Author: Bryan Gehrling | February 15, 2021
Whether it be a project task, annual review, sales, or your household chores; setting smart goals is a key to success, and SMART goals are the tool to help achieve them. Setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time Based) goals provides a direct path to success and are instrumental in completing milestones.
For example, say we have a small two-month long project that begins on 3/1/21. We don’t just want to tell the client that Middough will submit deliverables as completed. We should communicate SMART goals and say that we will deliver a 70% submittal issued for their comment by 4/2/21with comments requested in one week to incorporate for a 4/30/21 final submittal.
The same holds true for annual professional goals. A person with 3-years’ experience should not have their goal state that they will begin studying for the PE exam in March 2021 to obtain their license in April 2021. The goal should highlight the course of action with a study plan of ample time to have a realistic success rate in accordance with the time frame that the licensure requires i.e. I will sign up for PE study courses and complete three modules per month with the expectation of sitting for the exam April of 2022 when my years of service align with the four-years’ experience required for the license.
The concepts we use at work are also transferable to our home and personal lives. Having a cluttered patio can be a spring-cleaning project where you stay true to your goal of taking an hour per weekend to clear out the area to make room for a Memorial Day weekend barbecue.
Using the SMART goals system provides a direct path for successfully accomplishing your goals.