The SMART goals are basically the way around nearly all our problems. We work hard to achieve our goals, and sometimes we do achieve them while other times, we do not. The main reason you are unable to achieve your set goals is not setting appropriate goals or not so SMART goals.
S.M.A.R.T in SMART goals is an acronym for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely.
Specific
Specific means that your goal should be clear in what it demands. It should not be just a general goal, but a specific one. A general goal is, for example, ‘increase profits in the coming year’. On the other hand, a specific goal is, ‘increase the profit by more than 20% in the coming year by increasing revenue by 10% and minimizing expenses by 20%’. Following a specific goal is much easier than following a general goal. For the reason that you know your target that you want to achieve. If the goal does not define what actually is to be met, consequently the employees at a firm will always remain in confusion.
Measurable
The M stands for measurable. The goals you set should have an attachment of numerical values to it. Probably you will not know your progress if you have no numerical association. For example, a student can set a goal saying, ‘complete 10 chapters of business studies by tonight’. In contrast to set a goal saying, ‘complete maximum chapters by tonight’. This will definitely be amongst the SMART goals.
Attainable
The A stands for attainable. Attainment is a very important factor in setting goals. It is always important for your goals to be tough enough to keep you and your employees motivated, but they should never be such difficult that they become unattainable or impossible to achieve and act as de-motivators. An example of an unattainable goal is ‘to increase the sales by 100% in one quarter’. Increasing sales by 100% is not an easy job to do. It takes time. Another example of an unattainable goal is for a student to memorize the entire course within a night. He/she knows this is impossible. As a result of which, student may even not bother to start studying. Such unrealistic goals should not even be set in the first place.
Relevance
The R stands for relevant. The business has an overall aim or vision of achieving something over its course. So, the goal a manager sets should be relevant to and aligned to the overall business vision. For example, if an organization’s goal is to provide welfare to the economy, it would not have a goal of maximizing profits through any of their welfare activities. Likewise, an individual sets his/her daily goals in a way that they align with the overall goals of their entire life. If an individual’s overall aim, for example, is to buy a huge villa someday, she can set a target to save a certain amount each month for that villa.
Time-bound
The T stands for timely or time-bound. Your goals should have a deadline attached to them or they will never be achieved, keeping in concern the human psychology. Many of us are the most efficient versions of ourselves when the deadline is near while others tend to panic and are the least efficient versions of themselves when the deadline is near. The time factor in goal setting is beneficial for both types of humans. The people who work better near deadlines will do so, while those who do not work efficiently when the deadline is near would know what the deadline is, and they would manage to complete their work way before the deadline to save themselves from facing any trouble.
SMART goals examples for work
Setting smart goals is very important as you learned above, and here are some smart goals examples for work to solidify what you have learned just now.
Example 1
Let’s talk about an application development company. There smart goals examples for work would be like as follows: Reduce the malfunctions of the camera feature in the application. Reduce the malfunctions to as low as 2%. Hire part-time employees while doing the task. Let the people know that the application is being improved so that they install it and the profit of the company keeps on increasing. Reduce the malfunctions of the camera feature to 2% in one quarter. Each of these examples of goals for work represents one of the five features of the smart goals: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound, respectively.
Example 2
Another one of the smart goals examples for work is about a traditional dress & jewelry store chain. There smart goals examples for work would be as follows: Increase sales in 7 of our biggest stores Increase overall sales by 40% Increase sales during the festival season Advertise extensively at least possible costs so that profits can be maximized Increase the sales by 40% by the end of December Yet again, each of these examples of goals for work represents one of the five features of the smart goals: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound, respectively.
Professional goals examples
Professional goals are those goals which help grow your professional life. Ending up feeling a bit of a disappointment from your job is a normality. This is because we do not help grow our professional lives. However, here are some professional goals examples and smart goals examples for work to help you start Strengthen professional relationships: You should develop healthy relationships at your workplace. Doing this is quite easy; you can just have lunches or dinners with your colleagues, call them at your place if you are holding a party, just start talking and carry on, do a favor to them and so on. Gain new experiences: Gaining new experiences will not only let you enjoy, but it will also open gateways to newer and better earning jobs. Have ownership: Owning your own company is a good option because you are so much committed for that business’ success that you are willing to do anything for
