Setting goals puts you in the driver’s seat, giving you the power to transform your life or take a company into the future. As enticing as that sounds, it is more common than not those goals are abandoned.
Here are top tips for setting goals that fast-track success in business and life:
Match the “why” with “what”
Stop listing goals that seem like a good idea. To transform your success trajectory (which leads to greater happiness and fulfillment), take considerable time to ensure that your goals are aligned with your ethos and connected to your mission.
Set Goals That Motivate You
When you set goals for yourself, it is important that they motivate you: this means making sure that they are important to you, and that there is value in achieving them. If you have little interest in the outcome, or they are irrelevant given the larger picture, then the chances of you putting in the work to make them happen are slim. Motivation is key to achieving goals.
Make your goals S.M.A.R.T.
The acronym S.M.A.R.T. means Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-sensitive.
Specific:
Goals are no place to waffle. They are no place to be vague. Ambiguous goals produce ambiguous results. Incomplete goals produce incomplete futures.
Measurable:
Always set goals that are measurable. I would say “specifically measurable” to take into account our principle of being specific.
Attainable:
One of the detrimental things that many people do—with good intentions—is setting goals that are so high that they are unattainable.
Realistic:
The root word of realistic is “real.” A goal has to be something that we can reasonably make “real” or a “reality” in our lives. There are some goals that are simply not realistic. You have to be able to say, even if it is a tremendously stretching goal, that yes, indeed, it is entirely realistic—that you could make it. You may even have to say that it will take x, y and z to do it, but if those happen, then it can be done. This is in no way to say it shouldn’t be a big goal, but it must be realistic.
Time:
Every goal should have a timeframe attached to it. One of the powerful aspects of a great goal is that it has an end—a time in which you are shooting to accomplish it. As time goes by, you work on it because you don’t want to get behind, and you work diligently because you want to meet the deadline. You may even have to break down a big goal into different parts of measurement and timeframes—that is OK. Set smaller goals and work them out in their own time. A S.M.A.R.T. goal has a timeline. In most businesses, learning to effectively manage time is a game changer. Create a list of priorities, and focus on what needs to get done right away. Once you’ve met the urgent needs first, tackle the rest. If there are things on your list you don’t want to do, delegate. Don’t let them hold you back from doing what you love to do.
Review your goals.
Make it part of your day to review your goals and take action. This keeps your goals alive and top of mind. It’s a good time to convert the over all plan into discrete action steps that you can take through out the week. It will also help you be aware if one goal feels stuck and you are over compensating on another goal.