THE RIGHT PHRASE FOR EVERY SITUATION . . . EVERY TIME Real success is about the future, not the past. As a supervisor, you'll be most effective if you concentrate on setting goals for your employees, rather than assessing past events and behaviors. This completely revised and updated second edition of Perfect Phrases for Setting Performance Goals provides hundreds of precisely worded performance goals you can put to use in virtually any situation. This handy,quick-reference guide provides effective language for: Focusing your people on the most important parts of their jobs - Communicating your expectations - Aligning employee goals with organizational priorities - Improving productivity and morale in the workplace - Reducing disagreements during performance reviews Robert Bacal is the author of Managing Performance, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Consulting , and other human resources books. Douglas Max is Managing Director of LR Communications, a firm that conducts on-site seminars in writing and presentation skills. Robert Bacal is the author of Managing Performance, The Complete Idiot'sGuide to Consulting , and other human resources books. Douglas Max is Managing Director of LR Communications, a firm that conducts on-site seminars in writing and presentation skills. McGraw-Hill authors represent the leading experts in their fields and are dedicated to improving the lives, careers, and interests of readers worldwide PERFECT PHRASES for SETTING PERFORMANCE GOALS Hundreds of Ready-to-Use Phrases for Communicating Any Performance Plan or Review By Robert Bacal, Douglas Max The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Copyright © 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-07-174505-5 Contents Preface to the Second EditionPART ONE. BACKGROUND FOR DEVELOPING AND WRITING PERFORMANCE GOALSUsing This Book to Write Better Performance GoalsSetting Performance Goals That WorkGetting the Most from Performance GoalsPART TWO. PERFECT PHRASES FOR SETTING PERFORMANCE GOALSDescriptive ContentsSection One. Performance Goals for Any PositionReadiness for WorkConflict Management and Team ContributionsSelf-Management and Work HabitsWork Outputs and ProductivityPersonal and Skill DevelopmentCommunicationSection Two. Performance Goals for General Management ResponsibilitiesManaging PerformancePlanningPersonnel/Hiring/RetentionLeadership and Organizational ClimateProductivity/Process Improvement/Organizational ResultsCommunicationsSection Three. Performance Goals for Specific Industries and JobsCreative CommunicationCustomer Service and Support—ManagementCustomer Service and SupportFinancialFood Preparation—ManagementFood PreparationFood Services—ManagementFood ServicesHuman Resources and Personnel—ManagementHuman Resources and PersonnelInformation Technology: Hardware and Operations—ManagementInformation Technology: Hardware and OperationsInformation Technology: Software—ManagementInformation Technology: SoftwareInternet/Intranet RelatedMechanical Repair and TradesPhysical Plant Maintenance—ManagementPhysical Plant MaintenanceProduction/ManufacturingRetail/Merchandising—ManagementRetail/MerchandisingSales and Business Development—ManagementSales and Business DevelopmentSecurity—ManagementSecuritySupport—ManagementSupportTransit/TransportationWorkplace Health and Safety—ManagementWorkplace Health and Safety Excerpt CHAPTER 1 Using This Book to Write Better Performance Goals Before we start you on the path to writing better performance goals, and beforewe explain how to use this book to help improve both individual work performanceand overall performance of your work unit or company, we need to placeperformance goals within the business and management context and examine whyit's important to take the time to establish performance goals for employees. No. Scratch that. Important isn't the right word. Crucial, critical, andessential are better. If you want better employee performance, engaged staff,higher productivity, and, believe it or not, better morale, you MUST haveemployees who understand what constitutes their jobs, what they need to achieve,and the levels of achievement needed. Goals and objectives do all that. Wait, we're jumping ahead. After all, if you don't see the sense or value in working with employees to setgoals, it's not likely you're going to do it. What Are Performance Goals Used For? There's a popular misconception that the way to improve performance, whether onan individual basis or for a work unit, is to appraise and evaluate it after thefact. You're probably familiar with the performance appraisal process that isoften used once a year. You know the one. It's the time of the year wheremanagers and employees would rather crawl across cut glass than meet to do theappraisals. Eventually, if nagged enough, manager and employee sit down to discuss andevaluate performance for the past year, or at least the employee's performance.Forms are used to record