• Managers are responsible for driving the best performance out of their staff while still developing individuals professionally.
• Micromanaging tasks is an ineffective, inefficient way to get things done and keep employees engaged at the same time.
• Both managers and employees view goal setting as a cumbersome process that never materializes in day-to-day work.
• Without a consistent and agile goal-setting environment that pervades every day, managers risk low productivity and disengaged employees.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

• Effective performance management occurs throughout the year, on a daily and weekly basis, not just at annual performance review time. Managers must embrace this reality and get into the habit of setting agile short-term goals to drive productivity.
• Employee empowerment is one of the most significant contributors to employee engagement, which is a proven performance driver. Short-term goal setting, which is ultimately employee-owned, develops and nurtures a strong sense of employee empowerment.
• Micromanaging employee tasks will get managers nowhere quickly. Putting in the effort to collaboratively define goals that benefit both the organization and the employee will pay off in the long run.
• Goal setting should not be a cumbersome activity, but an agile, rolling habit that ensures employees are focused, supported, and given appropriate feedback to continue to drive performance.

Impact and Result

• Managers who have daily meetings to set goals are 17% more successful in terms of employee performance than managers who set goals annually.
• Managers must be agile goal-setting role models, or risk over a third of their staff being confused about productivity expectations.
• Managers that allow tracking of goals to be an inhibitor to goal setting are most likely to have a negative effect on employee performance success. In fact, tracking goals should not be a priority in the short-term.