Goals are often used as benchmarks of progress. If you meet ’em, you might earn a raise, a title change or bargaining power to ask for more vacation or flexibility. If you don’t — it’s time to work on improving your performance.
Ok. I guess each place and each person defines his or her own set of goals and priorities. The idea is to have some well-defined goals and try to work towards them, rather than attaining them just by chance!