How to help your team set their annual performance goals (even when you’re swamped)
Let’s be honest—goal setting can feel like a tick-box exercise.
Between deadlines, client work, and keeping the team afloat, those annual performance goals often gather dust until review time.
Here’s the thing though: clear, meaningful goals really do improve performance and job satisfaction. But only if they’re done right.
If you’re a manager trying to coach your team through goal setting, here’s a practical, real-world approach you can use—even in the middle of a busy quarter.
1. Help them make the goal meaningful
Generic goals like “develop leadership skills” or “run successful projects” don’t inspire action. Your job is to help your team connect the goal to something that matters to them.
Try asking:
– What’s the dream behind this goal?
– What would achieving this allow you to do more of (or less of)?
– What would be different if this happened?
If they can’t find a reason that lights them up, they won’t follow through.
2. Help them make it memorable
The goal should stick in their head—not yours. Ask them to describe it in a way that resonates personally.
Try:
– What word or phrase sums this up for you?
– What would make this unforgettable?
– What does it remind you of?
One client of mine set the goal “What would Jacinda do?”—her way of remembering the former New Zealand Prime Ministers ability to lead with kindness in touch situations. It worked for her, and that’s what matters.
3. Help them make it measurable
Even if the goal’s not numbers-based, it can still be tracked. Try a classic coaching question such as:
How will you know when you’ve achieved this?
Or use scaling:
On a scale of 1–10, where are you now?
Where do you want to be by year-end?
Use this scale in check-ins to celebrate progress and course-correct.
4. Ask what support they need
It’s their goal not yours. That means making them responsible for what they need from you.
Try:
– What support would you like from me?
– Where else can you get support?
– How should we check in on this?
But Jude, I’m swamped, I don’t have time for this!
I hear you. Send your team these questions ahead of your meeting and get them starting thinking before they meet with you. I promise you it will cut the time down drastically!
Try it and let me know
How confident do you feel to try this with your team? Hit reply and let me know! I’d love to hear how it goes.
