Move over SMART goals, I'm SUPER smart..!
With the mid-year review process officially complete and the end of year review looming, I wonder if most big companies will eventually adopt a different model of goal setting and associated performance management.
Today, in our roles, we need to manage unprecedented levels of complexity, grapple with uncertainty, maneuver through ambiguity, display organizational ambidexterity, often with a backdrop of global diversity and budgetary austerity. I think that deserves a new model!
Over the years, our jobs have evolved, or need to evolve, from managing outcomes using the time-honored SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound), now, more than ever. Our goals today need to relate to accomplishing not only what is deemed strategically important in the short term, but also potentially significant in the mid to long term for our strategic vision. We need to attend to critically urgent matters that may arise much later than the formal goal setting process at the beginning of the year. During the course of the year, we must identify and follow through on reasonably prudent things that can impact our business. It is imperative we remain flexible and potentially take-on added responsibility based on assessment of emerging trends. Through all of this, in a company like mine, we also need to continually be respectful of the opportunity we have and remain active in ‘give-back’ such as mentoring, and, furthering the goals of our larger organizations with participation in corporate initiatives and committees.
SMART goals just seem too simplistic now. They certainly don't capture the holistic essence of most jobs, and seem to address very limited dimensions of what we do, should do, to drive growth for organizations. They may still be applicable to a subset of what we do, but, a very limited subset of mid to senior level corporate roles.
Above all, SMART goals can fall short in sparking the imagination or inspiring to aspire for greater things for ourselves and our organizations.
Maybe, it is time to say I'm SUPER smart! I will do things that are:
Strategically Important
Potentially Significant
Critically Urgent
Reasonably Prudent
Flexibility for Emergent
Continually Reverent
Maybe, it is time to put more soul into our goals!
#I'mSUPERsmart
Technology Specialist at 3M
7 年wonderful, thanks for sharing
Hey Jayshree Seth....succinctly put forward.... words do matter....it is the not said that piqued my interest....strategically important for who? , potentially significant to who?.....and that which is often left unsaid is the strength and weakness of our organizational structures.....
Executive Client Partner at Randstad Digital US
8 年Great article Jayshree . Applies to everyone .
Founder, Greer Enterprises
8 年Your proposed i-SUPER balances freedom, responsibility and hustle nicely-- a better model for today's fast shifting, opportunity-rich environment.
OD & HRD consultant, Coaching & NLP hypnotherapy; Professional member, Indian Society for Applied Behavioral Science.
8 年The points are relevant. However, for me, an acronym with more than 5 letters is challenging to hold in significance. In "SMART", clusters of three or four interpretations for each letter is ok for my memory. For example, 'S' for Specific, Strategic, Simple or Special; 'M' for Measurable, Meaningful, Motivating or Mission-based etc.