As a manager, what do you do if, after working hard with your employee to set goals at the beginning of the year, it’s no longer clear that those targets are still worth pursuing? Perhaps your employee has achieved a goal and needs a new challenge, or the organization’s objectives have changed. Meet with the employee to review the existing goals and plans. These three questions can help guide your discussion and reassess the targets:
- Are the goals still realistic, given any changes in resources or constraints?
- Are they still timely? Is now the best time to achieve them?
- Are they still relevant? Do they still align with the company’s strategy?
Depending on the answers, you may need to change only a single goal, replacing it with a new one — but in some cases, the entire plan might need to shift. Work collaboratively with your direct report to come up with new goals that are achievable and important to the organization.
Adapted from the HBR Guide to Performance Management
