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Employee Goal Setting
Improving performance starts with employee goal setting.
Leaders who develop others foster a positive environment that enables employees to become more loyal to the company while they also work toward achieving their long term career goals.
Coaching and developing others is a critical part of leadership.
Since feedback is a critical aspect of performance, how a leader relates with others determines the level of performance they will get from their team.
In the One Minute Manager, Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson address setting performance goals and a method to achieve desired results. The key is providing immediate feedback, which they break down into One-Minute Goals, One-Minute Praisings, and One-Minute Reprimands.
Leadership Development Exercise
Imagine applying these “One Minute” concepts to youth basketball, specifically when teaching a player how to dribble a basketball.
First, goal setting is informing the player the basics of dribbling, such as maintaining a proper stance, bouncing the ball with her fingertips, and keeping her head up in order to see the entire court.
Next, you would demonstrate proper behavior and let the player try. Typically, they will do a great job in one or two areas, but fail to get all three parts correct.
For example, if a player does a great job with stance and dribbling but makes the common mistake of looking at the ball, you might provide feedback on that behavior with:
“Good balance, nice dribble, now keep your head up,”
They’ll make the adjustment and make the correction, but some will lose focus on one of the other requirements, so you might follow with:
“Nice dribble, head up, now keep your balance.”
After enough repetitions, young players begin to piece it all together. Catch them “doing something right” and you will get the performance you desire.
Immediate feedback is critical when we are learning, especially when we don’t know what we don’t know. Equally important are the attitude of the recipient and the individual providing the critique.
A good mentor will provide positive encouragement because they want to convey their genuine interest. When employees feel leadership has their best interest at heart, they are inclined to make corrections and more likely to modify their behavior.
Most people want to perform well and they want to know when they are doing something incorrectly. They want feedback, and they appreciate criticism when it is presented in a positive manner.
Employee goal setting becomes much easier when you provide positive, reinforcing feedback. The more constructive, the better!
Leadership Styles People are different and different situations require different leadership styles. Know when to change. Training Employees Training employees involves setting and achieving goals. Employee Performance Evaluations Leaders who provide continuous feedback to their staff, find employee performance evaluations much less stressful.
Coaching and developing others is a critical part of 