Bernard Marr* illustrates the value of setting goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound.
Think about playing darts with your friends.
If you don’t know where your target is, it’s going to be pretty tough to hit that bullseye.
When I work with organisations, one of the things I do is help them establish goals that will give them the best possible chance of success.
The right goals give you, your team, or your organisation, a sense of direction and a clear target to aim for.
However, businesses tend to set up goals that are far too vague. Unclear and ambiguous goals are a lot harder to meet.
One of the best methods for setting good goals is using the SMART process, which I’ll share with you in this post.
SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound.
A SMART goal incorporates all of these criteria to help you focus your efforts and achieve success.
Here’s how to use the SMART method to set goals for yourself, your team, or your organisation.
Specific
Make the goal as specific and narrow as possible by asking yourself these questions.
What do I want to accomplish? Who is involved in this effort? Where do I want to achieve this goal? Why do I want to achieve this goal?
Measurable
Each goal should have criteria for measuring progress. If you can’t measure it, you won’t be able to tell if you’re on track or missing the mark.
To make your goal measurable, ask yourself: “What’s my success indicator? How many/how much?”
Achievable
Make your goal ambitious but achievable. Your goal should feel like a little bit of a stretch for you, so you stay motivated.
If you set a goal that’s too easy, you won’t feel inspired to do the work. On the other hand, the goal can’t be impossible, or you will get frustrated.
To find the balance, take into account where you are today and what’s reasonable for you.
Given the time and resources available to you, what is a goal that feels like a little bit of a stretch?
Relevant
Is this goal aligned with your longer-term targets? Are they in line with your organisation’s overall strategy?
If you are setting professional goals, it’s a good idea to fit your individual goals in with the objectives of your team and your organisation.
Time-bound
SMART goals have start and finish times.
There is a finish line, not an open-ended promise saying: “I’ll get it done someday.”
Giving each goal a deadline will provide a sense of urgency that will motivate you to achieve your goal.
Now that you’re familiar with the basics of setting SMART goals, let’s look at a couple of examples of how we can transform vague goals into ones that will help people and organisations succeed.
Vague goal: Get better at email marketing.
SMART goal: Improve our organisation’s click-through rate by 10 per cent by 31 August.
Vague goal: Grow the business.
SMART goal: Bring in three new consulting clients between now and the end of the year.
Vague goal: Run a marathon.
SMART goal: Run five kilometres three times a week, by 15 July.
Vague goal: Lose weight.
SMART goal: Sign up for a gym membership and work out four times a week.
Break big goals down into smaller steps, then turn those smaller steps into SMART goals.
Regularly review, revise, and update your goals and objectives to drive performance in your organisation.
*Bernard Marr is the founder of Bernard Marr & Co and can be contacted at bernardmarr.com.
This article first appeared on LinkedIn.
