Time for Annual feedback and Goal Settings?

" It was December second week.

When I entered office, every one was deep in thoughts and keep typing, burying their heads in their laptops.

I was wondering, what happened, any production issues????

I silently sat on my chair, and opened mailbox, expecting a bunch of escalation emails, on the production issue…

But to my surprise there was NONE! My Inbox was calm.

I slowly inclined to my neighbors seat, and asked, “Hey, lets have the morning coffee? “

He said, “ no, no, I don’t have time… Have to finish this… “?

I was thinking, “he never miss an opportunity to step out of desk and have a break… what happened to him…? “

He then asked me “ Have you finished your Goal settings and feedback update? Today is the last day! “

If you are an IT professional, this scenario might sound very familiar... !

Filling up your feedback against what you did, to achieve the assigned Goals,

How much you accomplished, What are the new Goals you have for the coming year...

It's like a mandatory-look-back to your performance!

Some people like this activity, some does not… Some feels it annoying to list down what all they did… some are good in this, they narrate very well in the feedbacks, without missing even the small thing they did…

But mostly, everyone do this activity with an expectation...

The expectation that, this will bring me good appraisal / promotion.

[ if your company follows annual feedback falling in December, this is your last quarter to show up, achieve your goals and highlight that... so, read this article and hurry up to take action! ]

If Goal settings and feedback process makes you stressful, here are few ways you can try, to ease that process, reflect well in goal feedback, and make yourself eligible for that expected outcome.

1.??Analyze the Goal

Before you start the goal-setting and feedback process, it's essential to have a clear understanding of the goals assigned to you. Take the time to read through each goal carefully. This involves:

Clarification: If you have any doubts or need more information about the goals, don't hesitate to seek clarification from your manager or supervisor. It's crucial to have a complete and accurate understanding of what's expected of you.

Identify Resources: Determine the resources, skills, and support you might need to accomplish each goal successfully.

2. Analyze Your Activities

To provide effective feedback and set meaningful goals, reflect on your activities and accomplishments throughout the year. This can include:

Review of Achievements: Identify both individual and team accomplishments.

Challenges Faced: Acknowledge any challenges, obstacles, or setbacks you encountered during the year.

Skill Development: Assess your skill development and personal growth during the year. Highlight areas where you've improved and areas that may still need attention.

3. Matching up Your Actions with Goals

This step involves aligning your year-long activities with the goals assigned to you. You can try these:

Cross-reference: Compare your achievements and activities with the objectives of each goal. Identify instances where your actions contributed directly to the goal's progress.

Note Discrepancies: If there are areas where your actions didn't contribute to the goals as expected, consider why this happened. You can highlight this in your feedback, which may be counted as achievement in another view point.

Identify Successes: Highlight specific achievements that directly relate to the goals. This will be valuable in providing evidence of your contributions during the feedback process.

4. Re-evaluating

Detail-oriented feedback and goal settings are crucial. In this step consider:

Comprehensive Evaluation: Re-evaluate your year-long activities meticulously. Pay attention to even the smallest actions and contributions you made.

Documentation: Keep a detailed record of your accomplishments, including any minor tasks that may have contributed to the overall success of your projects or objectives.

Feedback Collection: Gather feedback from colleagues, peers, or supervisors to ensure you haven't overlooked any critical actions or outcomes.

5. Plan Your Goals for the Coming Year

?For effective goal setting for the next year, follow these steps:

Set Clear Objectives: Based on your analysis, set clear and well-defined objectives for the coming year. Ensure these objectives are aligned with the organization's goals and your personal development needs.

Prioritize: Prioritize your goals by importance and relevance. Identify the most critical objectives that will have the most significant impact on your career and the organization.

Action Plan: Create a detailed action plan outlining the steps, resources, and timelines required to achieve each goal. This plan will serve as your roadmap for the upcoming year (and leaves a great impression on your Boss!!!)

By following these steps, employees can streamline the goal setting and feedback process, making it more efficient and productive.

?As a final note,

If your feeling towards the word GOAL, is not that positive, then I want you to see below picture, and understand the hidden treasure and value behind a GOAL.

Yes! GOAL is an opportunity for you to Live the life you want.

Grab that opportunity, and by default you will be fulfilling the GOAL too.

Good luck with your GOALs!