How To Set Achievable Goals
When looking to the future for your business, set goals that are SMART for the most success. Setting SMART goals is a tested and effective strategy for successfully achieving goals. In 1955, Peter Drucker was credited with inventing the approach, which is still used today. It can be applied to any aspect of your life where you want to see growth. It is now employed by both large and small enterprises, ranging from government agencies to Fortune 500 companies. This strategy is not only beneficial to business owners, but it also serves as a fantastic motivator for all on staff. It keeps the goal-setter honest about their progress while also allowing for modest setbacks and the possibility of exceeding expectations.
Why Do We Set Goals?
Goals are set by top-level athletes, successful business people, and achievers in all disciplines. Setting goals provides you with both long-term and short-term motivation. It concentrates your learning and assists you in organizing your time and resources so that you may get the most out of your life.
By defining exact, clearly defined targets, you can measure and enjoy attaining your goals, and you'll notice significant progress in what may have previously appeared to be a long, unproductive grind. You'll develop confidence when you discover your own ability and proficiency in achieving the goals you've set.
Let’s take a closer look at how SMART can help you set achievable goals.
“A goal properly set is halfway reached.”
Specific
This is the who, what, and where of goal-setting. Your objectives should be clearly stated by identifying areas that require improvement. This could range from raising office morale to increasing your own job happiness. Avoid making generalizations like "become more aware of..." or "try to be better at..."
Who
Who would be benefiting from this SMART goal? It could be yourself, the office, the employees, or your bottom line, for example. Look around for areas of improvement and how you can be of service within your role. Be as specific about who is involved in the results of your goal so your objective can be laser-focused.
What
What is it that you will be improving? Think about exactly what will be accomplished by creating this goal. The more detailed, the better.
Where
This will depend on the goal itself. If your goal is to improve your business,the “where” would probably be within the office. If the goal is to be less stressed outside of the business, then the “where” could be just about anywhere.
Examples:
Improve intra-office communication between management and employees
Earn 20 continuing education credits to maintain my nursing credentials
Participate at least 3 times in team meetings by making suggestions for improvement
Measurable
This is the “when” and “how often” of the goal setting process. In order for the goal to be reached there needs to be deadlines and time commitment. For example, when starting a new workout routine, simply stating that you will “workout more” is not specific enough and leave an opportunity to lose motivation. A better goal would be to “work out 3 days a week for 30 minutes each day”.
Be realistic with this aspect of your goal-setting. You should set the bar high and it should be challenging, while still being obtainable. For the workout example, a beginner shouldn’t commit to exercising 7 days a week for 2 hours per day. Think about what is possible and reach for that goal.
Achievable (Attainable)
These goals are intended to be motivating, so when carefully choosing your goals ask yourself if it is achievable. Don’t shy away from difficult goals even when you may not feel like you are fully capable. Aim high and if you fall a little short, get back up and try, try again. You likely would not have gotten as far as you did without setting a goal, even if it was too high.
An example of this is, say you plan to grow your business by creating an online store, but you don’t know how to design a web store. Although the goal requires learning a new skill, it can still be achieved.
The goal would then be:
“Grow the business by creating an online store by taking an online web design course and spending one hour a week working on building the site.”
This goal is specific, measurable, and achievable. Lofty or long term goals can even be broken up into smaller goals.
Goal-Setting Example
Big Goal:
Write a journal article and get it published within one year.
Small Goal 1:
Create a PowerPoint Presentation for the upcoming conference on a research topic of my choice by discussing topics with a researcher and working on it for at least 2 hours per week for the next month.
Small Goal 2:
Present my PowerPoint Presentation at the upcoming conference one time.
Small Goal 3:
Use the PowerPoint Presentation to write a journal article. I will work on the article for 4 hours per month for the next 6 months, until completed.
Small Goal 4:
Have my written article reviewed by 3 researchers for accuracy, make suggested edits, and submit to a journal for publication.
This is one goal with four smaller goals to make it easier to digest. Each smaller goal is its own SMART goal. The goals together. can be accomplished within 6 months to a year.
Relevant (Reasonable)
A relevant goal is specific to the business and its overall goals and success. These also must be achievable, which may depend on the resources available. This may take research and conversations with supervisors and other departments. For example, suggesting that the team be trained for selling a product line in the next month may seem like a great goal, but not if the business does not plan to launch the line for 6 more months. By then, team members may have come and gone. A better goal would be to create training material that can be used for training the team when the product line is ready to launch.
Relevance also has to pertain to your life, not just the life of the business. If you do not plan to stay with the company or in a position long term, it wouldn’t make sense to create goals that will take longer to achieve than you plan on staying. Instead, make short term goals that benefit the company, and if they also involve learning a new skill or would look good on a resume, then even better!
Time-Bound (Timely)
There should always be deadlines for your goals, and they don’t all have to be the same. Two or three goals for the next six months is great, but what about a year from now, or five, or ten? Don’t think small, dream big! The small goals can build into the bigger goals you may have.
As a business owner, manager, or leader, it’s important to encourage your team to think big and find short and long term goals. Encouraging others to succeed shows that the business is invested in their future. It also encourages the team to build their own strengths while furthering the business’s overall goals and output. These help to retain hard working and motivated staff.
A new goal does not need to be decided every few months. A short term SMART goal is best when the goal is 6 months to a year. SMART goals can also build upon each other to meet the ultimate goal.
More Tips for Setting Achievable Goals
The following pointers will help you to set effective, achievable goals:
Declare Each Goal as a Positive Statement.
Positive goals are far more effective than negative goals. "Execute this technique well" is a far better aim than "Don't make this terrible error."
Set Priorities.
Give each aim a priority if you have numerous. This prevents you from becoming overwhelmed by having too many goals and allows you to focus on the most important ones.
Put Your Goals In Writing.
Writing your goals down solidifies them and makes them real. Consequently, this gives your goals more force and power. This way, you can easily reference your goals when you need a reminder of what you are working toward.
Set Performance Goals, Not Outcome Goals.
You should make an effort to create goals over which you have the most control. It's demoralizing to fail to meet a personal goal due to circumstances beyond your control!
These factors could be terrible business environments or unintended consequences of government policy in the business world. Poor judging, terrible weather, injuries, or just plain bad luck could all be factors in sports. You may maintain control over the achievement of your goals and derive satisfaction from them if you base them on personal performance.
Keep Your Immediate Goals Small.
Small, attainable low-level goals should be the focus of your efforts. When a goal is too big, it may appear like you aren't making any progress toward it. It's easier to reward yourself if you keep your goals simple and progressive.
Above All Else, Set Realistic Goals.
It's critical to set goals that you'll be able to reach. People can establish unreasonable goals for you (for example, employers, parents, the media, or society). They will frequently do so without regard for your own objectives and ambitions.
It's also possible to establish objectives that are excessively difficult because you don't realize the challenges you'll face or how much talent you'll need to develop to reach a certain level of performance.
Nailed It! Now What?
Take some time after you've accomplished a goal to bask in the glory of your accomplishment. Consider the ramifications of achieving your goal, as well as your progress toward other objectives.
If you achieved a significant goal, give yourself a well-deserved reward. All of this contributes to you gaining the self-assurance you deserve.
Review the remainder of your goal plans now that you've accomplished this one:
Make your next aim more difficult if you attained the first one too easy.
Make the following goal a little easier if the last one took a long time to accomplish.
Change your goals if you learn something that will help you achieve them.
If you found a skill gap despite accomplishing the objective, consider whether you should make targets to address it.
Incorporate the lessons you've learned into the process of setting your next objectives. Keep in mind that your objectives will evolve over time. Adjust them on a regular basis to reflect your growing knowledge and experience, and if goals are no longer appealing, consider letting them go. Be SMART!
