When setting your goals at work, do you only set yearly goals? How about quarterly goals? How are these long-term goals actually helping your performance? More than likely, they’re not helping much because quarterly goals do not drive performance. While you should set overarching goals for the quarter, those should not be the ones that you rely on to track your accomplishments.

The average length for a long-term goal should be 45 days, with weekly or bi-weekly updates. This will not only give you an achievable end result but when it’s time for your performance review, you will have the opportunity to showcase your performance in a more detailed way.

When setting manageable goals, it’s key to be able to self-evaluate at the end. If your goals average about 45 days in length, this will give you reasonable amount of time to look over your strengths and weaknesses in order to set your future goals accordingly.

Short term goals lead to long-term success. With a goal that is longer than 45 days, it can also be harder to keep track of your overall performance, especially in a fast-paced business. Unless you’re in a sales position where the numbers are easy to track, it’s also hard to pinpoint your strengths and growth with quarterly goals. When building your portfolio, you need to have tangible results and performance evaluations that highlight your growth.

As a manager, it’s essential that you provide your employees with the tools to help them keep track of these goals. In addition to the tools, help make your employees feel motivated by asking for their input and co-creating goals with them. Remember to make your goals inspirational, not delusional.

Are your goals helping your performance?