Many companies are facing difficult challenges when it comes to employee productivity, and a new study may shine a light on why this may be the case. Only about half of managers set effective goals for their employees. The study, titled Effective Managers: Your Critical Link to Successful Strategy Execution, covered a number of managerial measures of effectiveness, but the most surprising finding was that managers are not performing well in helping their employees set appropriate, meaningful goals. “These findings highlight the need to increase manager effectiveness through increased development and training efforts,” according to the report. One way managers can start creating effective goals is by taking the time and thought necessary to create them. Goal objectives should be clear, measurable, and aligned with corporate objectives. But they should also be ambitious and should incentivize employees who have a stake in actually attaining them. Goal setting should be viewed as a process, rather than a quick, unilateral managerial decision. Potential goals should go through several drafts in their development, and involve discussions between the employee and the manager.