Set SMART Goals for Success

Organizations that intentionally and thoughtfully set goals at the beginning of the year are more apt to follow through and achieve those goals. The goal setting process includes defining the goals so everyone who is accountable to achieve each goal understands the expectations.

Imagine receiving an expectation from your manager to “Ensure great customer service” this year. What does that mean? How will you be rated? The definition of “great customer service” may mean different things to you, your team or senior leaders. While well-meaning, this goal does not utilize the key components of a goal that will set your team up for success.

SMART Goals

The SMART acronym provides an easy and memorable way to ensure goals are clear and understandable. Creating SMART goals will ensure goals across all levels of your organization are clearly documented and create mutual understanding. Each component of a SMART goal is described below.

S – Specific. Everyone involved in accomplishing the goal must fully understand what the goal is, and what it is expected to achieve.

To set a Specific goal, answer the following questions:

• Who is involved?
• What do we want accomplished?
• Where is the work/project/result located?
• When will the goal be worked on and/or completed?
• What could stand in the way of success?
  Why is this goal important?

M – Measurable. Setting criteria to measure progress can help you and your team stay motivated throughout the year. Clarifying expectations now also helps minimize any confusion at the end of the year.

To create a measurable goal, answer the following questions:

• How much/many?
• How will we know when it is accomplished?

AR – Attainable and Realistic. Do not set yourself or your employees up for failure. Be realistic when determining the goal and the individual’s capabilities.

• Does the person have the knowledge/skills, or can they gain the knowledge/skills, to achieve this goal?
• What support will I/my employee need to make this goal attainable?
• Is the goal written so it establishes performance expectations within a manageable set of criteria?

T – Timely. Due dates create urgency. Without a deadline, many of us end up procrastinating and then the task becomes too large to accomplish in the remaining time.

TIP: If you are a procrastinator, or supervise those who have this tendency, take time now to develop a timeline with multiple due dates to break the project up into manageable pieces.

NEXT STEPS

As you look at your organizational, team or individual goals for the year, utilize the SMART acronym to create meaningful goals that
will make an impact.

We recommend you share this newsletter with your team if they are involved in setting their own goals.

The tips will help employees craft goals and also provide them with information to use while reviewing goals that have been
set for them. By eliminating questions up front, you will avoid awkward conversations at the end of the year when there are
different perspectives of performance expectations.