Let’s have a one-on-one about goals

When was the last time you met with your supervisor and discussed company goals and your performance? I’m not talking about an annual review but just a brief meeting to review your annual goals. If you’re a manager, have you done the same with your team members?

At the beginning of each year, my manager and I discuss my goals for the upcoming year. They are determined by larger goals that senior management needs to accomplish. For example:

• Increase on-time delivery from 85 to 90 percent.
• Decrease overtime by 5 percent.
• Reduce machine cycle times by 3 percent.
• Purchase a new machine.
• Complete installation and validation of new machines.
• Cross-train operators.
• Lead three improvement projects.

Your required goals can be as specific as needed. The aforementioned examples allow discretion on how to accomplish goals.

As the goals trickle down to your team, they become more specific. For example, decreasing overtime by 5 percent could mean eliminating working one Saturday per month or working 8 hours every Friday instead of 10 hours. Cross-training operators could mean switching a particular operator from a turning center to a vertical machining center.