A goal is an idea of a future desired result that a person or group envisages. It is the specific achievement toward which you direct all your effort. A SMART goal takes you a step further; it helps define a roadmap and a timeframe.
Dreams, on the other hand, are more general and intangible. They are like a mission or wishful thinking, something we desire and aim at some point in life. The goal is what you get when you translate your dream into a more specific, tangible statement, and you are more explicit about how to achieve it, including what and when actions you need to put into place.
Translating dreams, or big ambitious goals into more specific ones, requires a clever approach to narrowing it down. The SMART goal definition is a very effective tool which has been proven to work for any industry or type of goal.
The letters stand for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound.
When you define your goal using these characteristics, you will have a crystal clear objective, the actions you need to do to achieve it, and the timeframe to accomplish it.
The Specific feature calls for narrowing the scope of your goal. It should be clear and to the point. If you have a very ambitious or very general and vague goal, it would be challenging to achieve during a set period. When narrowing your goal, try to answer the five “W” questions:
A specific goal could be: “I want to gain the skills and experience necessary to become head of design within my organisation so that I can build my career and lead a team”. However, it still needs work to become a clear and achievable goal.
A measurable goal lets you keep track of your progress and stay motivated. On the other hand, assessing progress helps you be focused, meet your deadlines, and feel the excitement of getting closer to achieving your goals. A measurable goal should address questions such as:
An attainable goal is a realistic goal, one that you can achieve. In other words, it should stretch your abilities but remain possible. An achievable goal will usually answer questions such as:
How realistic are the goal and the actions based on other constraints, such as financial factors, for example?
* Insider Tip #1: Beware of setting goals that someone else has power over, not you. For example, “Get that promotion!” depends on who else applies and the recruiter’s decision. But “Get the experience and training that I need to be considered for that promotion” is entirely down to you.
Relevant – a goal is appropriate when it matters to you and is aligned with other plans you might have. It is essential that you retain control over your actions and do not lose perspective. A relevant goal can answer “yes” to these questions:
Time-bound – Every goal needs a target date, a deadline to focus on, and something to work towards. This part of the SMART goal criteria helps prevent everyday tasks from prioritising your longer-term goals. A time-bound plan will usually answer these questions:
So, the initial version of the goal I shared above, enriched with all these features, should become something like this:
I want to gain the skills and experience necessary to become head of design within my organisation to build my career and lead a team within three years.
* Insider tip #2: When you work on defining your SMART goal (especially an ambitious goal), start with the end in mind. Start from the time-bound feature and work backwards. This will help you to realistically plan according to the time you expect to complete your goal.
You might return to this box later and correct it if need be if some of the other aspects of your goal make you realise the timeframe you defined is not feasible.
When you want to make a change in life, getting clear on your goal sets you up for the ride.
Having crystal clear what you want to achieve is a guarantee for success!
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