By Joan Runnheim Olson 

In his book, "What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School", author Mark McCormack shares a study conducted on students in the 1979 Harvard MBA program. Students were asked, "Have you set clear, written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them?" Only three percent of the graduates had written goals and plans. Thirteen percent had goals, but they weren't in writing. And 84 percent had no specific goals at all.

Astonishing Results

Ten years later, the class members were interviewed again. The findings were somewhat predictable, but still astonishing. The 13 percent of the class who had goals were earning, on average, twice as much as the 84 percent who had no goals at all. The three percent who had clear, written goals were earning, on average, ten times as much as the other 97 percent put together. Wow! What a stunning example of the importance of writing clear, measurable, and time-bounded goals.

The SMART Way to Set Goals

What are your goals? Are they written down? Do you have a set time-frame in which you want to achieve each goal? A popular system for setting goals is the SMART model which is outlined below.

S—Specific
In order to achieve your goals, you need to make them specific. Rather than set a goal such as, “I’d like to get a new job,” set a goal something like, “I’d like to get a new marketing job in the non-profit sector where I can make a difference in the lives
of women.”

M—Measurable
How can you measure your goals? Choose a goal that includes measurable progress.
This can include several short-term measurements built into your ultimate goal.

A—Achievable
Is your goal achievable? You probably won’t commit to reaching goals that are too far out of your reach. Identifying goals that are important to you and reasonable allows you to figure out ways to make them happen.

R—Realistic
Create a plan to achieve your goal. If the goal is too difficult, you may set yourself up for fail.

T—Time-specific
Give yourself a deadline for achieving your goals. Allow yourself a realistic time frame. Goals that are set too far in the future are rarely met and so are goals that don’t give you enough time to achieve them.

Whether you want to move up in your career or run a marathon, goals are the best way to get there. Don’t forget to reward yourself for each goal you accomplish.      

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Karen Johnston

Q. I’ve had some work performance issues recently.  I’m not confident that my side of the story is in my personnel file.  Do I have a right to review my file? 

A. The right to review a personnel file is created by state law, so whether you have the right to review your personnel file and whether you are able to respond to or correct information contained in that file may depend on where you live.  Since 35 states plus the District of Colombia have laws governing access to personnel files, chances are you do have the a statutory right to review your file.  Most state statutes, and therefore, most employer policies concerning employee access to personnel files, should discuss where, when and how often a file can be reviewed and whether there is an opportunity for the employee to rebut or challenge information in the file.   

Minnesota, for example, gives employees the right to review their personnel files once every six months.  Employers must comply with a request for file review within seven working days and can require the review take place during the employer’s regular working hours and in the presence of someone designated by the employer.  If requested, the employer is obligated to provide a copy of the file to the employee.  In lieu of a review of the actual file, the employer can instead provide a copy of the file. 

Terminated employees in Minnesota, should your situation lead to this result, also have a right to review their file once each year after separation from employment for as long as the file is maintained by the employer.  Alternatively, the employer can provide a copy of the file to the former employee.  Once a copy is provided (free of charge), the former employee has no further right to review the actual file. 

Again, under Minnesota law, you have the right to dispute information contained in your personnel file.  You and your employer can agree to remove the disputed information.  If this agreement cannot be reached, you can submit a written statement identifying the disputed information and explaining your position relative to that information.  The employer must include your statement in the personnel file along with the disputed information.  Your statement is to remain part of the file for as long as the disputed information is part of your file.  Anyone who receives a copy of the disputed information must also receive a copy of your written statement.   

Even in those states where there is no law governing access to personnel files, employers may still have a policy which allows or even encourages access to personnel files.  Employers might want to have a policy which permits access to files, even when not required to do so, to ensure employees trust the corrective action system and do not have reason to suspect the employer may be tampering with the file.  The bottom line is that a personnel file generally should not contain anything an employee hasn’t already seen or.  It should be considered a layout of your employment history and not a secret document. 

If you have not already done so, check your employee handbook or consult with your human resources department for information about access to personnel files and the ability to place documents in your file to assure that your side of the story is accurately portrayed in the file. 

Karen Johnston is a partner with Henson & Efron, P.A., a general practice law firm located in Minneapolis.  Her practice focuses on employment law counseling and employee benefit matters.  She is also experienced in business formation and commercial transactions and advises tax-exempt organizations.  Prior to joining Henson & Efron, Karen was Human Resources Director at the College of St. Catherine.