Goal meetings are a way to set individualized goals with your employees steeped in energy, intention, and – most importantly – support.
Picture this, you’re a manager and you just finished facilitating a performance review for one of your employees. You think it went great! Everyone is smiling, you hit all the points exactly as you prepared, your active listening would make your therapist proud, maybe you brought in some humor and laughter, and everyone is on the same page. All you have to do now is turn in the paperwork to HR and check this box off until next year.
But what about your employee? They just finished having what is arguably one of the most dreaded conversations of the year. There are movies, TV shows, and infamous memes about the performance review experience. I know, I know, your company is different. However, according to a Gallup research study, Re-engineering Performance Management, Ben Wigert, Ph.D. and Jim Harter, Ph.D. found only two in 10 employees strongly agree that their performance is managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work. Wigert and Harter used data from more than 60 million employees and share that “emerging workplaces are shifting and the future is demanding performance development (vs. performance reviews) that is individualized to an employees’ natural talents, performance needs, and sense of purpose.”
But what if it’s not the performance review we need to re-engineer, but instead add an extra step to make the experience more holistic. When applying a holistic approach, the real fist-bump moment happens after the performance review, when both the manager and employee have had a chance to process the experience, feedback, and when another key player, Training and Development (T&D), enters the scene.
The role of T&D in engineering firms is rapidly growing. The AEC industry increasingly recognizes the value of soft skills (better coined power skills) that these expert individuals bring to their company. This role brings in professionals with backgrounds in human resources, education, or counseling to offer their fresh perspective and expertise in communication and accountability resulting in support for your team and enhancement of your company culture.
According to an article published in Forbes by Jennifer Patterson, “the role of T&D is committed to developing intentional and systematic programs designed to build the skills, knowledge, and competencies necessary for success. This role promotes engagement by actively demonstrating the company’s investment and commitment to its employees.” Patterson explains when employees feel valued and believe leadership is genuinely interested in their growth and development, retention increases, and the team is more productive.
Enter goal meetings. Goal meetings are one-on-one meetings occurring one to two weeks after an employee’s performance review. In these meetings, T&D uses the information directly from the employee’s performance review, and any notes shared by the manager, to help guide the employee to identify one major career goal they would like to achieve within the year. These meetings are personalized, intentional, candid, and encourage a space for the employees to share how they want to move forward from the performance review.
Preparation for the goal meeting should begin during the performance review. Invite T&D to sit in and take notes they can use during the goal meeting.
The goal meeting is broken down into the following topics of discussion, and the T&D facilitator uses their trained skills in coaching and mentoring to help guide the employee through these topics:
- Goal. What is the employee’s professional/career goal for the year?
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Why? Why does the employee want to achieve this specific goal? How does this goal contribute to their purpose as an employee or professional?
For a deeper understanding of the concept of “why,” read Start with Why by Simon Sinek. - Problems that may appear/areas to grow. This is a chance to readdress and identify constructive feedback from the performance review.
- Possible solutions/areas to use strengths. This is T&D’s opportunity to be the employee’s cheerleader! Highlight the positive feedback mentioned in the performance review and strategize how the employee can use their strengths to tackle recurring problems or issues that arise.
- Resources and support. Discuss the resources and support needed that will help the employee achieve their goal. Examples include involvement in professional organizations, continuing education, training and learning styles, mentorship, and creating new communication channels among teammates.
- Monitoring progress. Learn how the employee likes to track progress and what achievement looks like for them. More importantly, find out simple ways to celebrate milestones.
- Task list. Make the goal SMART. Break it down and identify action items and a timeline that is realistic and flexible.
The role of T&D after this meeting is to provide continued support by routine check-ins of encouragement throughout the year, a listening ear about progress, coaching, advocating for the employee in strategic meetings, and researching additional resources and opportunities that will help them achieve their goal. Provide employees with a one-page, simple and visually appealing summary of their answers for them to refer to throughout the year.
The result is an experience that is individualized, success that is defined by the employee, and a culture that actively supports and guides their team not only during the goal meeting but also throughout the employee’s year-long pursuit of their goal. The goal meeting provides T&D, and your company, an insight into where training and support is still needed, roadblocks or bottlenecks among teammates and managers, and a peek at where your company can grow through your employees’ goals for the future.
More importantly, goal meetings create connection that is contagious! The information passes from the employee’s manager and company leadership, thus creating an even larger support team for the employee. Check-ins among the employees and managers are also strengthened with information that doesn’t always present itself in performance reviews, creating meaningful connection. Research from Wigert and Harter found that, “collaborative goal setting boosts intrinsic motivation for the employees because they get to help identify which responsibilities are most meaningful to them.”
Performance reviews may always be something we dread, but goal meetings could be the missing piece that we all need to appreciate our employees’ worth.
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Milly Sordo, M.Ed., is Director of Training and Development at H2B Engineering | Design. Connect with her on LinkedIn. |