Achieving Goals_ Define and Surpass Your High Performance Goals - Kathleen Schienle [5]
WHAT MAKES GOALS SMART?
Many guidelines for developing powerful goals have been created since the 1950s, when the late Peter Drucker, known as “the father of modern management,” first began writing about the philosophy of “management by objectives” (MBO). Many workers and their managers use this method to plan their work for the year in alignment with company goals. By setting objectives with a manager, employees know what’s expected and how to get there. When a manager talks about goals with employees, the door is opened to discussions about how these workers are contributing to the company and developing as staff members.
The most widely accepted rule for effective goal-setting is committing the goals to paper in a way that is clear, straightforward, and understandable, and that highlights the actions required to achieve them. Drucker’s formula asserts that goals should be SMART—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound—and legions of business leaders since then have agreed.
The BIG Picture
MANAGEMENT BY OBJECTIVES
Management guru Peter Drucker coined the term “management by objectives,” or MOB, in his 1954 classic book The Practice of Management. He proposed that a company could achieve its best results by articulating specific objectives and a timeline for achieving them—and by writing them down. Drucker also introduced the SMART criteria, which advised that objectives should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound.
Source: The Practice of Management (Reissue Edition) by Peter Drucker (Collins, 2006).
Taking ownership of ambitious goals helps employees see themselves as worthy of achieving those goals. By stretching to succeed, they develop new skills and confidence. Goals that meet the SMART criteria stand a good chance of being achieved.
Effective Goals Are Specific
When setting goals for yourself or your staff, strive for more, rather than less, detail. Be specific about what steps need to be taken to achieve them. For every goal, answer these questions: Who will be involved in achieving the goal? Where and how will the goal be tackled? What resources—time, money, logistical support, or additional training—will be required? What tasks need to be done to get there? What are the benefits of accomplishing the goals? By when should the goal be met?
Based on the answers to these questions, craft a goal statement in clear, simple language. In the future, if you or your employees seem to have lost the way in pursuit of the goal, you can revisit the goal statement to get back on track.
Effective Goals Are Measurable
To be effective, a goal needs to state what you want to accomplish in a way that can be measured. Otherwise, how will you know when the goal is reached? As you develop goals, consider all tangible evidence of a goal’s completion. If quality is a factor, for example, note the standards for measuring it. That way, when your long-range goal is to increase productivity, you can prevent any slide in quality, since the goal statement includes that as a measurement.
“When you write things down, you commit to doing them. If you simply tell me what you want to do, there is really no commitment to getting it done.”
—David Cottrell,
author of Monday Morning Mentoring
In the goal statement, also incorporate or suggest benchmarks—medium-range objectives that will indicate progress toward the goal. These concrete indicators make it easier to stay on track and to see forward movement, which can motivate workers to persist when they face difficulties and setbacks.
Can you see or count the results you’re aiming for, and compare them to earlier outcomes? Can dreams and expectations be translated into tangible sales or production numbers or process improvements? In this way you can demonstrate real progress or professional development.
Make sure the measurements in your goal-setting statement are clearly defined. “Meet deadlines” is vague,