c. You can also schedule group reporting meetings where
information about progress is exchanged, not only
between you and the employee, but among employees.
This can be particularly effective in team-based work where
goals are shared among members of a team. Some man-
agers devote a short segment of each staff meeting to this
purpose. Keep in mind that the purpose is to improve per-
formance and to facilitate good communication practices,
not to blame people. Focus on improvement and identify-
ing and removing barriers to performance.
3.Use informal methods for communication about goals.
Some managers prefer less formal means of communicating
about performance goals. Sometimes more formal, sched-
uled methods aren’t necessary. It’s quite possible to have
occasional, short discussions without scheduling them.
Some people refer to this process as “management by walk-
ing around” and the process is simple.
Allocate some of your work time to chatting with
employees in informal ways. Visit with employees and ask
questions: you’ll be amazed at how much you can accom-
plish. Drop by their work stations. Talk at coffee breaks. That
kind of thing can provide great results.
What questions can you ask? It’s good to start with gen-
eral ones. Here are some examples:
■How are things going?
■Is there anything I can do to help you on the [XYZ] project?
■Are you noticing anything that’s slowing down your work
that I can help you with?
■What do you need from me so things will go more
smoothly for you?24
Perfect Phrases for Setting Performance Goals