Setting 2024 Goals and go from Good to GREAT

Written by Stephanie Burford, PHR, HR Manager at Advisor HR.

To exceed expectations, you must be different. If you do the same thing as everyone else, you’ll have the same impact as everyone else. Is that bad? No, absolutely not. There is nothing wrong with meeting expectations. But, if you want exceed expectations on the next performance review, you must find a way to differentiate yourself that allows you to make a bigger impact than those around you.

What makes one team better than another in the national championship game? What makes a valedictorian different than a student on the honor roll? What allows one employee to be promoted over another? To be great, you must separate yourself from the rest by identifying expectations, establishing a plan, holding yourself accountable, and executing above and beyond the expectations of your manager.

The beginning of the year is a great time to review last year’s performance, provide feedback, and establish goals for the new year. Goals are important because they:

1. Define expectations for the year and ensure they are aligned with both the manager and bottom line.

2. Allow the opportunity for both personal and professional development conversations. If there is something you are looking to accomplish or need more support in a specific area, it’s a great time to bring up that topic.

Goals can change throughout the year. What you may have planned to focus on in the beginning of the year may be different from what’s expected from you in the middle or end of the year and that’s completely fine. Goals can be changed, modified, or updated at any point if it has been agreed upon between you and your manager.

Most people are aware of the SMART goal concept:

- S – Specific

- M – Measurable

- A – Assignable

- R – Realistic

- T – Time Based

While the SMART method is a good method to help create your goals, if everyone is using the SMART goal theory, you’ll have similar goals to everyone on your team. If you want to exceed expectations, you’ll need to gain an edge. The GREAT method provides that extra edge allowing you to differentiate yourself.

- Go Big - This is taking something the extra mile allowing objectives to go above and beyond what is expected.

- Result Driven – Identify the end result and indicate specific measures on how the goal will be accomplished (quantity, quality, time frame, percentages, etc.). It should fit into the overall strategy and align with the bottom line.

- Endorsed – Goals should be aligned and supported by top management before executing.

- Action Oriented – Create a plan that carries out the objectives. Be specific about how they support the larger goal.

- Tailor as Needed – Goals change all the time. Ensure goals are aligned with your focus. If anything changes, start the process over again.

Setting goals is a vital part of the success of an organization. Being clear on expectations though the exercise of goal setting allows employees to be held accountable for the outcomes of their performance without any surprises. Those who follow the GREAT method while crafting goals and executing them accordingly are the difference between a good and great employee.

Interested in streamlining your organization’s performance management process? Advisor HR offers a Share and Perform performance management platform allowing clients to create a customized review process. If you would like to learn more, book a demo today!