January FAQ – I keep hearing about SMART Goals, what are they?
One Friday, each month, I dedicate the post to looking at some questions I have heard recently from developing leaders. Sharing those questions and my thoughts about them is a way for me to spread the information to as many leaders and future leaders as possible. If you have a question about leadership, or just a situation you would like some additional insight on, please email me at Effective Retail Leader. Let’s take a look at this week’s question.
What are SMART goals? I hear a lot about them, but I am not sure what exactly it means.
I think this is an excellent question and for two reasons. First, you’re interested in setting goals for yourself, and you have begun to do some research. Second, you are seeking clarity on something that some people think others already know. The idea of SMART goals is fairly common, but less often is the concept explained. There are many assumptions around the term and idea of SMART goals.
SMART is simply an acronym for a framework of setting goals that will help you effectively achieve them. This starting point concentrates on the setting portion of the goal – achievement process; I’ll explain why I mention that shortly. Let’s look at what SMART stands for.
S pecific
M easurable
A ttainable
R elevant
T ime based
You can likely find different variations of a few of the words associated with the acronym. Specific is almost always the starting point. You need to clearly define for yourself, in your words, what you want to achieve. “I want to lose weight” is not a specific goal, it is a statement. “I want to lose ten pounds by March 31st” is a specific goal that is clear in what it sets out to achieve.
Measurable is also very common and is self-explanatory. Can you measure the progress and outcome of your goal? This also makes evident why you need to be very specific in step one. While losing weight is measurable, stated like this it is not measurable to the desired outcome. Specific and measurable go hand-in-hand.
Attainable can sometimes be interchanged with achievable. It is essentially the same thing. It really ensures that your goal can be achieved. For example, trying to lose ten pounds in three days would not be attainable (and certainly not safely – do not attempt this at home). As you are preparing your goals, take a step back and ask what will need to happen in order to succeed, and is that doable?
The ‘R’ may be the most substitutable of all the letters in the acronym. You will likely come across realistic, relevant, or reasonable as the most common connections for this step. I choose relevant most often when I speak about SMART goals. Realistic and reasonable to me are covered in ‘M,’ so no need to restate what we already have in another step. Relevant creates an action step to ensure you are evaluating why you are taking on this goal. What is it related to, and how will it make a difference? We all have limited time and resources, so if it is not relevant to something else you are doing, it might not make sense to invest time in doing it.
The final step is almost always connected to time. Time-bound, timely, time-based are all about having a specific window of time to complete the goal. We cover that to an extent in being specific, so this ensures you have that element captured. “I want to lose ten pounds” is specific; adding “by March 31st” is specific and time-bound.
There is an excellent article on the Mindtools website, What Are SMART Goals that provides some additional insight on this framework as well.
There are a couple of elements you can consider when defining the right framework for your goal-setting process. I have seen the ‘R’ also represent risky, encouraging people to push the envelope of what is possible. If your goals are not challenging you to stretch, you may not be setting your sights high enough. I like that idea and would recommend that as an advanced step of goal setting. If you are just getting started, the above steps will ensure you get a strong footing to start.
As you continue your goal setting journey, another advanced step and one that supports what I mentioned earlier, defines the process beyond just setting the goals. There is a sequence of events that must continue once you have established your goals. I refer to this as the SMARTER goal setting. It takes the SMART I mention above and adds two new steps to the end.
E valuate
R eact
Once you have your goals established, you need to take action on them. There must be a consistent review process. The evaluation step implies the need for that regular review and ensures that you have set the correct goal for yourself in the situation or season of life you are in. Just blindly trying to hit a goal will not succeed if you do not take time to look at the measurable results and continue to ask, ‘is this still attainable and relevant?’ Based on that evaluation, you need to react. Goals should set people in motion, so should evaluation. Review where you are at and then determine what the next step will be. I cover this in more detail as well as another advanced goal-setting framework in my article SPRINT to Goal Achievement.
Hopefully, this will get you started on your goal-setting process with a strong foundation for success in what you want to achieve. Goals are an important part of being a leader, in defining your own success and serving those around you.
Additional Resources
Another article I have on the subject of setting SMART goals can be found in 3 Ways to Set New Goals in the Next Phase of Coronavirus. This also shares ideas on goal setting in a different environment.
SMART Goals: Definition and Examples
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