What you don’t know about SMART goal setting
The SMART goals setting concept was introduced by George Doran, Arthur Miller and James Cunningham in their 1981 article “There's a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management goals and objectives”.
Since then, we’ve been hit with the acronym over and over especially in corporate settings where a solid format helps drive work objectives across large people-heavy organisations. When I worked for Microsoft, the SMART approach was the de facto one. I do like the SMART format and I’ve found it helps create clearer and more realistic goals. However, some important points are usually omitted when the concept is communicated but included could make all the difference upping the probability of achieving success.
Why are some points omitted? I guess because it's similar to the message “we need 5 fruits and veg a day”. Look at your orange juice carton and it will say 1 of your 5 a day. But the reality is we probably need 10 fruit and veg a day but damn, 10 is so much, how can I do that? So, I won’t even try.
It’s better to ingest 50% of your fruit and veg per day versus none so hence the 5 a day rule. Being in tune and realistic about what is achievable in daily life is paramount for a good message to be conveyed.
Now if you have a goal, you so much want to achieve and would like to reduce the risk of failure then continue reading for the SMART details usually left out.
S = Specific
We know that being clear on what you will do is important but what you’re not always told is that the more specific the better, no really, very specific. Get deep here and whether you believe in the concept of the unconscious mind or not, it’s best to leave no doubt what you want to achieve. Make it simple, obvious and direct but also see it done, feel what it will be like when achieved etc.
Top Tip: The specifics need to be a bit uncomfortable. After all, if it was easy, you would have it done already. If the goal is low on the uncomfortable scale, then you are sandbagging and a rethink is needed.
M = Measurable
We need real world criteria to know if we’re on track and to know when we’ve reached the target. Measuring is key with KPI's or whatever makes measuring sense. 100%, we all get that. However, “M” also stands for “Meaningful”. Is the goal worth it in the end and in keeping with who and how you are? If not, your heart won’t be in it. Remember you will need the energy to keep going and working on an uncomfortable and challenging goal but if that goal does not give you energy, you might as well not start it.
A = Achievable
At the rudimentary level you need to understand that the goal or similar has been achieved before by someone else. It’s not saying to never work on something that has not been invented or exists. Rather the step-by-step tasks to your goal can be achieved and perhaps you know someone that has done it already to discuss and compare. “A” also stands for “All areas of Life '' and will taking on this goal help with your entire life balance or will it put pressure on other areas, ultimately losing something you have now that is important. We don’t always think about this deliberately enough or we might have a sense of it but don’t speak it and put it into words and so continue down a difficult path. “A” also stands for “As if Now” and it's important to NEVER state goals in the future. Set your goals as if you’ve already achieved them. The saying “Tomorrow never comes” is apt here and you need to continue to tell yourself (your unconscious mind) that you’ve achieved the goal now or are already doing it.
Top Tip: Goals that prove most successful have strong accountability, commitment and are visible/written down.
R = Realistic
What degree of certainty do you have to make this goal happen? Are you currently capable of the work and all things being equal what is your sense on this goal being possible? But what is your view or definition of being realistic? This will be different to someone else’s and tied to your beliefs, your view of the world and what you think is possible, so it does mean your goal is yours and no one else’s. But “R” also stands for “Responsibility” and this is the clincher and a big reason why a lot of goals fail in my experience. Are you 100% responsible for making this goal happen? If not, you are setting yourself up for failure. Now before you fill with contempt from that last statement, I’m not saying you don’t go after team goals, or hard tasks that depend on other folks and processes. These type goals need to be taken on but your success rate with these variables included is much lower so be careful what you tie your success to. A mix of goals, some that you can totally be self-sufficient on and some shared goals are important.
Top Tip: Get clear on what is a state and what is a goal. I want to be happy, confident etc. Is a state not a goal. You can get this state instantly if you choose to. A goal is different, more specific, with step by step actions, by when and measurable etc.
T = Timely
We know that setting a forcing function of a date driven task, sharpens the commitment and action. Your unconscious mind will interpret a goal with no associated date as a task that can be done whenever or not at all. Notice when you had time-boxed goals or events in the past, that you intuitively fell into action either timely or last minute (depending on your nature) but you got it done. “T” also stands for “Towards” and is the goal a moving towards goal? For example, don’t structure goals around what you don’t want. The unconscious mind doesn’t understand negation and you will be pushing forward to the centre what you don’t want and ultimately in your way. E.g. I do not want to be afraid or I do not want to lose my home etc. This is a moving away from goal and best to state like: I will have €50K in my bank account by Jan 2022. Under Timely we also have “Ecological” and how will you be impacted when you reach the goal? What is the impact on the people around you, the people you care about, the environment etc.? So as you can see a lot more to think about with Timely beyond setting a date.
Peel back the layers of SMART if you are serious in achieving goals. I know it will take a bit more time but if you don’t, time is what you will be wasting and that is your most precious asset.
If you would like to go deeper on this subject then research NLP (Neuro Linguistic programming) goal setting.
