SMART goals are a popular framework for setting and executing strategic objectives, but they are not without challenges or pitfalls. In this article, we will explore some of the common issues that can arise when using SMART goals, and how to overcome them.
SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. These are the criteria that a good goal should meet, according to the SMART framework. The idea is that by making your goals SMART, you can clarify your expectations, track your progress, and motivate yourself and your team.
How to define a SMART goal? Two key questions: What do we want and what do we need (sometimes, they contradict each other, but it is the first step to really understand what success is). Now that you have defined the big goal, start to embellish it: define all the characteristics of success, no matter if they are possible or not. Fantasize during this part of the process, don't worry, when you apply the SMART filter anything unfeasible or unnecessary will be automatically cancelled in the same way that you clear a complex equation. The advantage of this process is that when you are clear about your objective, with all its characteristics, the yellow brick road will open up before you.
SMART goals can help you align your strategy with your vision, mission, and values. They can also help you communicate your goals to your stakeholders, and ensure that everyone is on the same page. SMART goals can also help you break down complex or long-term goals into manageable and actionable steps, and provide feedback and recognition along the way.
Many organisations fall into the trap of defining goals that are not SMART, making it difficult for leadership teams and managers to track and measure the progress and success of a project or workstream. Defining SMART goals can help avoid this pitfall and ensure that teams at all levels stay connected and focused on the right actions that drive the desired outcome. SMART goals also help teams measure and explain why processes may have gone off track, allowing them to explain the status quo and outline detailed forward-looking actions.
Despite their advantages, SMART goals are not infallible and can present some difficulties if not employed correctly. Common issues that may arise when using SMART goals include setting unrealistic or unachievable goals that can dishearten or irritate you and your team, setting obscure or ambiguous goals that can lead to misunderstanding or misalignment, setting too many or too few goals that can overwhelm or underwhelm you and your team, setting irrelevant or inconsistent goals that can divert or clash with your strategy or vision, and setting rigid or inflexible goals that can restrict your inventiveness or adaptability.
There are some challenges with SMART goals. Sometimes teams get stuck performing tasks to achieve the SMART goals instead of doing an appropriate pivot that would lead to better outcome but might not achieve the SMART goals. Another challenge is that sometimes teams figure out loopholes or workarounds for achieving the SMART targets without achieving the intended outcomes and impact.
The truth is, setting a goal is the easy part. We literally do it every day. We make these promises to ourselves that we’ll work towards improving our fitness, education, relationships, etc. Unfortunately, we break most of the promises we make to ourselves, and usually, it’s because of this one reason. Accountability! Most people won’t share their goals with anyone because they don’t want to be held accountable, and I’ve been guilty of this for the following reasons: ? I was embarrassed to share my goals. ? I didn’t want to be vulnerable. ? I didn’t want anyone putting pressure on me. So, when I failed to achieve my goals, I was able to: ? Rationalize my failures. ? Make excuses for my behavior. ? Blame others and circumstances.
The acronym SMART hints at the challenges one might face if the characteristics are not addressed properly when defining the goals. Identifying challenges for each of the characteristics, Accomplishing a goal is likely to be more challenging if it is not: - Specific enough - either it is too broad or, in rare cases, too narrow. - Measurable as the measuring method is not relevant or accurate enough. - Achievable as it lacks resources or the priority is too low. - Realistic as it is too abstract for its context. - Time-bound due to I’ll-defined schedule.
To ensure success in overcoming challenges, SMART goals should be used wisely and effectively. It is important to review and revise goals regularly, taking into account feedback, data, and changing circumstances. Involving your team and stakeholders in setting and executing goals is essential, as is their input, feedback, and support. It is also important to balance goals with resources, capabilities, and priorities, and to prioritize the most important or urgent ones. Additionally, goals should be aligned with strategy, vision, and values, and should support and complement each other. Finally, achievements should be celebrated and failures should be used as learning opportunities to improve and grow.
SMART goals are not only beneficial for setting your strategy, but also for executing it. By utilizing SMART goals, you can convert your strategy into tangible and measurable actions, and monitor and evaluate your performance and results. To use SMART goals for strategy execution, you must: define your strategic objectives and break them down into SMART goals, assign roles and responsibilities for each goal, and make clear the expectations and deliverables; create a plan and a timeline for each goal, and recognize the resources and tools needed; track and measure your progress and outcomes, and use data and indicators to assess your performance and impact; review and report your results and achievements, and share your learnings and best practices.