This document provides an overview of a seminar on setting objectives and performance. The seminar aims to have participants experientially examine objective setting and create their own objectives for the coming academic year. Participants are split into trios to share and coach each other on their objectives using the GROW model, focusing on goals, current reality, options, and commitment to executing their objectives. The document outlines the SIMple model of setting objectives, emphasizing that objectives should be specific, important, and measurable. Participants then take 10 minutes to draft their own objectives using this model before getting feedback from their trios.

1. Introduction to Management 1
Seminar 2 Objectives and
performance
Stage 2 Session 2

2. Overview
• To experientially examine objective setting and explore how difficult it can be to be
effective
• To set their own individual objectives for the coming academic year and coach
each other on how to improve them – ensure they stretch
2

3. Learning Outcomes of this lecture
• To have greater understanding of objectives, how to devise
them and the pitfalls therein
• To create their own and experience each others and coach
each other to better objectives

4. Objectives should cascade from the business

5. What are Effective Objectives?
• Let’s explore this question by considering whether it really is…
• Please take a trash can
• And prepare some ‘ball’s made out of waste
• paper

6. Round 1
 Take the crumpled pieces of paper
 You have 30 seconds - go!

7. Round 2
 Here’s another crumpled piece of paper
 Throw it in the trash can
 Your performance will be evaluated on how
many pieces you can throw in the can
 Success = how many pieces you get in the
can
 30 seconds

8. Round 3
 Now stand 10 feet away from the trash can
 Toss the papers into the can
 Keep your eyes closed
 Keep throwing, keep eyes shut
 Be aware the trash can may move
 Your performance will be evaluated against
how many pieces of paper are in the can
 30 seconds

9. Round 4
 You now have to place these spheroid
‘blunder balls’ into the truncated container
 Launch the spheroids into a parabolic arc
focusing 125cm above your cranium
extremity
 Consider fully Newton’s Third Law
 Consider mass, acceleration, gravity
 Your four level assessment of success will
include a Balanced Scorecard as well as
qualitative assessment of physical
technique using a Likert Scale
 30 seconds

10. Round 5
 Now take stock – take a few
deep breaths and relax, let your
mind go with the flow
 Centre yourself on self
actualising – find the ‘real you’
in this moment…
 Use this feeling – this mind
power to bring the paper into the
trash can
 Go, when you are ready and feel
the chilling out manifest itself into
motion
 No time, it might just take forever
but who really cares, just float
downstream…

11. Round 6
The Company is launching a new Performance Management Strategy – not just another appraisal form, but a process requires all Associates to fully
leverage their individual and collective core competencies, to ensure all are fully engaged and singing from the same song sheet, with all their proverbial
ducks in a row within the Group – to be totally cognisant and regarding the roles and numbers of Indians and Chiefs - not having too many Indians, but
also ensuring our Indians that we do have an understanding of their place and the work based interventions they will need to fully optimise their human
capital. The results will be fed back via a monthly Dashboard to the Human Capital Management Steering Group.
In so doing we need to be very mindful of all of the Willis environment business and context, (with environmental scans underway) - migrating towards
best in class Lean based Continuous Improvement Methodology to drive the anti-SMART performance management culture change process over the next
three years. Needless to say all the OPCO are totally driven in their outlook to create real and sustainable change in the short, medium, and long term, not
playing lip service to desired client outcomes but by focusing upon dynamic, real, and underlying cultural shift. This change program and process, both
longitudinal and organic, titled Re-Shaping Our Future Cause (see attached Excel spread sheets and organograms for full detailed implementation plans
and specific step change effect on Key Client Outcomes) now requires full underpinning aims, strategy, goals, objectives and tasks defined for each
activity individualised for each Associate.
Hence your particular application of this TRASH process.
You will be given a wide array of Office based TRASH materials, including, but not limited to, unused A4 sheets of paper probably white in colour but not
necessarily so – some additional colour provision may ensue in certain identified scenarios, but should be ignored if not there. You will also have full
access, unlimited for the duration of this specific activity, to the Trash Can or similar item of standard issue, often used in government offices or those
other such professional environments – City base in the UK, Wall Street issue, as well as International models translating into all languages: TRASH and
other references. Translation costs are currently being argued over – which budget they should be allocated to – though we fully expect them in English
and one other, American.
Whilst considering this activity you will need to be aware of the legal regulations concerned with undertaking such potentially dangerous acts. Prior to
embarking it is then recommended that the full reading of these regulations, and where necessary attendance of the specific blended learning
interventions is mandated. Particular reference should be made to afflictions such as repetitive strain injury (RSI). Further you should also take full
account of regulations and risk in the wider legal sense and fully familiarise yourself with the Risk Register and Spread sheet Reporting Procedures
therein: there is nothing, and we mean nothing, more important than Risk.
Using said approved procedures as enshrined in ISO9000001 lifting of trash items, alternating hands, to avoid repetitive strain injury, you should dispose
of the trash at a rate that exceeds five pieces every thirty seconds. During your performance you must not refer to any notes, job aids, or consultative
assistance from colleagues and supervisors. Peers should also not get involved, nor Group HR and or Group Organisation Development.
Please begin. You have a total of thirty seconds (half a minute).

12. How? Think SIMple
The SIMple model of objective setting
 Specific – Clarity on what and when. Effective objectives are very
clear about the outcome required. What do you want to see happen?
 Important – A few important goals, critical for the company to achieve
its results and motivational for the individual.
 Measurable – Think impact. What real impact does the goal have on
what we value? Ensure that the impact is expressed with a number or
numbers.

13. Your own objectives for 2014-2015
• Please on your own consider your own personal situation – academic or otherwise
• Spend 10 minutes creating your own ‘performance’ objectives and write them
down using the SIMple model
• Ensure at least one is concerning your personal development
• Ensure they are stretching and not mundane and ‘normal business’
• After 10 minutes – take longer if needed – get into trio’s and share each others in
turn, and use coaching to improve each others objectives
• GROW – a reminder from our lecture:
• Goal – improved stretching individual objectives
• Reality – what are the issues around the objective, underlying it
• Options – anything else that could be done
• Will to execute – how will you specifically achieve them

14. GROW questions if you are stuck
Typical questions for the Options stage
What else could you do? What else? Anything else? What next?..
What could be your first step?
Who else might be able to help?
What would happen if you did nothing?
What has worked for you already? How could you do more of that?
What do you think I would suggest?
What would happen if you did that?
What is the hardest/most challenging part of that for you?
What advice would you give to a friend about that?
What would you gain/lose by doing/saying that?
If someone did/said that to you what do you think would happen?
What's the best / worst thing about that option?
Which option do you feel ready to act on? Scale 1-10 what is this
option?
Typical questions for the Wrap-Up (Will) stage
On a scale of 1-10, how committed are you to this goal?
What specific step would you take next? How will that meet your goal?
How and when will you do that?
What support do you need to get that done?
What do you need from me/others to help you achieve this?
How will you know when you have done it?
Who will you involve in this?
What would have happened to know you have achieved the goal?
Who do you need to talk to first? Who needs to know?
What are 3 actions you can take that would make sense this week?
On a scale of 1-10, how excited do you feel about taking these actions?
What would increase that score? (e.g. handle fear, clearer steps, more
support, etc..)
What will happen (what is the cost) of you NOT doing this?
Typical questions for the Goals stage
What do you want to achieve out of this coaching session/
relationship?
What could we work on now that would make the biggest difference
to your life?
What are the goals you want to achieve?
Why are you hoping to achieve this goal?
Who else needs to know about the plan? How will you inform them?
What do you want more of in your life?
What would you try now if you knew you couldn’t fail?
What are 2-3 goals that would make a BIG difference in your life?
How will you know when you have achieved these goals? What will
it look like?
Typical questions for the Reality stage
Why haven't you reached that goal already?
What do you think is stopping you?
What do you think was really happening?
What effect did … have on you?
What do you think …’s perception of the situation was/is?
Do you know other people who have achieved that goal?
What did you learn from ..?
What have you already tried?
How could you turn this around this time?
What could you do better this time?
If you asked … what would they say about you?
On a scale of 1-10 how severe/serious/urgent is the situation?
If someone said/did that to you, what would you think/feel/do?

15. End of Seminar
Note: This recording is for your
personal use only and not for further
distribution or wider review.
© Pearson College 2013