Setting Team Goals

Manager Toolkit


Purpose


Setting goals for your whole team (whether it’s a team of two or twenty-two) sets the stage for a successful year, helps employees make meaning of their work, and can improve productivity and retention:

  • Team goals clarify the broad purpose of the team and why their efforts matter. According the 2017 UCalgary engagement survey, only 62% of respondents understand the relationship between their job and Eyes High. Improving this understanding is a key driver of engagement.
  • Clearly defined team goals make it easier for employees to set their individual goals. With the bigger picture in mind, employees are better equipped to set goals that are aligned with what you want the team to achieve.
  • As a manager, you need a team that is committed and works hard. Employees with an achievable set of goals may exhibit up to 52% more discretionary effort and are up to 55% more likely to stay with the organization (CEB 2015).

While it’s entirely possible to lead a successful team without setting goals, even the most accomplished managers and high performing teams can benefit from this practice.


The Performance Year


Depending on the makeup of your team, you may need to consider both the support staff and MaPS performance years. Your team goals should be achievable within this time frame. 

  • Support Staff (AUPE): April 1 to March 31

  • Management & Professional Staff (MaPS): July 1 to June 30


Using This Guide


By completing the activities in this guide, you will be well on your way to creating a set of goals to which your team can aspire. Throughout this process, there are a few important items to keep in mind:

  • While everything your team does is important, goals must focus on the most high-impact activities in a given year. Writing goals that relate to every function of the team will quickly overwhelm the process.
  • Communication is key. Let your team know in advance you are going to work with them on team and individual goals. Be sure your own supervisor is aware too – their input into the process is an important consideration as well.
  • Be prepared for the unexpected. After settling on your team goals for the year, odds are something new will come your way that becomes a high priority. Be ready to re-align your team goals to account for this. Early in the process, consider which items can be lowered in priority or placed on hold to make room for something new.

The Team Goal-setting Process

Complete the Considering Team Priorities worksheet below. The objective is to broadly consider the purpose and impact of your team in order to select three potential areas of focus for the year. Choosing only three priorities is intended to focus on the most impactful activities your team will undertake. At this early stage, try to stick to only three.

Next, you will use the same approach to solicit insight from your team. The goal is to determine where your team aligns with your vision and where it diverts. This can help you identify areas of focus you hadn’t considered and reinforce ones you have already chosen.

  1. Ask your team to use the Considering Team Priorities worksheet to reflect on how the team adds value, who your stakeholders are, and their top three priority areas for the year. Based on your preference, you can do this during a team meeting, by email, or using a survey tool. Explain this is the first step in setting team goals for the year. Set a deadline – about 2 weeks is recommended.
  2. Compare the results of this exercise with your individual reflection.  What trends do you notice? Do any of the responses stand out in particular?

With your individual reflection and team feedback in hand, it’s time to review with your manager.

  1. Share what you discovered through polling your team. Ask them for their perspective – which goals are particularly important, or are most closely aligned with their vision for the department, faculty, or unit? Are there any items they want to see added?
  2. With this information, prepare a list of team goals, following a similar format we use for individual goals. However, we do not define specific actions or measurements at this point:
    • Give the goal a short title.
    • Describe the objective of the goal and what achieving this goal will mean for your stakeholders.
  3. Schedule a meeting to discuss these refined goals with your team. Explain this next step is to share the first draft of your team goals, following their feedback and a discussion with your manager.

The purpose of this meeting is to review the goals you have drafted and translate them into their final forms.

  1. Share the list of goals you have created – what first impressions do the team have in response?
  2. For each goal, discuss the current state and desired outcome – what actions will be required to accomplish the objective? How will you know you are on track?
  3. Prioritize the list.
  4. Which individuals will be involved in achieving each goal? Who is taking the lead?

Following this meeting, revisit the list of goals and finalize them with the actions and measurements you discussed in the team meeting. Share the final list of goals with the team. Email is good, but putting the goals where everyone can see them is better.

Part 4a: Explore Team Norms

A valuable second step to this phase is discussing team norms – behaviours teammates need to see from one another in order to work at their best. Try facilitating a conversation by asking these questions, collecting the responses, and discussing as a team:

  1. What behaviours are important to how we achieve our priorities and get work done day-to-day?
  2. Why are these norms so important?
  3. What is the impact of sticking to these norms, or if teammates start getting off track?

This discussion may result in a list of team norms that can be referenced when the team encounters adversity, is working on a project, or when working through interpersonal difficulties.

With team goals solidified, the next step is to revisit individual goals to ensure they are aligned with the purpose of the team.

Ask each team member to complete the worksheet below. It asks team member to clarify which team goals they are working toward, how they contribute to the success of the team, and identifies what they need from others to be successful. Note: Depending on the individual accountabilities of team members, it’s likely that not all team members will contribute to all of the team’s goals. 

With these worksheets complete, review them and ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Who on the team is either overstretched or underutilized? To what extent can this be addressed? Speaking to these individuals to learn about their response to the workload is a great place to start.
  2. Are there any individuals who are solely responsible for the success of a team goal? If so, this may be a heavy burden for one person to carry on their own. Check in with them to determine what help or guidance will be helpful.
  3. What can I see regarding individual development opportunities or career interests? To what extent can work be moved around to help people learn and grow in step with their interests?

A natural next step from here is to collaborate further with each team member to ensure their individual goals are aligned to the goals of the team, recorded in their online performance document, and on-track for success.  

With team goals solidified, the next step is to revisit individual goals to ensure they are aligned with the purpose of the team.

Ask each team member to complete the worksheet below. It asks team member to clarify which team goals they are working toward, how they contribute to the success of the team, and identifies what they need from others to be successful. Note: Depending on the individual accountabilities of team members, it’s likely that not all team members will contribute to all of the team’s goals.