We all have goals, objectives and targets in our life. But only a few of us can achieve it. Do you know Why? We all can set goals, and objectives but only a few of us know how to set SMART goals. Because goals and objectives need commitments, consistency, hard work and proper action plans. Vague, aggressive and poorly-framed goals are always difficult to achieve. Setting SMART goals means utilizing the time and available resources productively with commitments and consistency and trying to achieve what we want in our life.
A SMART goal without nicely crafted action plans is just like a cart without wheels.
We all experience failure and success in our career because it’s a part of our life. Many of us have dreams, and wishes and even we work very hard to fulfil our dreams and wishes. Do you know, why many of us can’t fulfil our dreams or wishes? Because many of us can’t convert our dreams and wishes to SMART goals and action plans to achieve these goals. It’s really tough to swallow, working very hard and achieving nothing or only little improvements in your career.
Setting a goal and breaking it into objectives is not a big deal. We all have dreams and goals but the issue is how to achieve them. I think no one can help you more than just giving you inspirations or motivation. This is only you, who can set SMART goals and wrestle with yourself to achieve them.
Goals are very good just in setting but not so good in achieving because achievement needs a lot of hard work, patience, dedication and consistency.
Before jumping to the term SMART goals, let’s have some discussion about Goals, Objectives, and Action Plans.
Goals:
A Goal is the desired outcome we want to achieve in our career or in our life. A goal is a broader term that reflects our vision and focuses on desired results. Goals are set to achieve the mission and explain what or where we want to be in future.
Objectives:
Objectives are the specific actions, activities or steps we take to achieve our goals. So, objectives are set to accomplish the desired goals. Objectives are specific, measurable and time-bound.
Action Plans:
Action Plans are the steps, activities and resources which are required to accomplish the objectives. An action plan is a document with guidelines and resources used to achieve the specific objectives and goals.
“If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” –Zig Ziglar
Goals, objectives and action plans are the terms that are interrelated and support each other. These are very important in our life. Without any SMART goal or SMART objective, we can’t achieve anything. Because when we don’t know what to achieve, then how we will achieve success and happiness in our life.
We can set goals or objectives in our life but the point is we must set SMART goals or SMART objectives to accomplish success. The term SMART is not so simple, it stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound. Goals play a pivotal role in our success because, they provide direction, focus, motivation and clarity to our vision.
Now, let’s discuss the term SMART and how we can set smart goals;
Specific:
First of all, you must ask yourself, what you want to achieve. Your answer must be specific and clear. You have to ask many other questions like, how you will achieve this, do you have the required resources, time and most importantly why you want to achieve this. So, your goals must be specific, clear and you must have a complete idea of what you want.
Measurable:
It’s very important, your goals must be measurable. You must define a criterion, how you will measure the progress. It’s mandatory to measure the progress because this will keep you focused and motivated. If your goal is to become a manager, then you can measure the progress by the number of applications you have sent, how many interviews you have attended and how many skills you have improved to get your goal. The best way is to set the millstones and small targets to track the progress.
Achievable:
The goal you set must be realistic. It should be challenging but must be attainable. A challenging goal always creates a sense of self-motivation and help in staying focused. Before setting a goal, you should ask yourself, is it achievable. Do you have the necessary calibre and resources to achieve this mammoth task? Can you develop the required skills to accomplish this?
Relevant:
The goal must be relevant. It should be relevant to your field. Your goals should be aligned with your values and vision or long-term goals. If your goal is not helping you to pursue your long-term goals then you should rethink this. You should evaluate, why this is important to you and how much benefit you will get.
Time-Bound:
You must define a time frame for your goals. Setting a specific time frame will push you to work hard, stay focused, consistent and motivated. Setting the target date or deadlines help to prioritize the important tasks. Setting the time frame for goals milestones is very important because you can’t pursue your one goal for your whole life. So, you must achieve your goal within a specific time frame like six months or one year etc.
Let’s discuss this SMART goal criterion with an example for better understanding;
Example:
You are a Chartered Accountant having enough experience, working as a Chief Accountant and you want to become a Finance or Accounts Manager within in next 6 months.
Specific: You have defined a clear and specific goal
Measurable: You can easily measure the progress by the number of applications you sent and interviews attended.
Achievable: Your goal is clearly achievable because you have the necessary qualification and experience.
Relevant: Your goal is relevant to your profession and industry
Time-based: You have also set a specific time frame to achieve this.
Conclusion:
SMART goals are very important because they keep us to stay focused, committed, consistent, and motivated. SMART goals with SMART objectives and with SMART action plans always provide guaranteed success. I will recommend preparing a SMART goals worksheet to set your SMART goals or SMART objectives because by using the SMART goals worksheet, you can set boundaries, define steps and milestones to track the progress of your goals. So, don’t forget the term SMART while setting your goals, objectives, targets and action plans.