1. The SMARTER Approach to Goal Setting
S—Specific: state what needs to be accomplished, how it should be accomplished, and where, when, and with whom it should be accomplished.
M—Measurable: describe how much (quantity), how well (quality), and at what cost the goal should be achieved.
A—Achievable: goals should be challenging without being so difficult that employees lose their motivation to achieve them.
R—Relevant: the goal needs to be relevant to the individual’s job and within his or her control.
T—Time-framed: need to specify when the goal should be completed or when it will be assessed.
E—Exciting: support employee commitment to (not just compliance with) the goal, such as by linking to the individual’s growth needs and through involvement in the goal process.
R—Reviewed: provide ongoing feedback about goal progress and attainment.
The SMARTER acronym helps you remember important characteristics of goals and the goal setting process. What aspect of SMARTER is most difficult to gain from employees and why?
2. What is meant by delegating decision making? Briefly discuss one benefit to delegating. Further, there are barriers that can prevent you from delegating originating with you, the members of your team, and the situation. Briefly discuss three barriers (one from each of those sources) and what you would do to overcome these barriers, in general.