Setting Goals for Success

Last week, I discussed three specific ways to stay focused for maximum success. This week I would like to look at one of those ways more closely: goal setting.

Smarter Goal Setting

Goal setting is very common but largely ineffective in our culture. We make and break New Year’s resolutions before the month of January is over. While resolutions normally apply to our personal lives, I believe they have much larger applications—both professionally and organizationally.

Goals should follow specific criteria in order for them to be effective. The popular acronym for goal setting known as SMARTER—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-framed, exciting, and reviewed—can be very helpful when establishing goals. So what does this look like in practice?

Applying the SMARTER Acronym

Here is a breakdown of the SMARTER acronym to help you establish more effective goal setting practices:

• SPECIFIC: When setting goals, do not be afraid to be specific. This is applicable to personal and work-related goals. For example, if you want to lose weight, set an exact number of pounds you hope to lose.
• MEASURABLE: This is a very important key to a wise goal. If your goals are not measurable, how will you be able to establish their effectiveness? When setting a goal, make sure there is some way to measure its progress.
• ACHIEVABLE: The quickest way to make a goal ineffective is to make it unattainable. This is not to say your goals cannot be challenging, but you have to be realistic in what you are able to achieve.
• RELEVANT: Relevancy is key. Without relevancy, motivation is not likely to be found. So what are you hoping to achieve with this particular goal and how is it applicable to your life—personally, professionally, or organizationally? If there is no relevant application, your goal needs to be re-evaluated.
• TIME-FRAMED: When setting a goal, think of a reasonable time-frame in which the goal can be accomplished. You might even consider multiple goals with shorter time frames. Instead of working towards one large goal at the end of the year, plan monthly goals to accomplish.
• EXCITING: The motivation to complete a goal correlates to how exciting you have made the goal. By making your goal exciting, you help to ensure you will stay interested in completing it.
• REVIEWED: After following all the steps above, don’t forget to complete the last step and review your goals. If you were unable to achieve your goal, careful review could help establish the reasons why. If you succeeded, you can make your goal more challenging for a greater impact next time.

Goals are an important part of our daily lives, and without them we fall prey to never truly striving for something more. Apply these tips next time you choose to set a goal for either yourself or your organization. If you never set a target, how do you know what you are aiming for?

Question: What goal can you make SMARTER today?