Goal setting is vital to the success of any team, and to your success as the leader and business manager. If you know how to set goals that work, you’ll help your team, and the organization perform at its best!
SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed. Here are examples of how to set SMART goals:
Specific - this describes the target condition exactly. If you want to increase sales, you must state how much of an increase you expect. For example: “our goal is to increase sales by 15%”.
Measurable -In order to know when they’ve arrived, your team will have to know the starting and ending conditions. Using the example above, you would state: “sales are at 100K, let’s set a goal to increase sales to 115K”.
Achievable - The goal should stretch your team, but be within reach. This provides the motivation that activates the brain chemistry necessary for team accomplishment. If you were trying to set a goal for a 100% increase in sales, your team might not believe it was possible, and give up before they got started.
Realistic – Your team must have the skills, time and resources to accomplish the stated goal. Increasing sales by 15% might be realistic if they have product, marketing material, access to customers, and a reasonable amount of time for achievement.
Timed - Goals must include deadlines. Without a deadline, your goal is too vague, and will likely produce vague results. A time frame provides the finish line, which motivates and drives action. It allows your team to know that they have arrived at the desired destination!
