As the new performance year begins, Metropolitan State University of Denver employees and managers are encouraged to add performance goals in Workday by the Aug. 31 deadline.
Professional staff members, academic deans and chairs, and their managers will work together to establish objectives that advance personal growth and support the University’s long-term vision.
“Setting goals creates clarity from the start for employees and managers,” said Charles Kibort, executive director of Human Resources Operations and Strategy. “These discussions around priorities, growth opportunities and success create opportunities to have more meaningful conversations at review time and throughout the year.”
Planning accomplishments
Performance goals are meant to create a shared understanding of expectations for the year ahead while providing a foundation for future coaching, feedback and evaluations.
Before the deadline, employees should use the goal-setting period to discuss priorities, professional development and how individual work supports team and University success.
As prioritized in MSU Denver’s 2030 Strategic Plan, setting SMART goals — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound — helps to align University efforts in support of student success, organizational excellence and other values. A guide for formatting goals is available in the SMART Goals Worksheet.
Timeline
Employees are encouraged to draft goals before the Aug. 31 deadline so managers have time to review them, discuss any needed adjustments and complete submissions before the deadline. Human Resources also recommends scheduling goal-setting meetings well in advance to avoid the end-of-summer rush.
- By Aug. 7: Employees enter draft goals in Workday.
- By Aug. 31: Managers and employees meet to review, refine and finalize goals. These one-on-one conversations should also include a discussion of career aspirations and motivation, using Career and Stay conversation guides as a resource.
Open dialogue
Managers are also encouraged to schedule Career Conversations and Stay Conversations as part of the goal-setting process. The one-on-one discussions are forums for employees to share aspirations and for managers to enhance their insights into what motivates teams.
- Career conversations focus on an employee’s short- and long-term professional goals and how those aspirations can be supported at MSU Denver.
- Stay conversations explore what inspires employees to remain at the University and what factors contribute to their satisfaction and sense of belonging.
Questions can be emailed to [email protected]. The Performance Management SharePoint site includes resources to help employees and managers through every step of the process, including Workday job aids, guidance on writing effective goals, conversation templates and additional learning opportunities.
