Setting performance goals made easy

15 sources of inspiration to get you started

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You open your inbox. “Please upload your performance goals for the next fiscal year.” You sigh. Stare at a blank doc. Sip coffee. Panic briefly.
And now here we are. Where do you start?

This is a question I was asked not once, but twice this week, so I figured I should spend a short post on it.

I will preface this post by saying that this isn’t a comprehensive guide to writing perfect goals. I’m also not going into the difference between performance and development goals (short version: performance = what you’ll contribute; development = how you’ll grow). But hopefully, the ideas below will give you enough inspiration to draft both. I’ve categorized these suggestions into 4 areas to explore:

Look up, look around, look back, and look beyond

Look up

• Your company’s strategy or quarterly focus areas
  What’s getting attention in all-hands meetings? What themes keep showing up in leadership slides? These signals matter. When your goals reflect company priorities, you are seen as thoughtful and strategic.

• Your team’s priorities
  Adding to the first point: what’s top of mind for your team’s leadership? Did they set any specific KPIs for the team? Do you understand what drives their success? If not, ASK!

• Your leader’s skillset

  What’s one thing your manager or leader does really well that you’d love to be better at? Maybe it’s how they navigate senior stakeholders, how they frame problems, or how they somehow never sound flustered on calls…

Look around

• Your job description
  Yes, the one you ignored after signing the offer. Usually companies still expect delivery against it, especially if you’re aiming for a promotion.

• Role/level standards
  Does your company have documented expectations per job level/salary bandwidth in addition to the job description? Many do. And if not, check what's standard in your industry. It’s important to know what “good” looks like on paper. Also, make sure you understand the requirements for the next job level in case you want to get promoted.

• The stuff no one else tracks
  Is there a recurring task or internal pain point that you always pick up but never get credit? Track it. Name it. Make it a goal. Half of your success is making your impact explicit.

Look back

• Your previous goals

  Are there any goals you set last year, that you have not (fully) realized yet? Or are there goals that you can take to the next level?

• Your recent feedback
  What have people told you (directly or between the lines) over the past 1–3 months? That’s where your growth areas usually show up.

• Previous agreements with your manager
  Any new projects? Implicit expectations? Put them on paper before they get forgotten or rebranded as "baseline performance."

Look beyond

• A recurring problem you’re sick of dealing with
  Fixing something broken is one of the fastest ways to stand out. Especially if no one else wants to touch it.

• A skill you want to build (that’s also useful to your team)
  The sweet spot is something you want and something your team needs. That way, everyone wins.

• The person you want to be known as
  It’s not so much about the title, butmore about the identity you’re building. How do you want t be seen? Do you want to be known as the calm one in a crisis? The one who gets sh*t done? The connector? Choose that version of you, then ask yourself what you need to be doing to help grow into it that person.

• A trusted colleague’s advice
  What feels obvious to you might be what others see as your secret weapon. Ask someone you trust: “If you had to bet on me excelling at something this year, what would it be?” Their answer might surface a strength you take for granted - or nudge you toward something bolder than you'd choose on your own. You can ask the reverse, too - what would they suggest you work on?

• One book you’re actually interested in
  Leadership, project management, communication - whatever floats your boat. Take one lesson from it and turn it into a goal. Bonus points if it helps you sound slightly more visionary in meetings. And no, your goal shouldn’t be to become the team’s emotional backbone and strategic oracle. Unless you’re channeling Michael Scott from The Office: “I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.”

• ChatGPT
  And finally, I’d be remiss not to mention ChatGPT (or any GPT) to help you set goals and spot gaps. If you’re stuck, here’s a prompt that works:

I need to write 3 professional development goals for the following year. I’m a [job title] working in [industry]. I recently got feedback about [insert feedback here] and I want to improve in [insert area]. Can you suggest some realistic and relevant goals I can use?

You can also ask it to turn vague feedback into something measurable:

I’ve received the following feedback: [insert feedback]. Can you suggest 3 measurable, realistic goals based on this? I’m a [your role], working in [your industry]. I’m aiming for [insert goal: e.g., promotion, better stakeholder visibility, more impact]. My team is focused on [insert team priorities or project context].

What did I miss?

Got other goal-setting hacks? Leave them in the comments, or send them my way. I’m not above stealing good ideas, especially when they save me from writing “improve stakeholder engagement” ever again.

Yours in PowerPoint shortcuts,

Cécile

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Thanks for reading Colleague, Interrupted. I’m Cécile, a management consultant and coach at a Big Four consulting firm in Europe. I write the things I can’t say in meetings and occasionally try to make jokes. Mostly, I turn corporate rage and hard-earned lessons into advice for anyone in their 20s or 30s trying to build a successful career. I help you be the best version of yourself, so you get promoted faster without losing your mind.