With everything you juggle as a supervisor, it’s easy to fall into a rut of viewing the performance management of your team as completing an annual review form and a once-yearly review of upcoming goals. However, taking the time to examine the potential opportunities within the Performance Excellence process can lead to significantly higher yields, both in the short and long term — for you, your team, and the university.
A primary goal of Performance Excellence should be to connect individuals to the organization’s greater purpose and help develop employees to better achieve the university’s goals. Although perhaps requiring a more significant investment of time upfront, creating a unifying vision for your team and establishing regular, ongoing check-in sessions to align goals will then serve as a touchstone for all performance evaluation and planning sessions.
Here are some tips and best practices to better align the goals and priorities of your team with the strategic objectives of your unit and MSU’s strategic plan.
1. Create a unit vision statement.
If your unit doesn’t already have a shared vision, now is a great time to formalize this and bring your team on board. Consider creating a one-page plan to outline your unit’s initiatives and the alignment of resources (i.e., time, people, funding) to achieve results and align with this vision.
Ask yourself:
- Why does our unit exist?
- What do we do that helps the university achieve the overarching strategic priorities?
- How do we know we are successful?
2. Communicate, communicate, communicate.
As a supervisor, you should regularly communicate your unit’s vision to your team, both one-on-one and as a whole team. Ensure that everyone is fully aware of the vision, its meaning, and why it matters to them.
3. Help employees understand how their work impacts the vision.
When we can clearly connect our daily work with a larger picture of the unit’s and the university’s goals and objectives, job satisfaction and productivity almost always improve. Employees should be able to see how their individual contributions are critical to the university’s continued growth and success.
4. Have your employees consider goals and priorities for themselves that align with the unit’s vision.
Allow your team to take ownership of their goals, prioritizing what’s important to them about their work, while understanding that some employees may require more guidance and support with this process than others. Goals should be clear and measurable — think SMART and HARD goals — with a clear connection to your unit’s vision statement.
5. Ensure an ongoing feedback loop is maintained.
Aligning the goals and efforts of an individual with the larger team and organization cannot be a “one and done” activity. Regular, ongoing communication via one-on-one check-ins provides brief but powerful opportunities to touch base on objectives, realign priorities, and clarify expectations. Strive to provide prompt, actionable feedback to your team, tying everything back to your unit’s vision and ensuring each person understands how their work contributes to the bigger picture.
Additional resources to support you through this process can be found below, and HR’s Organization and Professional Development department is available at avphr.hrdmail@msu.edu if you would like further information or guidance.
Related Resources
MSU Performance Excellence: Supervisor Tips and Tools (Collection of resources including sample goals for different roles, goal-setting tips, and conversation starters for high performance)
Instructor-led OPD Workshops
HR SourceLive Blog Posts
- Adapting Your Goal-Driven Approach During Times of Change
- Common Work-Related Goals with Resources to Help You Achieve Them
- Leadership Blog Series: Performance Excellence During Periods of Uncertainty and Transition
- What’s Your Plan: Six Steps to Align Your Goals with What’s Important to You
Sources
https://www.rhythmsystems.com/blog/how-the-best-ceos-align-employees-with-company-goals