I would be willing to bet that if I asked you what a SMART goal is, you could tell me with little to no thought. We have been writing SMART goals for our entire careers. Yet, while we know how to write SMART goals, how many of us know how to achieve the goals we set for ourselves?
Strategy is a word that has been appearing in my world quite a bit for the past few years. The result is my thought that we must have an intentional strategy to achieve our goals. We could discuss strategy and the different elements of a well-planned strategy for days, but why not use simple strategies or a combination of habits, routines, and daily action steps to achieve our goals.
As a leader, one of the most profound lessons learned was that no matter the presenting challenge, I could never show fear, doubt, or waiver in its face. The moment I did, is the moment I lost my team. Thus, one of the best leadership lessons I learned was how to make goals achievable.
Five Simple Steps to Make Goals Achievable:
1. Determine your destination. The destination is what you plan to accomplish. This can be as lofty as becoming a bestselling author or as simple as increasing your revenue. Knowing when and where you plan to land are the keys to success. Simply stating when and where sets the tone.
2. Break down long-term goals. Long-term goals are the skills you will need to master in order to achieve your goal. A SMART goal should challenge you and your team, and should require you to learn new skills. If the goal does not push you, you may want to reassess your goals.
3. Set milestones. Milestones serve as smaller steps along the way to your final destination. Milestones are rallying points, times for celebration and rest. These points will help maintain momentum and give you time to build strength for coming challenges. As you reach milestones, show your team how far they have come, and the challenges they have overcome.
4. Create short-term goals. Saying you will need to make 15 connections in order to achieve a sales goal is a bit intimidating. Breaking this down into making five quality connections per week is much more achievable. Similarly, when learning a new skill, such as a new way to manage clients, breaking this into pieces makes it easier to maintain momentum.
5. Set daily action steps. Looking at your short-term goals, create daily action steps designed to achieve your ultimate goal. When you can focus on the steps you need to take today versus what you need to accomplish in a month, it’s much easier to maintain momentum and avoid feelings of being overwhelmed.
Utilizing this approach gives your team the tools to be successful in every project. By no means do leaders need to be involved in setting daily action steps, this should be a job assigned to your team. Your goal should always be to provide the resources and tools your team will need to be successful.
Sara Orellana, MS, MPH is an independent entrepreneur who specializes in strategic planning, leadership, and grant writing. She can be reached at sara@3raptorconsulting.com.