In setting objectives I have always tried to find win-win objectives; if only the company benefit the individual feels devalued and if the individual is the only beneficiary the company get miffed!
I look at three areas:
- In my own role is there anything I could do differently? (note not necessarily better, more efficiently or at a saving)
- In the wider organisation is there something I could contribute to a system or process that currently doesn't work well - eg is there a bottleneck in the current month end procedures that I could help to address?
- Is there something I could contribute (skill/knowledge/new system) that the organisation doesn't currently have?
The best example I can give of this last category from personal experience was a team of secretaries who each saved their own files using a numerical system (which required an index), they archived to floppy disc at month end and documents were inaccessible to their colleagues in the event of illness or holiday - result a tangled web of documents and shared account access (nightmare!). I suggested a Document Management System (before they existed) and led a team in putting a system in place, rolling it out and training/helpdesking it. 5 years later it was still consistently in use by 100 staff members having originally been intended for 20!
It is important to bear in mind that this is an annual process and so it is better to set objectives that can be done well and achieved within the year, rather than being over ambitious.
For anyone who isn't familiar with objective setting they also need to be SMART
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
Hope this helps you make a start Gee
Best wishes
Cathy
