Goal Setting Resources

1. Connect to Purpose: Start with the "why." Clear goals connect personal contributions to the broader team and organizational vision, fostering a sense of purpose and engagement.
2. Prioritize Efforts: Focus matters. Prioritizing 1–2 key goals per quarter avoids burnout and enables meaningful progress, emphasizing quality over quantity.
3. Play to Strengths: Using tools like CliftonStrengths can identify talents that energize, making goals more engaging and achievable.
4. Align Priorities: Goals that reflect team and organizational objectives create cohesion and accountability, ensuring everyone contributes the broader mission.
5. Plan to Achieve: Utilize a Goal Tree to visually break goals into actionable steps, providing clarity on how each task contributes to the ultimate objective.

Pro Tip: High-performing teams embrace agile goal setting to adapt to change and seize opportunities. Regularly review and adjust goals to remain agile in dynamic environments.

Goals without specifics are just wishes. Use SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) or OKR (Objectives and Key Results) criteria to craft goals that are clear and actionable. Ensure every goal includes:

• Key milestones or objectives for tracking progress.
• Defined success measures so achievements are visible.
• Alignment with broader priorities to maintain focus.

Example: Instead of "Improve team communication," try "Implement a weekly 30-minute team huddle to discuss progress and share feedback by [date]."

Stretch goals can be powerful motivators, driving performance and growth when approached thoughtfully. Striking the right balance is key—unrealistic targets can discourage, while goals that are ambitious yet achievable inspire confidence and development.

To ensure stretch goals foster success and engagement, both team members and managers should:

• Establish Clear Foundations: Define minimum expectations as a baseline for success.
• Collaborate for Customization: Work together to tailor stretch goals that align with individual capacities and career aspirations.
• Promote a Growth Mindset: Emphasize the value of learning, adaptability, and progress alongside achieving results.

Insight: Research shows that motivation peaks when we see goals as challenging but achievable, avoiding the "danger zone" of overreach.

Workday makes it easy to stay organized and on track. Here’s what to know:

• Mandatory Steps: Document initial goals after onboarding and at year-end in Workday (via the New Hire Goal Setting and Year-End Review tasks).
• Ongoing Updates: Regularly update progress or add new goals using methods like Workday’s Individual Goals page, shared documents, or MS Teams.
• Why It Matters: Regular updates provide a clear record of accomplishments, align efforts with team goals, and facilitate constructive discussions during check-ins or reviews.

Pro Tip: Think of Workday as your performance log—a tool to showcase achievements and ensure alignment with your manager's expectations.

Links to our Workday Goal Setting job aids:

• Completing a New Hire Goal Setting task
• Using the Individual Goals page and Cascading Goals in Workday

Notice: Workday Job Aids require you to be on the VPN to access.​​​​​​​

A repository of example goals relevant to Medical Center team members.

Writing impactful goals can be challenging, but AI tools like Microsoft Copilot can make the process easier and more effective. Here's how AI can support you in crafting meaningful, clear, and actionable goals:

• Brainstorming Ideas: Struggling to articulate what you want to achieve? AI can generate goal ideas based on your role, team objectives, or personal development needs.
• Refining Goals: AI can help you rewrite goals to ensure they follow SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) and are concise yet comprehensive.
• Alignment with Organizational Goals: By analyzing key organizational priorities, AI can suggest ways to align your goals with broader team or company strategies.
• Creating Goal Trees: AI can break complex goals into smaller, actionable steps, making it easier to plan and track progress over time.
• Offering Real-Time Feedback: Unsure if your goal sounds clear? AI can provide immediate feedback on phrasing, clarity, and measurability, helping you perfect your objectives.
• Exploring Strengths-Based Goals: Tools like Copilot can suggest goals tailored to your unique skills and strengths, ensuring they’re both motivating and achievable.

Example Interaction with AI:

• You input: “I want to improve communication.”
• AI refines it: “By [specific date], implement a weekly 30-minute team huddle to improve communication, track progress, and share feedback.”

Note: AI is a tool to enhance clarity and efficiency but should complement authentic, thoughtful input. Copilot is the University-approved, enterprise-protected tool for Generative AI that has the added privilege of enterprise security, meaning what you tell it and/or upload to it stays within UVA.

We offer in-person training for managers and their teams upon request, as well as one-on-one consulting. Email AskHR@virginia.edu with the subject “PM Training” and a member of the performance team will reach out to you.