Smart Goal Setting
For Maximum Achievement

How Can Smart Goal Setting Help You Succeed?

Why is goal setting important?

Whatever our dreams and vision in life, goal setting stands out as one of the basic life skills we must master, right up there with developing leadership skills, decision making skills, and effective communication skills.

But goal setting techniques and strategies aren't enough.

They must also be SMART.

Smart goal setting strategies are a powerful tool that helps us to clearly see:

• where we are
• where we want to go
• how we will get there.

Setting a goal is no guarantee of success. It's just the first step in the journey. If you have ever set yourself grand New Year's resolutions, and then allowed them to fall off your to-do list as the year progresses, you know what I mean.

Life gets in the way.

Beyond good intentions, goal setting must be supported in a way that makes it likely that you will achieve the thing you set out to do, otherwise there is always the temptation to "forget all about it" and give up.

Hence the importance of Smart Goal Setting.

Theory Of Goal Setting

In the late 1960s, Dr Edwin Locke published a paper - Toward a Theory of Task Motivation and Incentives - in which he suggested that working towards a goal provided a major source of motivation for employees to actually reach the goal. This in turn improved performance.

We call this Locke's Goal Setting Theory.

We could put Locke's theory this way...

EFFECTIVE GOAL SETTING TECHNIQUES =>
MOTIVATION => PERFORMANCE

Locke's goal setting motivation theory also discovered that employees did better when presented with goals that were clear and challenging, rather than goals that were general and easily reached.

Smart Goal Setting For Kids

My child is learning the piano. Through observing and supervising her practices, I have learned some valuable insights about motivating kids.

The first key to helping your child achieve is to be clear about what you need them to do.

I have found that when I say "Be more careful", it doesn't work as well as when I say, "See if you can get your left hand to come in 4 counts after the right hand begins".

In the first scenario, I have not told my child what to look out for or what being careful means. She will only know she has made a mistake when she actually hits a wrong note, or when I tell her "That's not how it should be played".

In the second scenario, I'm very specific. My child knows exactly what she needs to do. She also knows that I am intentionally setting the bar a bit higher. When she gets the tricky bit right, she knows she has accomplished something marvellous, and we celebrate together.

To sum up...

Clear Goals + Challenging Goals => Motivation

Smart Goal Setting Motivation Theory

How do we keep our motivation levels high?

It's easy to stay motivated when there is something worthy you can focus your energy on, and if you have enjoyed past success doing that particular thing.

In some cultures, it is considered bad manners to praise oneself or to accept credit for having done well. But when you do well and acknowledge the fact, you are not boasting or exaggerating. You are merely accepting reality and speaking the truth.

To Motivate, we have to Celebrate.

When you have done well at something, praise yourself and acknowledge your achievement. Give yourself a mental pat on the back.

If someone notices your achievement, don't put yourself down or give a default response like "Oh, it was nothing" or "I was just lucky". When you do so, you diminish your achievement and you are also indirectly suggesting that the other person has poor judgement. Instead, agree with him and find a way to celebrate the moment together.

Let the good feelings inspire you on to more smart goal setting and more success.

You will naturally want to keep doing well.

Success + Celebration + Affirmation => MORE Motivation

Employee Goal Setting

If you are an employee, chances are you already know something about SMART goals.

If you don't, SMART is simply an acronym for one of the most effective and smart goal setting strategies used.

Let's chunk it down to find out what it means to be SMART in goal setting...

S = Specific

M = Measurable

A = Attainable

R = Realistic

T = Timeline

Why are SMART goals a smart goal setting strategy?

I'll explain with some examples.

Example 1:

You want to become the top salesperson for the company, but yuou have set yourself no deadline. It could be 12 months from now, or 10 years from now. So your goal does not pass the SMART test, because it lacks the Timeline ingredient.

Example 2:

You want to take up a Masters course in order to switch careers, but you haven't got the money for the course fees. Your goal does not pass the SMART test because it is not Attainable at this point in time.

In the workplace, employee goal setting and organizational goal setting can be much more rewarding and sustainable if targets are set with the SMART criteria in mind.

Let's finish with 7 smart goal setting strategies for you, culled from the wisdom of great individuals who have applied them successfully.

7 Steps To Personal Goal Setting Success

1. Desire

If desire for success can be measured with a goal setting thermometer, does your reading say you're Red Hot?

If you cannot clearly respond to the question "Why do I want this?", your desire probably isn't strong enough to sustain you all the way through from start to finish. You need a burning passion that makes you willing to do whatever it takes and whatever it costs to achieve it.

2. Print

Zig Ziglar recommends that you print (or write) your goal to imprint it more enduringly in your subconscious.

3. Identify

Identify all the possible problems that might arise and the resources you will need to help you accomplish your goal. This helps you to anticipate and prepare. When you are ready to choose your path, you will already have an awareness of what is involved.

4. Deadline

Smart goal setting requires that you set a deadline so that you are forced to complete your project within a given time frame. An open deadline encourages procrastination and inaction, which can be demotivating. This is the vicious cycle we all know as Stuck In Neutral or the "stuck state".

5. Plan

Create a plan of mini-steps that will take you through the stages of your project right up to when you cross the finish line.

If you are thinking of changing careers, a good starting point is to create a career development plan to help you transition into a new career or a different way of working.

6. Picture

Images are powerful tools for creating the reality you desire. Use your dreams, desires and imagination to picture the success you want.

Keep that picture clearly imprinted in your unconscious mind with tangible tools.

For instance, you could create a montage with photos, inspirational quotes and quirky reminders of what you want to achieve.

John Assaraf calls this a vision board or dream board.

Want to know more about vision boards and how they can help you achieve your dreams?

Check out John's book The Complete Vision Board Kit: Using the Power of Intention and Visualization to Achieve Your Dreams

7. Persist

Never give up on yourself or your ability to achieve great things. You do not yet know how far you can go or how high you can reach when you simply do what you are called to do.

When we embark on the journey of personal goal setting, we cannot see the complete picture. Yet.

When you want to give up because it's just too hard, remember that success could be just one more try away.

I need to inject a word of caution here.

While the persistent person is generally lauded for her resilience and for not giving up, there are times when it is not always the best thing to do in your situation.

Anything worth striving for should be tempered with reason, wisdom and love.

For example, to insist on having your way regardless of how others feel and how they may be affected, could be seen as selfish and stubborn behaviour.

If you decide to give up a goal because something in your life has changed, don't apologize for it, get bitter or feel you have wasted your time.

Giving up on your goals for a worthy purpose does not make you a failure. It shows wisdom and maturity.

Return from Smart Goal Setting Strategies to
Career Change Confidence Home