Goal-setting gives managers and staff a structured opportunity to define what success means and map how you’ll get there.
Effective goal-setting connects team strategy to individual goals, brings purpose and clarity to each person’s work, and helps you conspire and align. Done well, effective goals help your team stay focused, track progress throughout the year, and adapt to challenges.
Use the goal-setting email template below to kick off your goal-setting cycle. This template can help you communicate:
- the importance of goal-setting
- what you’ll discuss as a team and when
- how you will develop team and individual goals
- specific deadlines
- how you’ll use goals throughout the year.
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Sample Goal-Setting Email Template
Subject: Setting our goals for 20XX!
Hi team,
I’m excited to get started on our annual goal-setting process. Goal-setting helps us build clarity, alignment, and accountability for the year ahead. With clear “North Star” goals, we’ll be better able to:
- get on the same page about our purpose and strategy
- stay aligned on the work, even if we bump into roadblocks
- achieve great results individually and as a team
- enable greater autonomy over projects or areas of work
- make decisions about where we spend our time, energy, and resources
- boost shared appreciation and accountability by getting clear on what each team/person is responsible for
To kick off this process, let’s meet on [DATE and TIME].
- First, we’ll look at what we aim to accomplish as a team in the coming year. I’ll be seeking your perspective to shape our broadest goals.
- Then, you’ll have time to identify how you can advance our team goals within your role and start brainstorming individual goals and concrete markers we can use to measure success.
The aim of this first meeting is to get something down on paper so we have a starting point for later discussion. I’ll work with people individually over the coming weeks to hash out specific goals.
I expect the overall goal-setting process will take place from [DATE to DATE].
Then, let’s plan to have finalized goals by [date]. Once goals are set, we’ll use them throughout the year to help us stay focused and prioritize. We’ll also refer back to them during quarterly stepbacks, where we’ll measure and track progress to goals.
Looking forward to goal-setting together soon!
Best
[Your name]
How to Communicate the Importance of Goal-Setting
As a leader, it’s your job to set your team up for success with clearly defined goals. Before you facilitate the goal-setting process, communicate why goals are important for your work and how they factor into performance evaluations and organizational success.
Here are some best practices:
Dig into the why
Communicate the purpose of goals: to bring clarity, focus, and shared purpose to your work. You might share how goals:
- help you decide how to use limited time, energy, and resources
- give each person more autonomy and ownership to drive projects within their role
- support each person/team to design ambitious and realistic workloads
- ensure more equitable outcomes and great results using the SMARTIE framework
Explain the process
Share the purpose, outcome, and process (POP) for each step in your goal-setting season. For example, your POP for the first meeting might be:
- Purpose: to kick off team and individual goal-setting
- Outcome: align on team priorities for the year; get rough ideas for goals down on paper
- Process: discuss what we want to achieve as a team, share input, start brainstorming individual goals in relation to team goals
Name how you’ll support your team to refine and finalize their individual goals after the initial meeting.
Seek staff and middle manager’s input
In your kickoff email, share how and when you’ll discuss goals as a team. Plan to use that time to seek perspective. Discuss your team strategies and priorities for the year, and how their roles fit in.
If you notice resistance to goal-setting, ask questions to understand where hesitation or disengagement may be coming from. You could ask:
- Regarding workload: “I want to make sure our goals are challenging without being overwhelming. What concerns do you have about the scope, and how can we ensure they feel both ambitious and achievable for you?”
- Regarding clarity of priorities: “I want to ensure we’re all aligned. What questions do you have about why we are focusing on these specific priorities right now, and is there anything about the why that still feels unclear?”
- Regarding ownership: “How do you feel these goals impact the work you drive day-to-day? Are there areas where you’re worried about losing ownership of your work, and how can we factor that in or address that?”
- Regarding resources: “As you look at these goals, what support or specific resources do you need to be successful?”
- Regarding PTRs: “I know we have established traditions for how we set goals. How do you feel about our current process, and is there anything you’d like to adjust so it works better for you or your team?”
Be specific about deadlines
Set a specific deadline to finalize goals so everyone can begin planning their work for the year. You can always revise goals later, in response to new information or changing circumstances.
Discuss progress at regular intervals
Don’t set and forget your goals! Reference them throughout the year as you make decisions, prioritize, and keep work on track. Plan regular individual or team check-ins and let your team know what to expect (e.g., quarterly stepbacks) to celebrate success and monitor progress toward goals.
Use our Goals Stepback Worksheet during one-on-one check-ins, or our Red Light, Green Light Tracking Tool to track progress across org-wide, team, and individual goals.
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