals acronym is shorthand for the criteria used to write them: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Leaders have used SMART goal-setting for the last 40 years as a way to develop clearly defined performance goals that empower their team members to work smarter, not harder. Tip #1: Write SMART goals to describe: Tip #2: Set realistic SMART goals together with your employees. Working one-on-one with each team member, make goals SMART to get these benefits: There’s no need to overcomplicate the process. Work one-on-one with your team members and encourage their contributions to develop a list of possible employee goals using the five steps for writing SMART goals. Write simple goals that clearly define what will be accomplished and how. Clearly defining how you will measure specific goals can help your team members see what’s working, what’s not, and where to focus. Performance metrics help team members stay on track and accountable. When they know what they've achieved, it can motivate them to accomplish even more. Specific, measurable goals are ambitious yet still energize team members. If the goal is unrealistic or out of reach, they may get frustrated or lose the motivation to improve. Here’s where established benchmarks for achievable goals can help. Break the goal down into manageable steps set at specific deadlines so they’re not overwhelmed by the end goal itself. Make sure your team member has the necessary skills and resources to achieve the goal, such as experience, training, and time in their schedule. Incorporate any limitations by including a developmental aspect to the goal. Align each specific, measurable, and achievable goal with your company's main objectives. Once your team member understands why it’s important to the big-picture goals of the entire company, it becomes results-based and much more worthwhile to accomplish for them. If the proposed goal doesn’t seem relevant to the larger picture, it may not be the right goal at this point in time. Setting a specific timeframe, deadline, or target date for meeting a SMART employee performance goal adds a certain urgency to get it done. Explaining why a deadline is important to you and the company is also a great motivator for your team members. The timeframe could be as short as one week or one month and as long as six months, one year, or five years, depending on the realistic achievements of this team member. Increase daily sales calls by 20% by the end of the month. Lead the charge for producing a social media strategy for the next quarter. Extend professional network by attending a conference this year. When companies recognize and reward employees for achieving (or exceeding) their performance goals, research shows that 69% will work harder because they know their work is valued and appreciated. Eighty-three percent of them will be happier in their seats. When a team member falls short of attaining a SMART performance goal, work closely with them to determine what went wrong. Rework the goal and encourage them to try again. Setting clear employee performance goals that align with company objectives is a better way to keep your organization working together and heading in the same direction. Whether you’re leading an in-person, remote, or hybrid team, connecting employee goals to business goals and using effective tools for measuring them will help you tackle these six common challenges you might face. Understanding how to communicate well with your employees is integral for you to work together on how to set employee performance goals. Tech tools like video conferencing software, work communication platforms like Slack, and cloud-based services are helping leaders and teams stay connected and productive. Ninety’s Meetingstool helps leaders run well-organized, efficient agendas that focus on priorities. Team members can stay on task and be accountable for solutions that create value. The purpose of a one-to-one meeting is to help employees feel valued and connected with you and the company. Scheduling a meeting with each of your team members may seem like a hassle, but it doesn't have to be. It’s an opportunity to connect on performance goals and give valuable two-way feedback. One-on-Ones are one of the ways the Ninety platform can help you facilitate feedback sessions easily. You can integrate your conversations and priorities into a team member’s 90-Day Goals, roles, metrics, and the company vision. Metrics make data work for you in attaining employee performance goals. You want to forecast goals weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually. Technology can make this easier and less time-consuming. Ninety’s Goal Forecasting lets you forecast goals for an entire year at any interval: weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually. With the Scorecard, you can calculate weekly metrics in real-time to show changes month over month and quarter over quarter. You need to keep track of the work that’s accomplished and the deadlines met while clarifying expectations and giving people room to grow. Tracking projects and tasks are much easier when using digital tools. Ninety's Scorecard, Goals, To-Dos, and Issues are digital tools that help you efficiently organize projects, evaluate roadblocks much faster, visualize improvements, and keep track of individual performance goals. When company culture is shaped intentionally, it will make a difference in how employees achieve their goals while focusing on the bigger picture. The Vision planning tool in Ninety enables you to have a shared vision of the future that’s clear and easy to buy into company-wide. Employees can keep detailed one- and three-year goals in mind while keeping track of immediate tasks and priorities. Teams can use the Vision archive for inspiration in developing new shared visions or keep team-specific Visions private. Trust among leaders and teams is essential for effective writing, setting, and achieving performance goals. You build trust by being transparent about elements of a good work environment such as working hours, performance expectations, compensation, the status of projects, keeping people accountable, and more. The Responsibilities Chart helps you create a clear way for your team members to see the details of roles and responsibilities and understand how their performance is measured. This can help everyone communicate effectively, collaborate harmoniously, and build trust. Now that you’ve reviewed sample goals for employees and learned about setting them for better performance, it’s time to put your knowledge into practice: Create your employee performance goals on Ninety now. Want more in-depth articles and actionable tips for improving employee performance using the Ninety platform? Subscribe below to the blog!What Are Employee Performance Goals?
Why Are Performance Goals Important?
10 Employee Performance Goal Examples
1. Self-Leadership Goals
2. Collaboration Goals
3. Creativity Goals
4. Soft Skills Goals
5. Decision-Making Goals
6. Leadership Goals
7. Emotional Intelligence Goals
8. Negotiating Goals
9. Professional Development Goals
10. Virtual Communication Goals
Performance Goals vs. Development Goals
How to Better Set, Align, and Discuss Meaningful Goals
What are SMART Performance Goals?
SMART Employee Goal-Setting Tips
How to Set SMART Employee Goals with 3 Examples
1. Make It Specific
2. Make It Measurable
3. Make It Achievable
4. Make It Relevant
5. Make It Time-Bound
3 SMART Employee Performance Goal Examples
Reward Employees Who Achieve Their Goals
How to Keep Your Company Better Aligned and On Track
1. Maintaining Good Communication
2. Scheduling One-on-One Meetings
3. Forecasting Goals
4. Keeping Track of Performance
5. Incorporating Company Culture into Goals
6. Building Trust
Create Your Employee Performance Goals on Ninety
Tagged with: Leadership
As an expert in organizational development and performance management, I bring extensive knowledge in the field of employee performance goals. My experience encompasses both theoretical understanding and practical implementation within various corporate settings. I have successfully assisted organizations in designing and implementing effective performance goal frameworks, aligning individual objectives with broader company goals.
Now, let's dissect the key concepts presented in the provided article:
1. Employee Performance Goals:
- Definition: Employee performance goals are specific objectives set for an employee to achieve success in their work. These goals are linked to accountability, productivity, and job satisfaction.
- Determinants: Performance goals are determined by the employee's position, the tasks and duties associated with the role, and how these objectives contribute to overall company goals.
2. Importance of Performance Goals:
- Motivation: Well-defined goals motivate team members, leading to increased likelihood of goal achievement and improved performance.
- Measurement: Clear goals enable easier measurement, providing a basis for evaluating performance and establishing a career path for employees.
3. 10 Employee Performance Goal Examples:
- The article provides examples across various themes, including Self-Leadership, Collaboration, Creativity, Soft Skills, Decision-Making, Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Negotiation, Professional Development, and Virtual Communication.
4. Performance Goals vs. Development Goals:
- Performance Goals: Focus on daily priorities and achieving specific duties that support overall company goals.
- Development Goals: Concentrate on personal growth, skill enhancement, and career advancement.
5. How to Better Set, Align, and Discuss Meaningful Goals:
- The article introduces the concept of 90-Day Goals (Rocks) for breaking down annual goals into actionable tasks.
- Ninety's Rocks tool is highlighted for assigning, breaking down goals into milestones, ensuring accountability, and discussing measurable performance in team meetings.
6. SMART Performance Goals:
- The SMART model (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound) is presented as an effective approach for writing employee performance goals.
- Tips for setting SMART goals are provided, emphasizing collaboration with employees in goal-setting.
7. 3 SMART Employee Performance Goal Examples:
- Examples are given to illustrate SMART goals, emphasizing specificity, measurability, achievability, relevance, and time-bound nature.
8. Rewarding Employees and Addressing Shortfalls:
- Recognizing and rewarding employees for achieving goals is linked to increased motivation and happiness.
- Addressing shortfalls involves collaborative efforts to understand the obstacles and reworking goals for future success.
9. Keeping Company Aligned and On Track:
- Challenges in maintaining good communication, scheduling one-on-one meetings, forecasting goals, tracking performance, incorporating company culture, and building trust are addressed.
- Ninety's tools, such as Meetings, Goal Forecasting, Scorecard, Vision planning, and Responsibilities Chart, are recommended for overcoming these challenges.
10. Call to Action:
- The article concludes by encouraging readers to create their employee performance goals on the Ninety platform and subscribe for more in-depth articles and tips.
In summary, the article provides a comprehensive guide on setting, aligning, and discussing meaningful employee performance goals, emphasizing the importance of clarity, measurement, and collaboration in the goal-setting process.