A Manager’s Guide to Helping Employees Set and Achieve Goals

Effective managers understand that setting goals isn’t just something that happens during an employee’s annual formal performance evaluation. They understand that it is an ongoing process of coaching and mentoring that helps employees to set expectations and improve performance, thus increasing their engagement level within the organization.

Role of the Manager
The organization’s core strategy should drive the goals for each department, which then flow down to each employee’s contributions to achieving those goals. Meaning that organizational goals should be agreed upon, then rolled down to each department for achievement, and then rolled down one more time to employees who through their jobs contribute to both the department and the organization’s goal achievement. The role of a manager is to coach employees towards setting meaningful goals that relate to the essential duties and responsibilities of their jobs that have a direct impact upon the department and the organization as a whole.

The Performance Evaluation Process
Managers often accomplish goal setting with employees through a formal performance evaluation process. Through this process, a manager will assist the employee with setting their individual job goals that align with their job and the core strategy of both the department and the organization. They will continue by providing ongoing coaching and feedback, celebrating achievements along the way, or charting a path for improvement through training or mentoring when needed, and then acknowledging when goals are achieved.

Effective coaching starts off with a basic conversation with the employee, where a manager reviews the employee’s current essential duties and responsibilities, the strengths of the employee, and the skills they utilize to complete the essential duties and responsibilities of their job. During this conversation, managers should gather feedback from the employee as to what is working and what may be improved upon. This includes a discussion about what the employee would like to accomplish in their role within the organization, resources that they may need to be better in their job, skills that may need to be developed, and the employee’s long-term goals with regards to their career development. From this information, the goal setting process is derived.

Definition of a Goal
A goal is a desired result or outcome that an employee or the organization aims to achieve.  At their core, goals are achieved by giving employees direction, motivation, and a sense of purpose, by aligning their daily tasks with an organization’s strategy, fostering skills development, increasing engagement, and by creating accountability, leading to better performance, higher satisfaction, and improved overall retention.

Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals
S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym that stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. This framework develops goals that provide focus, direction, sets expectations, and establishes clear criteria that leads to the success of the employee in the workplace. S.M.A.R.T. goals should be structured as follows:

  • S – Specific: Goals must be as specific as possible. Employees need to clearly define what they want to accomplish. This may be accomplished by asking “who, what, where, why and how” questions. One example of this is an employee desiring to obtain a certification relative to their job so they may complete a specific task more effectively.
  • M – Measurable: Once an employee has defined the goal they want to achieve, they must develop a way to measure how the outcome is to be achieved. Using the previous example, once the employee obtains the certification and applies the knowledge obtained, they may measure how successfully a task is completed using quantitative metrics.
  • A – Achievable: Successful goals are realistic and attainable. If an employee sets a goal that is too lofty and they are unable to achieve the goal, this may lead to low morale.
  • R – Relevant: Ensure that S.M.A.R.T. goals align with the employee’s job, the department’s objectives, and the organization’s overall strategy. If an employee wants to obtain a specific certification, it should also align with both the department and organization’s strategic goals in order for it to beneficial for the employee, the department, and the organization.
  • T – Time-bound: Managers should set a clear deadline to help keep employees on track and assess if the goal has been met, or if more time is needed. Setting a reasonable deadline to complete a certification is an example of it being time-bound.

While S.M.A.R.T. goals offer a defined framework for employees, if done incorrectly, they may cause employees to lose sight of the big picture, or they may put too much stress on the employee, leading to frustration. Managers may combat this by assisting employees in setting and achieving realistic goals, providing clarity and focus as to what to prioritize; assisting employees in exploring what their intrinsic motivation is and how to align this with both their job, the department, and the organization; providing accountability, and the means to measure progress; and motivating employees to improve and develop new skills.

Goals are more than just filler items on a performance evaluation. They are about designing a professional journey that aligns with who the employee is and who they want to become benefitting both the employee, the department, and the organization.

For additional information on a manager’s guide to helping employees set and achieve goals, please contact us at www.newfocushr.com.

Written by:

  • Imani Murphy, MSM, SHRM-SCP
    Sr. HR Consultant
    12/11/2025

Sources:

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