The Art of SMART - Questions to Ask When Setting Goals

"If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else." - Yogi Berra

Ah, the SMART goal - the specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound aspiration that guides our performance, keeps us on the right path, and supports our success. But as the quote-worthy baseball coach warned, poorly-set goals will not help you get where you want and need to go.

After three weeks of leading goal-setting workshops (and a career guiding teams and organizations through the performance management process), I’ve honed a list of smart questions to ask to set SMART goals.

S-pecific: What do you really want to accomplish, above all else? What’s within your scope of control and where will you need to influence?

M-easurable: What does success look like if you’ve nailed this goal? How will you know you have been successful? What will have changed for you, the team, and/or the organization?

A-chievable: How do you know you can accomplish this? What's the track record of success (or failure)? If you will be stretched, what support will you need to achieve success?

R-elevant: Why does this matter for you, your team, and/or the organization?

T-ime-bound: By when will you nail this goal? What’s the timing of your milestones so you can celebrate multiple small wins?

Launch your path by mastering the art of SMART. True wisdom, though, comes from learning through execution - trying, failing, adapting, succeeding, challenging yourself, and staying agile and aligned to an ever-shifting external reality.