Learn what SMART goals are and how to write them
Let’s look at how to set SMART goals linked to key motivators, are congruent with core values, and stretch the goal-setter outside of their comfort zone.
Go through this process yourself before taking your team through it so you can support and help them from a position of experience with the process.
To create a goal, make sure you always use positive language. Start with: “I want to achieve this goal because…” to get yourself thinking of what is stimulating you to set this goal. Consider what you will gain by achieving this goal. What will be the benefit of achieving it for you, the customers and the business. Make sure you write down your goals and attach actions to them otherwise, they become dreams.
Here are some tips on how to create a well-formed goal.
To be effective, the goal needs to stretch you so you can achieved more than you have before. You also need to make sure that the goal is SPECIFIC, stating exactly what it is you will achieve when you have reached it.
It needs to have a MEASURE in place. To do this, ask yourself: “How will I measure my success?”, “What tangible evidence will I have when I achieve the goal?”.
The goal should be ACHIEVEABLE, which means you have to believe this goal can be achieved even though you are going to be stretched outside your comfort zone to achieve something more than you have achieved before.
The goal should also be REALISTIC. There is no point is setting a goal to achieve something that doesn’t fit with your purpose (otherwise, it may look realistic, but you won’t be driven to take action, in which case it will never get done). Equally, it don’t set goals that unrealistic on a practical level i.e. becoming Wimbledon champion when you’re 50 years old, very unfit and have never played tennis before.
And last but not least, you need to have a deadline, so you have a TIMESCALE in which to work to achieve the goal.
SMART is an acronym you have probably heard before.
It has been used for a long time and is a recognised system for setting achievable and relevant goals.
In order to set a well-formed goal, you need to ask the following questions:
S – Is it SPECIFIC?
M – Is it MEASURABLE?
A – Is it ACHIEVEABLE?
R – Is it RELEVANT?
T – Does it have a TIMESCALE?
If the answer to all of these questions is “Yes”, then the goal is SMART, and it has all the qualities necessary to support the goal-setter in achieving it.
If the answer to any of these questions is “no”, the goal needs to be revisited so it can be adapted until the answer to all the questions is “yes”.
This is a fast and effective way to check that a goal is right for you right now. If you want to make sure a goal has been properly thought-through and considered, ask questions about it.
To get you started, here is a list of possible questions you could ask.
In what way is your goal specific?
Does it tell you specifically what you are going to do?
How are you going measure your success?
What are those measures?
How achievable is your goal?
How will you achieve it?
What is the relevance of the goal?
How long will it take for you to achieve your goal?
When specifically will you achieve your goal?
What’s the timescale for achieving your goal?
These questions will highlight any issues with the goal so it can be amended.
A well-formed goal will have a substantial impact on how easily it is achieved by the goal-setter