Management: Setting Targets

Management: Setting Targets

The success or failure of any organisation relies on the performance of its employees at all levels. A key responsibility in almost any management role is setting targets for employees.

Targets should be realistic, but challenging and should be made with the wider goals of the team and the overall organisation in mind.

How targets are communicated, set and managed can play a huge role in your team’s accomplishments.

Here are some key points to consider for setting targets...

Don’t Set Targets Too High or Too Low

Any targets you set should be achievable, but if targets are set too low your employees may consider their role as not challenging enough, additionally you should try to get the best results possible from your team; Setting targets that play to their strengths and that fully utilise their skills.

On the other hand setting targets that your employees cannot achieve risks damaging team morale.

Ideally you should look to set targets that challenge your team and that they have to work hard to achieve, while making sure that you are realistic in your expectations.

Set Targets That are Measurable

When setting targets, you should ensure that you clearly define the measures for success or failure.

When communicating targets to employees you should make sure that they are completely clear on how their performance will be measured for each target.

This will help them to keep track of their performance as they work towards achieving targets and will also mean that there is something tangible to focus on when you come to assess each employee’s success or failure later on. Setting KPI’s that can be regularly reviewed and discussed with employees is a great way to ensure that they stay on course to reach their target.

Agree Targets With Team Members

Communication plays a key part in ensuring that targets are set appropriately.

While it is the manager’s job to set targets and review success, it is also important to have a dialogue with your employee to ensure that they are comfortable with all that is expected of them.

If an employee feels that they might require additional training for example in order to reach a target, it is better to address this early on, before you have set them a goal that they otherwise may not achieve.

Show That You Are Confident

When discussing targets and setting KPI’s with your team members, you should let them know that you are confident in their ability to achieve them.

After all, if you didn’t think that they had the ability to achieve their targets then you wouldn’t be setting them; this is an important fact that many managers do not share with their employees.

By showing confidence in your team, they will look at their targets as a chance to prove you right and show that your confidence in them was not misplaced.

Don’t Set Targets In Stone

While targets play a big part in the structure of a team’s workload and overall goals, you should take them into account whenever changes arise that might affect individuals in your team.

For example, if a member of your team leaves and their workload has to be reallocated, it may be necessary to review the targets that your employees are working to in order to address this.

Always be mindful of the targets your employees are working to, and take them into account when introducing new projects or increasing the workload of a team member.

Give Detailed Feedback

As your team works towards its targets it is vital to ensure that you review and evaluate their performance. Keeping track of your team’s performance and holding regular one on one meetings to discuss their performance is vital to ensuring that they are on the right path to meeting their targets.

Some managers only hold meetings like this when an employee is failing on their way to a target, but it is important to meet with team members regardless of this – to give praise to those who are doing well, or to identify any problems that they might be having that could otherwise be missed.

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The Group is divided into specialist businesses, with each one aligned to one of the following market sectors, Finance, Retail, Public Sector, Not for Profit or in an area of technology such as testing, analytics, ERP or digital. These are augmented by other businesses specialising in services which span the various vertical niches - such as recruitment outsourcing or executive search and selection.

As specialists in contract, permanent IT and analytics recruitment, the InterQuest Group trades as distinctly branded, individual, specialist recruitment businesses.