Test Your HRI IQ: Do You Know How to Set Goals?

Choose the best answer for each category.

  1. Dollars & Sense
    1. Goal setting should always be tied to tangible financial outcomes.
    2. Goal setting should consider financial outcomes, while recognizing that some goals may not lend themselves to quantifiable financial results.
    3. If a goal doesn’t produce financial results, for business purposes it’s not a goal.
    4. If you explore a goal’s outcome from every angle, you will always come up with some kind of financial impact.
  1. Strike a Balance
    1. Goal setting should include the personal as well as the professional.
    2. Goals should include every aspect of your life.
    3. Goal setting is a business task. Period.
    4. When sharing goals with your manager, you should share only those goals s/he will support.
  1. Smells like Team Spirit
    1. Goals should never be “I” oriented.
    2. If you don’t mention the team in your goals you may find yourself no longer a member.
    3. Goals should focus on your contribution to the team and the organization.
    4. It’s okay to assign goals to your coworkers.
  1. Dream Big
    1. Goal setting offers an opportunity to reach for the stars; if you can dream it, you can do it.
    2. The more goals the better; quantity equates to ambition.
    3. Goals should be realistic and achievable.
    4. Goal setting is the perfect time to ask for a promotion.
  1. The Party Line
    1. Your goals should completely align with the organization’s objectives, especially if you want to keep your job.
    2. Goal setting provides an opportunity to review the organization’s objectives and see how you fit into the big picture.
    3. Even if you aren’t interested in achieving a particular department objective, you should list it as a top goal.
    4. When setting goals, tell your boss what s/he wants to hear; nobody pays attention to goals anyway.

Answers

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  1. Dollars & Sense

B. Goal setting should consider financial outcomes, while recognizing that some goals may not lend themselves to quantifiable financial results.

If you can assign a dollar value to a goal, great. But don’t ignore a goal that’s important to you, and potentially valuable to the organization, simply because you can’t tie it to financial outcome.

  1. Strike a Balance

A. Goal setting should include the personal as well as the professional.

Keep in mind that personal and professional goals often overlap. As an example, perhaps you would like to learn French. Although you may not see how it would be relevant to your position, your boss might and s/he can help you make the connection. However, not every aspect of your life should be shared. For example, your boss doesn’t need to know that your personal goals for 2013 include joining online dating sites in order to find true love and learning how to brew beer.

  1. Smells like Team Spirit

C.   Goals should focus on your contribution to the team and the organization.

The key word here is “your”; goal setting is about you. Yes, your planned contributions may have to consider others; however, you should focus on your objectives.

  1. Dream Big

 C. Goals should be realistic and achievable.

Goal setting isn’t the time to indulge your fantasies or ego. And, as far as asking for a promotion, it’s advisable to set realistic and achievable goals, meet those goals, and then ask for a promotion.

  1. The Party Line

B.   Goal setting provides an opportunity to review the organization’s objectives and see how you fit into the big picture.

Remember, goal setting is about you. As such, it’s the perfect time to take a look at where you’re at, in the organization and in your career, and determine if you’re on a path that’s right for you. If not, goal setting can sometimes help you get back on track. The last thing you want to do is list goals that aren’t of interest, even if they are department priorities or what you think your boss wants to hear. This will lead you down a path to a job you’ll grow to hate—and you certainly don’t want to go there. [/box]