It is estimated that only 5% of the population takes time to set goals and write them down. Benjamin Mays, minister to Martin Luther King Jr., said it best – “The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach.” Aristotle said – “Man is a goal seeking being. His life only has meaning if he is reaching out and striving for his goals.” Lou Holtz, said – “If you’re bored with life — you don’t get up every morning with a burning desire to do things — you don’t have enough SMART Goals.
Click here for our Guide For Better Goal Setting free download (pdf doc).
To help set realistic business objectives, let’s look at the common goal setting Acronym – SMART.
S – Specific (Not Open-ended)
M – Measurable (Quantifiable)
A – Attainable (Action-Oriented)
R – Relevant (Ownable)
T – Time-bound (Trackable)
1. SMART GOALS ARE SPECIFIC – exact, limited, precise etc
When you set a goal write them down as specific, and with as many details as possible. We tend to want to take the path of least resistance in life.
It’s easy to say, my goal is to “Love everyone” when we should be striving to “Love our neighbor next door”. To accomplish goals, we must be specific as possible. Our minds do not function well with vague or ill-defined concepts. We should give our mind a set of detailed instructions to help us build routines. The more information we give it, the clearer the final outcome becomes and the easier to recognize opportunities when they arise.
Sometimes we need to set a goal and list what we really want in a goal. Instead of writing “buy a better work van,” write “Find a 1-3 year old diesel 1-Ton white panel van”.
When it comes to organization ideas, this one has got to be the best. Because the more precise we specify an outcome, the more efficient we can be in setting proper action steps. With a specifically defined goal, it’s easier to find the steps necessary to reach various aspects of our goal.
2. SMART GOALS ARE MEASURABLE – quantifiable by measurement – size, kind, type, weight, height etc.
If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. A goal must have a deadline, and when you set up goals you must ask yourself, “When do I want to reach my goal?”
Set a limit to your goal. It’s the best way to measure your rate of success, or failure as the case may be.
When it comes to making plans for our goals, we must make sure there’s measurable progress, so we can see the change occurring. For example, if you write, “Finalize my 3rd patent submission by June 1”, you will know whether you reached your goal. If you say, “I want to read more business books”, you probably won’t because “more” is impossible to define.
Try to establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal. When you can measure your progress, it will be easier to stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that can spur you on to continue to reach your goals and dreams.
3. SMART GOALS ARE ACHEIVABLE – attainable, reachable, accessible, feasible etc
It can be quite dispiriting to fail to achieve a goal for reasons beyond our control. So when setting business goals, we need to have as much control as possible. Be careful not to base goals on the performance of those we have no control over.
All sorts of people, employers, parents, media, and even society can influence us to set unrealistic goals. Alternatively, we may set goals that are too high, and not appreciate the obstacles in the way. Sometimes we don’t understand the skills we need to meet a particular level of performance. Remember in the beginning, it is important to set goals we can make. It’s like trying to compete in a marathon without entering a few shorter races first.
Our abilities do not always determine what we accomplish in the future, because skills and abilities can be learned along the way.
The ability to set attainable goals will become easier over time, as you begin to identify the things you want to accomplish in life and set out to do them.
4. SMART GOALS ARE RELEVANT -appropriate, stay on purpose, suitable etc.
This may sound kind of ridiculous, for who would make goals for others? The answer is pretty much everyone. It is human nature to want change others behavior or attitudes we find unappealing. The natural mindset of humans is often, “If only my boss, neighbor, spouse, or children would change, then we would be soooo much better off.” The problem is we can’t set goals for other people.
Yes, we can help influence, give direction, offer advice, and make life easier for others, but if our goal is “world peace” then we are setting ourselves up for failure. Now world peace would be a great thing, but the accomplishment of this goal is entirely dependent on everyone else changing.
If the accomplishment of a goal is entirely dependent on actions, or inaction’s of others, then we would not fulfill many goals.
When you identify goals that are most important to your company, its easier to set a path to make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You will also begin to see previously overlooked opportunities that will help you come closer to achieving other SMART Goals. Remember business goals must chiefly rely on a leaders ability to perform and, find resources to help along the way.
5. SMART GOALS ARE TIME BOUND – subject to a point in future
This is probably the easiest to do logically, but not so much emotionally. This is why people respond differently to deadlines and time constraints. Some with joy, others with anger and many with just frustration.
Moving the time line: This happens when we don’t reach a goal by a specific time. We keep adding more time and hope it helps. This is often caused by what economists call Sunk Cost: which is the cost that has already incurred and is not able to be recovered. After spending so much time and money, it seems logical to keep going. and no one likes to waste money. However, sometimes you just have to accept the sunk cost and move on.
Cognitive Dissonance: This is the discomfort we get when we try to hold two competing ideas or theories. When we put a hard deadline on something it limits the options. Basically when you reach the end, you have to decide if you failed or succeeded. Sometimes this poses competing ideas, because it could be both success and failure. People are hard pressed because these contradictions play havoc as how to continue or even if they should continue.
Regardless of our feelings, we must set deadlines and/or itemized time frames for all our objectives. Here’s why
- Helps us stay accountable
- Keeps momentum going, or stops it when it’s needed
- Motivates innovation and creativity
- Helps prioritize our actions
- Quantifies both failure or success
- Pushes people to keep moving
- Increases confidence and learning
- Stops things from dragging on and on.
Following SMART Goals may just be the ticket you need to move your business to the next level.
IT ALSO HELPS TO:
WRITE THEM AS POSITIVE AS POSSIBLE
Part of the reason we write down and look at our goals is to create a set of instructions for our subconscious mind to carry out. Thinking positively in everyday life will also help in your growth as a human being. Don’t limit it to goal setting. Remember try to be positive. For example, when you set a goal you don’t say, “I want to quit smoking”. You would say, “Stop smoking to live a healthier life.”
HAVE A MENTAL PICTURE OF YOUR GOAL
It is good to say, “I will live a healthy life”, but to see it mentally we may have to write various sub-goals like, “I want to take karate with my son.” And “I will only eat sweets on the weekend.” This way you make it specific, so you can have a clear mental picture of it, and by having a picture of it in your mind, you can stay focused on your goal.
RE-WRITE OFTEN
When goals are written and repeatedly re-written they will often have a more substantial impact on our determination to complete a goal. Sometimes it may help to rephrase it in different words, compact it, add motivating adjectives, make it pithy or rhyming, and continually fine tune your goals. The best organization tips
MAKE IT EMOTIONALLY ATTRACTIVE
When it comes to establishing purpose for your life, setting goals or living our dreams, it must be something we really desire to reach, because sometimes it’s really all about motivation. If you set something as a goal and don’t have an emotional attachment, it will often be very difficult to realize. So think through your goals and listen to your instincts. Ask yourself, “Do I really want to reach this, or is it just some short flight of fancy on my part?”
CAREFUL IT’S NOT DESTRUCTIVE
When you set a goal try to make sure it doesn’t become destructive to your employees or others working closely with you. It would be quite selfish to say you want to travel around the world when you know that your employees will bear the weight of your business. I worked for a guy who did this very thing. Then after 2 months of being away, he came back like nothing ever happened. No bump in pay, no good job you’ll get a fat Christmas bonus, nothing.
If your goals start to negatively affect others, then some personal evaluation is probably needed.
IN CONCLUSION
Dr. Win Wenger studied many techniques to improve intelligence and has written several books on the topic. Dr. Wenger noticed this connection between writing out your goals and later success in life and believes that the very act of writing about your goals and thoughts will stimulate more development in your brain and will help you achieve your ambitions.