Do you want to foster a personal development and accountability culture within your team? If so, you need to set measurable and achievable goals. It’s not about putting pressure on your team members. It’s about helping them grow as professionals.
According to Folks HR’s Essential Employee Performance Management Statistics in 2023, employees who participate in goal setting are 3.6 times more likely to be motivated. It’s important to find out what employees’ objectives are and to encourage them to meet their goals.
“Indeed, they are the best qualified to know what areas they could work on to better fulfill their role.”
Folks HR
As an account manager handling a team of seven members, I can confirm this approach! Since I started to set employee performance goals, my entire team’s performance has improved, and we have reached our targets.
In this article, I am going to analyze the best employee performance goals examples to take inspiration from so you can track work performance and boost employee motivation.
What Are Employee Performance Goals?
Employee performance goals are specific, measurable goals that organizations set for employees in their work environment. They guide how an employee does their job by setting clear, focused objectives.
Goal-setting is crucial not only for personal development but also for professional growth. You won’t know how well you do on a specific task if you can’t measure your progress. Of course, these goals are also aligned with the larger organizational objectives. Make sure to tailor them to your specific needs so you can help your team improve overall morale and satisfaction.
Examples of Performance Goal Methodologies
It is vital to use the right methodology to set an effective employee performance goal. There are dozens of different methodologies, but I am going to focus on three of them.
SMART GOALS
In my opinion, the most effective of all goal methodologies is the SMART goals method.
SMART is an acronym that stands for:
- Specific: Your goal must be clear. I’m in sales, so a specific goal might be to increase new client acquisition by 10%.
- Measurable: You need a way to measure your success. In the sales example, tracking the number of new clients fits the objective.
- Achievable: Make sure your goal is reachable. It helps to set a target based on past growth.
- Relevant: Your goal should align with company objectives and your role.
- Time-bound: Set a deadline, such as next month or by the end of the year.
Objectives and Key Results
It stands to reason that objectives and key results (OKRs) comprise objectives and key results.
- Objectives are broad goals aligned with the company’s vision, for example, “Expand market presence.”
- Key results are specific actions that track progress toward an objective or goal. Using the objective, above, a key result could be “Launch five new stores in five different cities”
Locke and Latham’s Principles
Locke and Latham say effective goal setting involves clarity, challenge, commitment, feedback, and manageable complexity.
- Clarity: Be as clear as possible about what you want to achieve.
- Challenge: Set goals that push you but remain within reach.
- Commitment: Ensure you’re dedicated to meeting your goals.
- Feedback: Regularly check progress and adjust as needed.
- Task complexity: Understand how complex the goal is and give yourself enough time to complete it.
As I have said, there are many goal-setting frameworks you can use. You just need to find which one best suits the needs of your organization.
Types and Examples of Employee Performance Goals
There are different types of employee performance goals, depending on the specific role and company objectives. They help you track performance in different areas, such as professional growth and communication. Each goal helps you do better at your job and supports the whole group.
Let’s take a look at the key performance of employees with practical, real-life examples using the SMART goals methodology.
Collaboration Performance Goals
Collaboration is the key to a team’s success. Unity is strength, and you must aim to improve this skill.
These types of goals are crucial to help team members measure their progress and take responsibility for their actions.
In my experience, I have noticed that even when one person doesn’t collaborate it can negatively impact the entire team’s performance.
Imagine if the sales team can’t collaborate properly with the marketing team. This would harm the business goals and the overall performance. Here’s an example of an employee collaboration performance goal.
Goal
Increase cross-functional collaboration by 20% within the next quarter to improve project efficiency and innovation.
Metrics and KPIs
These include the:
- Number of meetings held per month
- Employee survey results on the level of collaboration and communication across departments
- Percentage of projects completed on time and within budget between the departments
How to achieve this goal
- Implement effective communication tools to improve information sharing and team alignment
- Organize brainstorming sessions where everyone can express and share their thoughts
- Provide constructive feedback to colleagues respectfully and professionally.
By setting clear collaboration goals and using the right tools, you’ll encourage employees to work together more effectively.
Professional Growth Goals
Professional growth goals are probably the most important individual goals of all. This is because they will have a positive impact on all other areas of your life. For instance, as an account manager, I usually speak in public but was initially scared about doing this.
Since I started working on my own professional development goal, I have improved my communication skills even outside of the workplace.
So, how did I reach this target?
Goal
Enhance public speaking skills by December 2023.
Metrics and KPIs
These include the:
- Team members’ feedback
- My coach’s feedback
- My feelings when speaking in public
How I achieved this goal
- I took theater lessons
- I relied on a coach to improve this skill
- I had lots of practice in front of the mirror plus simulations with my colleagues
Don’t underestimate the importance of professional growth goals. They will help your team grow and strengthen team spirit.
Productivity Goals
Do you want better performance? Then, you should set some productivity goals.
An employee who isn’t productive and doesn’t collaborate can affect the efficiency of the entire team and the company’s goals.
Here’s an example of an employee productivity goal.
Goal
Increase the number of successful client meetings by 20% within the next three months to strengthen client relationships and identify upsell opportunities.
Metrics
These include the
- Number of client meetings held per month
- Meeting success rate measured by client satisfaction surveys and post-meeting action items
- Number of identified upsell opportunities stemming from client meetings
How to achieve this goal
- Study and identify the client’s needs and pain points to increase the number of meetings
- Collaborate with colleagues who have expertise relevant to the client’s needs to find the best solutions
- Schedule regular check-ins with managers to discuss progress and challenges
Since there’s a strict correlation between employment engagement and productivity. Make sure to ask for feedback and help them overcome difficulties with your support. This is how true leaders act!
Leadership Goals
You can’t manage a team properly without leadership skills. Leadership goals focus on improving how you lead others. This helps build your skills in guiding, decision-making, managing people, and talking things out.
Here’s an example of a measurable employee performance goal for a project manager:
Goal
Increase team ownership and accountability on projects by 15% within the next quarter
Metrics
Implement a system for assigning and tracking action items. Ensure clear ownership and deadlines that are measurable by the percentage of action items completed on time.
How to achieve this goal
- Schedule individual meetings with each team member to discuss their specific role and responsibilities and any potential challenges
- Create a detailed project plan outlining deadlines and milestones
- Ensure team members have the resources and ask for feedback regularly
Remember that once leaders set their own goals, they need to take responsibility for their actions and do everything they can to achieve them.
Problem-Solving Goals
In the workplace, problems are everywhere. If you or your employees panic when there’s a problem, your problem is likely to escalate.
The ability to solve problems is also essential for strengthening team bonding and improving performance.
Here’s an example.
Goal
Reduce the average customer call resolution time by 10% within the next month.
Metrics
These should include the:
- Average call resolution time
- First call resolution rate
How to achieve this goal
- Analyze the data gathered in your customer relationship management (CRM)
- Identify common customer issues
- Use specific internal communication tools or role-play and call simulations
- Develop standardized troubleshooting scripts to address common problems quickly
Creativity Goals
Creativity goals push you to think outside the box and take clever risks while improving the workplace experience. For example, your marketing team could suggest several new ways to write your website’s welcoming text. This way, innovation stays at the forefront, giving your company an advantage.
Everyone in the workplace values creative thinking, from new hires to seasoned pros. Imagine you’re a social media Manager and you want to set an employee goal to improve their creativity.
Here’s an example:
Goal
Develop and implement a new content marketing campaign that utilizes a creative storytelling approach aiming for a 20% increase in customer engagement within the next three months.
Metrics
These can include:
- Website traffic
- Social media interaction
- Email open rates and click-through rates
- Number of leads
How to achieve this goal
- Organize brainstorming meetings with your team
- Identify your target audience and study their pain points
- Create a content calendar and assign tasks to each team member
- Use a different angle to create content to distinguish yourself from competitors
- Analyze audience behavior and refine your approach
Team building goals
Team building offers a strategic approach to improving how employees function together. I’m a big believer in team building activities to help employees improve their communication skills and their self-esteem.
Yes, you can set employee performance goals based on team building. Here’s how:
Goal
Implement a new conflict resolution framework and improve team conflict resolution skills by the end of the next quarter.
Metrics
Useful options include:
- Pre- and post-training surveys
- Number of documented conflict resolutions
- Manager feedback — conduct informal discussions with team managers to gather their observations
How to achieve this goal
- Choose the proper conflict resolution framework
- integrate the framework into the work environment and promote the use of it
- conduct focus groups to gather employee feedback on the effectiveness of the framework and explore potential refinements
Why Are Performance Goals Important?
Performance goals are the beams that support your success bridge. They give clear direction and ensure everyone is working the same way towards common objectives. This way, every team member will understand their role and can prioritize the right tasks.
Both individual performance goals and team goals are essential because they are complementary. In my career I have noticed that while some employees achieve extraordinary results individually, they struggle to collaborate with colleagues. That’s why working on both of them is essential to reach the company’s goals.
Clear goals serve as motivation, giving employees targets to strive for. Employee goals also provide a basis for feedback and discussions about performance during your weekly team meetings. You’ll improve communication and collaboration, empowering your team’s strength.
Empower Your Team
Setting goals for your team can lead to big wins. With smart planning and the right communication, you’ll be on track to creating a place where everyone wants to do their best.
The right employee performance goals should cover everything from working better together to coming up with new ideas. These examples of employee performance goals are designed to inspire you to create a united and productive team.
So go ahead, set those goals, use the right tools, and watch your team fly high!
