Although the acronym “SMART” has many different meanings in the context of goal-setting, all the potential interpretations support a common message: be deliberate and thoughtful when setting your goals. TribeHR has fantastic goal-tracking tools, but it’s up to you to ensure that your goals are appropriate – hopefully this article will prove to be helpful.

Broadly speaking, think of SMART as a checklist you can refer you when defining your goals. If your goal passes all five checks, then you’re on the right track towards a goal that will help you grow and develop. Those five checks are:

1. S – Specific
2. M – Measurable
3. A – Aligned
4. R – Realistic
5. T – Timely

Specific

When defining a goal, try to avoid being vague. Your goal should be straightforward and reinforce your desired outcome. Being specific will help you focus your efforts and attention. A great way to ensure that your goal is specific, is to answer the 5W+H questions where possible: Who, What, Where, When, Why and How.

WHO is performing the action? (typically this is you, but it is good to double-check)
WHAT are they going to do? (use action words such as plan, write, build, etc.)
WHERE does the goal apply? (at work? at home? elsewhere)
WHEN will the goal be completed?
WHY is this important?
HOW are you going to do it?

You don’t need to answer all the questions list above, rather keep them in mind as you craft your goal. As an example, instead of aiming to “be a better team mate”, set a goal to “help your coworkers meet their sales targets this quarter by joining them on their sales calls as backup”.

Measurable

What gets measured gets done. Sometimes goals are simple, and success is easily defined (for example, if your goals is to remember to buy milk on the way home). More often, though, goals are complex and it becomes difficult to identify success (e.g. when are you fit “enough”?). The best way to keep yourself focused on achieving your goals is to choose goals with measurable progress so that you can see when you have reached your goal. “I want to exercise 30 minutes, 3 times each week” is a measurable target, whereas “I want to exercise more” is not.

Keep in mind, measurement is not just about measuring the end-point, it’s about measuring the progress as well. In the example above, we can measure an interim step of 20 minute workouts, 2 times each week. When we can measure your progress, we tend to stay on track as we can adjust our behaviour as we work towards the goal. This helps us meet our targets with more accuracy and keeps us motivated to continue our efforts towards our goals.

Aligned

As John Donne said, No man is an island. When you aligning your goals with the goals of the people around you, you ensure that you’re focusing your energy and expertise in the right direction.

This alignment is often interpreted as aligning your goals to the company goals, but good goals extend beyond just the company mission. Take the time to consider the goals of your organization, your manager, your co-workers and your subordinates. If you can align your goals to theirs, you will be more likely to help each other succeed and you will build a stronger relationship with the people best poised to help you in your career.

A great way to accomplish this is to reduce the number of times you ask yourself, “What do I want to do?” and rather ask yourself “What needs to be accomplished?” or “What can I do to help [co-worker's name]?”. When asking these latter two questions, you will naturally gravitate towards goals that you like helping with, and the net result is a goal that answers the original question by a different route.

Realistic

Of all the five checks, this one is the most subjective and personal. Some people are motivated by small incremental improvements, and some are motivated by large, audacious targets. It is important when defining your goals, that they are realistic to you. For example, some people may be daunted by a goal of doubling their sales volumes. Others may rise to the challenge.

When we set goals that are important to us, we naturally begin figuring out ways to accomplish them. If we can’t find a path to that completion, our commitment wavers and we become demotivated. Generally speaking, a goal needs to stretch you slightly so that it feels doable but will still require a real commitment (the amount of stretch, however, varies greatly from person to person). The feeling of success brought on by accomplishing a challenging goal will help you stay motivated.

Timely

A good goal should be set within a time frame; without a time frame there’s no sense of urgency. For example, if you want to learn how to use a new software package, when do you want to do it by? “Someday” won’t work to motivate you, however “by New Year” gives you a specific deadline. If we don’t set a time, our commitment is too vague and we tend not to start because we feel we can start at any time. Without a time frame, there’s no urgency to start taking action now.

Defining SMART goals is a smart way to manage your growth. If you find that your goals are often unclear, ambiguous, or  unrealistic you should consider sitting down with a your manager, a co-worker or someone from your Human Resources group to review them. By developing SMART goals (on your own or with others), you can clarify your contribution to the organization, improve your satisfaction with your work, and ensure your personal progress.

• Bookmark on Delicious
• Digg this post
• Recommend on Facebook
• Share on Linkedin
• Share with Stumblers
• Tweet about it
• Tell a friend