Career TOOLBOX #27: Five Ways to Set Your 2014 Job Goals

5 Ways to Set Them Now. (You’ll Thank Yourself Later.)

During the first few months of the year, corporate executives push down company goals to senior managers who, in turn, push them down on their employees. The idea is that the lower-ranking staff accomplishments roll up the hierarchy and that by the end of the year the company achieves its fiscal objectives.

Some firms have developed fantastic goal forms and processes. How do you know they’re good? They’re simple. As one senior executive once shared to a room full of people, “If you’re working on more than three high-level projects then your bosses aren’t managing you correctly.”

This comment made his direct reports very nervous.

Unfortunately, most organizations, whether for profit or not have a difficult time prioritizing and focusing, instead stressing everything is urgent. This creates chaos. And, unless employees are smart on how they co-write their annual goals, twelve months from now, they’ll create even more chaos.

So, before you sign off on someone else’s vision of your progress, stop and think through things.

Here are five things you can do now that will help you later:

1. Share – Collaborate with your boss on setting your goals so that you know, up front, what is expected of you. This includes knowing what the company is trying to achieve and how you play a part in that.

2. Simplify – If your boss isn’t good at knowing what’s important and what isn’t, delicately help him or her get there. It’s a nuanced dance, so position your thoughts in a respectful manner. Listen more. Talk less.

3. Show – What does success look like? For you? For your department? For the company? The less words and the more objective these achievements can be stated upfront the less subjective ambiguity you’ll experience come review time.

4. Stretch – Ask your boss for a stretch goal. Again, be specific. If it’s leadership, then have you met the goal by attending a related course or by leading a team through a complex project? How will you and your boss know it has happened and within what time frame does it need to occur?

5. Save – Document your high-level contributions. Either on a weekly or monthly basis, keep a log of how what you’re doing is rolling up to your goals. Keep this on-going list in a format that doesn’t belong to the company — either on your own personal smart phone or in a journal. This will be your supporting evidence when meeting with your boss.

At the end of the year – or during the 6-month mid-year review – you will be better prepared to not just defend your contributions but, also, to prove that you met or even exceeded the bar originally set. Don’t forget, firms are not incented to give you a favorable job review because divisions and departments have fixed budgets for annual raises and bonuses. But you can do your part to show up. Not just for them, but, more importantly, for yourself.

First published in January, 2014.

Reprinted with permission and gratitude from CoolCleveland.com.