Performance & Development
Goal-Setting Meeting
A goal-setting meeting is where a manager and an employee agree on what the employee will focus on over the coming period and how progress will be measured. Goals that are discussed and understood are far more likely to be reached than goals that are simply handed down. These questions help you connect individual objectives to team priorities, test whether they are realistic and agree on support.
16 questions
When to use this template
- At the start of a performance cycle, such as the beginning of the year, a quarter or a new project.
- When someone joins the team or changes role, once they have had time to understand the context.
- After a change in company or team priorities that makes the previous objectives obsolete.
Questions to ask
Context and priorities
- 01What do you understand to be the team's main priorities for this period?
- 02Which of your current responsibilities matter most to those priorities?
- 03Is there anything in the context that you think I may have missed?
Defining the goals
- 04What do you think you could achieve in this period that would really matter?
- 05What would a good result look like in concrete terms?
- 06How will we both know that the goal has been reached?
Testing feasibility
- 07Which of these goals do you feel is a stretch, and which is comfortable?
- 08What could get in the way of achieving them?
- 09Does your workload leave enough room for these goals alongside your regular work?
Support and resources
- 10What do you need from me to reach these goals?
- 11Which skills or training would help you get there?
- 12Who else do you need to work with, and how can I help make that easier?
Follow-up
- 13How often would you like us to check in on progress?
- 14What should we do if priorities change during the period?
- 15Do you feel clear and comfortable with the goals we have agreed?
- 16What would you like to add before we close?
Tips for a useful conversation
- Prepare two or three draft goals but let the employee propose first; people commit more to goals they helped shape.
- Limit the number of goals: a handful of clear ones works better than a long list.
- Describe each goal by the result expected and the way it will be checked, not only by the activity to carry out.
- Link each goal to a team or company priority so the employee understands why it matters.
- Write the goals down together at the end of the meeting and give a copy to the employee.
Mistakes to avoid
- Handing down goals without discussion and calling it agreement.
- Setting goals so vague that nobody can say whether they were reached.
- Setting goals that depend on resources or decisions the employee does not control.
- Never revisiting the goals when priorities change.
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