Performance Goals to Fill the Gaps

One of the common problems that new supervisors experience is no clear, strong sense whether their employees are really being effective or not.  The first step toward solving this problem is to establish clear performance goals.

Some people have a strong negative reaction toward setting goals because they fear goals as “the law” that must be maintained and never broken.  Some people fear they will not achieve the goals.  Others have disdain for goals because goals seem to take the “heart” out of their work.

Goals can be established for a variety of reasons, for example, to overcome performance problems, qualify for future jobs and roles, take advantage of sudden opportunities that arise and/or give direction to training plans.

Performance gaps are identified during the employee performance management process.  Ideally, performance gaps are addressed by performance improvement plans.  In these plans, goals are established to improve performance and may include increased effort on the part of the employee, support from the supervisor, and certain training and resources to assist the employee in their development.  Dedicated employees can greatly appreciate having specific performance goals for them to achieve in order to keep their jobs, verify their competence to their supervisor and accomplish overall professional development.

Growth gaps are identified during career planning.  Employees perceive certain areas of knowledge and skills that they would like to accomplish in order to qualify for certain future roles and positions.  Employees often appreciate having clear-cut goals that mark what they need to do to advance in their careers.

Opportunity gaps are identified when a sudden opportunity arises for the employee.  If the employee is highly interested in taking advantage of the opportunity, then he or she will appreciate knowing exactly what they need to accomplish to grab the opportunity.

Training gaps are identified when hiring a new employee, during employee performance management, or career planning.  Gaps are usually in terms of knowledge, skills, or abilities.  Training plans can be designed with clear-cut training goals to give direction to the employee and the trainer.