SMART Goals Are Not Smart Enough

Here we go again.

Its time for more “SMART” goals.

There’s a lot to love about this framework for goal-setting. I mean… Who DOESN’T want to be SMART?

But is that really enough? Just follow the pattern and check the task off your list?

No.

This week I’ll give you powerful and easy-to-apply ways to set better goals now.

How SMART Can You Be?

Yes, you should be SPECIFIC with your goals.

Superpower Sunday recently in Leaders Guild was about focusing on Clarity — Communicating and explaining, and being easily understood. Being specific will definitely help with that.

Yes, your goals should also be MEASURABLE. And ACHIEVABLE. And REALISTIC and TIME-BOUND.

Especially if that is the framework your company expects you to use.

But let’s take a step back. Is that enough?

The Clarity Trap

The first mistake leaders make is assuming that because a goal is clear to them, it’s clear to everyone else. Here’s what actually happens: As a goal cascades through an organization, each person adds their own filters and assumptions.

You’ll definitely want to frame your own goals in ways that both support your leader’s goals and that your team can relate to their work so their own goals are aligned.

Think your team is aligned on that “clear” goal? Try this: Ask three team members separately to explain the goal and what success looks like. You might be surprised at how different their answers are.

If you’ve already been regularly communicating the BIG WINS your company, department and group are chasing… If you’ve already been articulating a clear and compelling VISION for not just what your group will achieve, but how it will get there and what it will be like when you do… You will probably see some of that reflected back to you… Score!

If not, now is the time to broaden your view and sharpen that vision into a framework where the individual goals fit and make sense. Can you describe how the goals unlock the big wins of your vision?

Your Secret Weapon

Learn to leverage the OGSM framework to go beyond surface-level SMART goals.

We already talked about Vision and Big Wins. This is the OBJECTIVES element — The “O” in OGSM.

I snuck that one in. So, you’ve already taken that step back and framed a better context for your goals. ?

Next in this framework is GOALS.

Essentially all of SMART fits in this one step of OGSM. Quantifiable results, proof points, and so on. Take this opportunity to put some extra thought to the Achievable, Realistic and Time-Bound elements of SMART. How do you know the goals you are setting are striking a good balance between ambition and achievability?

Next is STRATEGIES. When I was leading at MGM Resorts International, we often put a set of “tactics” bullets with our goals. Whether you call them strategies or tactics, these are the crucial ways of prioritizing and executing that will support the goal. Don’t skimp here.

Finally we have METRICS. Similar to “Measurable” in SMART. Take this opportunity to check that progress and ultimately success are not just measurable in theory, but you know you have or will have the data to measure — including a baseline of where things stood before you started pursuing the goal.

OGSM + SMART is your Secret Weapon.

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— Gregor