The goals should be clear, and they should be specific. There should be a start and finish time. Goals should never be vague. The goals should provide information of exactly what is expected. Sometimes it helps to write goals down in a place where it is easy to look at them and to remember.
Always think about the timing of the goals. Are there short-term goals? Are they long-term? Are there goals that fall in between? Give sufficient time for the goals to be accomplished. Be willing to adjust the timing in either direction to meet the goals that were created. One of the principles of goal setting, surely, is to have a successful outcome.
Make sure that the goals that are set are actually attainable. For example, do people have the skills to accomplish the goal? People do not like goals that are totally unattainable. They will just feel frustrated, and they will feel not motivated to perform at their best. Attainable goals are good goals.
Check your progress from time to time. Learn to adjust the goals to make them more effective. It is good to measure the success of the goals you set. It is good to think about goal performance. Consider carefully how often you'll need to check on your goals. It could be once or many times.
There should be a reward set for successfully reaching goals. The reward can be as simple as the satisfaction to be gleaned from setting yourself a task and completing it, but that won't do when you have set goals for others. Monetary recompense should be gleefully given for goals set and achieved in a work place environment. Make the goals challenging. And make the reward for finishing the goals worthy of the challenge. The positive atmosphere may be the best goal you achieve.