A new year is upon us and what better time than to set some new goals? Summit is looking at our own SMART goals for success for 2023 and we encourage our friends and clients to do the same.
What are SMART goals and why does your business need them?
SMART goals are goals that meet specific parameters to help ensure that your objectives are attainable within a specific time frame.
What Do SMART Goals stand for?
Specific
In order for any goal to be effective, it needs to be specific. A specific goal answers a question such as what needs to be done or who is responsible for the goal or what steps are required to achieve the goal. The goal needs to be well defined, clear, and unambiguous. Left open ended, it is hard to prove attainment.
Measured
Quantifying your goals, or making them measurable, makes it easier to track the progression of the project. Without a measurable goal, it can be very objective to determine when the goal is met. What specific criteria that measures your progress toward the accomplishment of the goal can be measured along the way? Like specifics, the measurement is the finish line and required to show completion.
Achievable
Goals should be realistic and broken down into consumable chunks. If your team is too small, or your goal is too large you are inevitably setting yourself up for failure. If your achievable goal has potential roadblocks it is a good idea to note those up front and share with stakeholders. This isn’t to say your goal shouldn’t stretch you a bit out of your comfort zone, but don’t attempt to climb Mount Everest before you walk around the block.
Relevant
Your goal should have a specific context and relevance to the team and the organization. If you can’t identify this up front, why are you doing it? Don’t let your goal be so far from your wheelhouse that it just becomes another item on a To Do List that you are never going to do.
Timed
To reasonably measure success you need to have a timeline. Time-related parameters keep everyone on track and on target. You should have a clear start date and target date to align with your goal. “Before I die” is not a reasonable timeline.
Utilizing SMART Goals
Goals are part of every aspect of business/life and provide a sense of direction, motivation, a clear focus, and clarify importance. By setting goals, you are providing yourself with a target to aim for. SMART goals help maintain your focus and increase the chances of your efforts achieving your goal.
Goals that are specific have a significantly greater chance of being accomplished. To make a goal specific, the five “W” questions must be considered:
- Who: Who is involved in this goal?
- What: What do I want to accomplish?
- Where: Where is this goal to be achieved?
- When: When do I want to achieve this goal?
- Why: Why do I want to achieve this goal?
Often, individuals or businesses will set themselves up for failure by setting general and unrealistic goals such as “I want to be the best at X.” This goal is vague, with no sense of direction.
SMART goals set you up for success by making goals specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. The SMART method helps push you further, gives you a sense of direction, and helps you organize and reach your goals.
Share your SMART goals in the comments below with Summit and we will let you know if Salesforce can help you attain them.
