Employees are not at jobs simply because they have nothing to do all day or because they want to save the world. They want to grow or at least to make more money. And they want you, their manager, to show them how they can do this. Any performance evaluation process should include short- and long-term personal goals. These goals, perhaps more so than department and company goals, change and evolve. For each employee, consider the following questions:

• What steps does the employee need to take to grow in the job and the department?

• What reward can the employee expect for achieving such growth?

• Where can the employee expect to go next in his or her career?

• What are the employee's prospects for a few years down the road?

Of course, it's essential to have the employee participate in formulating personal goals, since manager and employee will need to agree to these goals. It's also important for you to help employees identify their strengths, where those strengths can take them, and how they might change or improve their options by taking certain training courses or learning special skills. (Are you wearing your mentor hat?) If you can't help an employee honestly define his or her next career goal, you're showing the employee a brick wall.

With employees whose abilities shine, this is an easy as well as enjoyable part of your job. It's exciting to watch people grow and develop and reach their potential. But some people choose career objectives that their skills and abilities don't support. As a mentor, you can help such employees find paths that are better aligned with their talents — or find ways for them to successfully pursue the directions that interest them.