Be Goals, Do Goals
FOCUSING ON WHAT MATTERS MOST |
Are you a finisher? Do you love the feel of completing a task and checking it off your list? Goal completion is a strong human motivator. Yet, writing significant goals that have a positive impact on the work environment can be tough. Here's a framework to consider the next time you begin to draft goals.
Goals fall into two categories: "be" goals and "do" goals.
"Be" goals are goals that define an expectation for how the employee is to act. Goals that describe how we want the employee to "be" are behavioral. Examples of "be" goals include:
� Provide helpful customer service to each citizen who comes to the counter. � Arrive to work by 8:00 a.m. each morning. � Wear your personal protective equipment at all times on the jobsite.
Because "be" goals describe how you want the person to behave, they are on-going and often very difficult to measure. When you describe how you expect an employee to perform the work the outcome is often a general description of your expectations. "Be" goals are usually expressed in your policies, procedures, and other documentation. Generally "be" goals apply to anyone in the job, rather than to a specific individual. As a result, they are usually not very exciting.
Instead of developing "be" goals, focus on writing "do" goals. "Do" goals define specific outcomes and are easily measured. "Do" goals are observable and establish a clear path for the employee to follow. Examples of "do" goals are:
� Conduct all required preventive maintenance activities on the ABC pump each month and document the completion of the work in the monthly log.
� Research available electronic payment systems and write a report on your findings, including recommendations for moving forward by April 30.
� Write a procedure manual for the establishment of new clients and present it to the team for approval by August 15.
While "be" goals can be developed as specific, measurable, and time-focused, they are often so general that they do not challenge the employee to complete something tangible. To more fully motivate employees with your goal-setting process, focus on drafting "do" goals that challenge them to produce a concrete result.
When goals are developed with employee input and sufficiently challenge the employee to produce something "real," the goals have done their job.
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We are proud to announce our new partnership with the Alliance for Innovation.
The Alliance for Innovation is an international network of progressive governments and partners committed to transforming local government by accelerating the development and dissemination of innovations. The Alliance seeks out innovative practices, challenges existing business models, exchanges knowledge, and provides products and services that help member agencies perform at their best. Together with their partners, International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and Arizona State University (ASU), the Alliance promotes excellence in local government and builds a community of practice in local government innovation. Visit www.transformgov.org for more information about the Alliance.
The Management Education Group, Inc. is excited to support the efforts of the Alliance and looks forward to contributing to Alliance programs in order to foster new approaches to public sector workforce management.
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Final Footnotes NEWS & EVENTS FROM MANAGEMENT EDUCATION GROUP, INC.
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The 2011 IPMA-HR Arizona State Conference will be held Wednesday, April 13th in Phoenix. This year's theme is "Marching the HR Profession Forward" and I'll be speaking on The Emerging Public Workforce.
I'll also be in Portland for the Western Region IPMA-HR Conference April 27-29, 2011.
Want to follow my travels? Check out our online calendar and say hello when I'm in your area!
Sincerely,
Marnie Green, IPMA-CP Principal Consultant
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