In this phase, help your employee define ideas and capture plans. Document development objectives in writing to help your employee see short and long-term goals more clearly within a larger plan. This will strengthen commitment and provide a means to measure progress and completion.
GROW and SMART models
Several models are available to help you and your employee organize ideas into actionable items. These models help identify goals, define roles, build a framework, and consider potential paths to achieve the goals.
Two of the most popular models include GROW and SMART. Take a look at each:
GROW: Goal, Reality, Options, and Will
- Goal - Help your employee set realizable goals. If needed, identify targets for measuring progress toward a defined outcome.
- Reality - Goals should be grounded in reality. Your employee may need assistance to help assess their present situation and past performance. Your feedback at this stage can help to refine goals.
- Options - This is the stage where your employee should define possible courses of action. As a supervisor, you may have suggestions to add. Options should be mutually evaluated and a choice selected.
- Will - This stage involves your employee making decisions with a commitment to fulfill them. Mutually confirm future steps. Both you and your employee should agree on how goals will be supported throughout the development process.
SMART: Specific, Measurable, Aligned, Realistic, and Time-bound
- Specific - Your employee should define what they want to achieve. The more specific the target, the more likely your employee will see results.
- Measurable - Define indicators of progress so that your employee can get a sense of progress and achieve success. Quantify progress by way of a clear outcome or set of steps.
- Aligned - Does the specific target goal align with your organization's goals? As the supervisor, you ensure employee-defined goals are supported by the organization.
- Realistic - Is the goal achievable under current conditions? Has your employee considered how well the goal fits with their knowledge, skills, abilities, and available time?
- Time-bound - Be specific about when the goal will be completed. Give enough time to complete the goal.
Resources
Use the GROW or SMART template to capture and develop ideas with your employee:
Note: Both templates are Google Docs. Do not edit the original document; instead, create a copy and share with your employee.