A SMARTER way to set SMART Goals
Posted on January 11, 2022 by Robert Gruttke, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.
SMART Goal setting has been around for many years but could there be a SMARTER way to ensure we achieve our outcomes?
The idea of SMART goals was first developed way back in 1981 by George Doran, James Cunningham and Arthur Miller. Ever since that time SMART goals have become the accepted framework for defining and setting goals and objectives across the business world.
Many of you, especially those in the corporate world, would know exactly what a S.M.A.R.T goal is. It’s probably been drummed into you every single year by your management team. In the unlikely event that you are not aware of the S.M.A.R.T goal setting structure, here it is:
S.M.A.R.T Goals
S – Specific – The Goal must be as specific as possible.
M – Measurable – The goal must be measurable, and you must know when it has been achieved.
A – Achievable – The goal must be possible to achieve.
R – Realistic / Relevant – The goal must be relevant to the outcome and realistic.
T – Timely / Time-bound – There must be an end date to when the goal will be achieved.
A simple example: I will clean the dishes with a sponge and soapy water by 19h00 tonight.
Is S.M.A.R.T Goal Setting really that effective?
It is a great structure and there is no taking away from its simple brilliance. It is however missing some key components to guarantee goal achievement success. There are two main reasons why goals fail, and these are:
1.The Goal is not Ecological. In other word’s it is not aligned with the persons wants and desires.
2.The achievement of the goal is not fully within the person’s control. People can only control themselves; they have no control over colleagues, managers, customers, friends, the environment, the economy etc.
How can we make the Goal Setting process SMARTER?
Very simply by adding two very important elements. The first is we need to elicit an emotion around what it will feel like to achieve the goal. We really must want to achieve the goal ourselves and there must be an excitement around the outcome. The goal must completely fit with us. If we are doing it for someone else, we will likely fail.
Secondly, we need to be completely Responsible for achieving the goal. It must be 100% ours and within our control to achieve. Trying to achieve a goal that is not 100% within our control is a lot like playing the lottery. A game of chance.
Let’s take a deeper look at the E and R in the SMARTER model:
SMART
Ecological / Emotional
The best way to create an emotion around the goal is to step into the future and imagine you have already achieved your goal. Imagine who will be there, what will you hear and how will you feel? Is it excitement, jubilation, happiness….? Take one step back and remember what the last step was before your reached your goal.
Responsible
Ask yourself these questions:
If I had all the resources I need in place right now, could I achieve this goal immediately?
Am I doing this for me or because someone else wants me to do this?
If the answer is yes to the first question and you are 100% clear that you are doing this for yourself, then you are good to go. If not, you will need to reassess your goal to ensure that it is within your control and is really something you want.
Bonus Tip: Take 5 Minutes every day and visualize having achieved the goal and all the steps you took to get there. Look back from your vision of the future. Imagine it in vivid detail and really step into it. Feel what you will be feeling, hear what you will be hearing and see what you will be seeing.
I hope that this article has been helpful and that you now have a SMARTER way of achieving your goals.
