Ah, January. The time of year where we set many goals, including performance objectives. Whether you have a formal or informal process, setting S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) objectives will ensure the employer and employee both understand what is being measured.

For instance, an objective “Grow sales in the area” is not very specific.

A SMART objective would read:

In 2016 (time-bound), grow sales in the San Francisco region (specific) by 5% (measurable and achievable) by establishing new relationships and fostering existing relationships (relevant to business needs). This can be elaborated further to include an action plan to grow these relationships.

This objective is clear, concise and gives the employee and employer a goal that is not ambiguous. When December rolls around, the two can sit down and easily determine if the 5% target was met through the action plan they created.

Post by: Lynn McIlwee