Be smart about SMART goals (shortcut included)
Last week’s blog talked about the value of vision as a leader. With vision, you have a clear destination; a clear destination can aid in motivating your team.
But with vision, comes goals. Goals serve as checkpoints on the way to your vision. But how do you know you have a goal worth pursuing?
Enter: every goal-setter’s favorite mnemonic device: SMART. You’ve probably heard what makes a good goal – it must be:
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Attainable
R – Relevant
T – Time-specific
All great in theory. Until you’re stuck. Whose been stuck before? Raise your hands, high, people, nothing to be ashamed of.
Want to get unstuck? Take a shortcut- figure out the M and T and watch the S, A and R fall into place.
Think about it. Some aspects of goal-setting are instinctive – relevance, for example. It only makes sense to pick a goal that pertains to your cause. The other aspects are so interconnected to M and T that you cover your bases – by choosing metrics for your goal, you are already halfway to specific; setting a deadline sets your parameters so you have a clear head to see what’s attainable.
Just remember- MT goals can be SMART goals, too.
Want to be loved by your team? Teach them the same trick. That way, when you tell THEM to make a goal, they won’t be paralyzed by trying to be SMART.
Shortcuts that work. Very smart.
(Thanks to the SMART folks over at Manager Tools for the tips and tricks.)
