Increase Your Chances for Success – How to Write a SMART Goal
The concept of setting and achieving goals isn’t a new one. Whether personal or professional, large or small, short term or long term, knowledge or skill, we are setting goals for ourselves all of the time. The question is are you achieving them?
Formal goal setting is a well-established practice that has proven to be instrumental in enhancing our learning, development and performance. It helps us to focus our efforts in a specific area to get a desired result however, the way we are motivated to achieve our goals can differ. An analytical mind might thrive on thinking about their goal with a lot of detail and metrics. Big picture thinkers, on the other hand, tend to concern themselves with what their end goal is and not so much about steps required to get there.
While neither approach is wrong, you are more likely to increase your chances for success if you learn how to capture a goal with as much structure as possible. An easy method to use is to follow the SMART goal setting framework. SMART is an acronym for Smart Measurable Achievable Relevant Time Sensitive. Be it business or personal, follow the SMART framework to set goals that get you the results that you want! Tried this method without success? Connect with HR Factor to see how we can help.
Example Goal
Smart Goal Setting Guidelines
S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Achievable
R - Relevant
T - Time Sensative
What do you want to achieve?
Who needs to be involved to accomplish the goal?
When would you like to finish the goal?
Why is this goal important?
What metrics will I used to track my progress?
How will I know when the goal is completed?
Do I have the resources that I need to achieve the goal?
Does this goal challenge me enough?
What steps will I need to take?
Is this goal important for me to achieve right now?
Is this goal in line with my long-term objectives?
Does this goal align with business objectives?
How long will it take to achieve this goal?
What is the due date of the goal?
Increase my sales by 10% over last year in 12 months to increase revenue.
Compare sales profit after 12-month period vs. sales profit from end of previous year.
Last year’s sales were up 8%, tracking in a positive direction. Gaining new accounts.
Overall aligns with business goals to increase sales and profit and will push me to drive for results.
12-month period to achieve the goal. Due date December 31.