A SMART plan for reaching your goals this year

Have some big goals for the new year? In the business world, setting goals is an important step in reaching your desired objectives. But goals that are vague or difficult to measure can set you up for failure.

One time-tested method for setting effective goals is called the SMART principle. Have you heard of it? SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Using the SMART approach, quality goals can be created by asking yourself these five questions:

Is your goal specific enough? You’ll be more motivated to attain a goal if you spell out exactly what should be accomplished. Instead of a vague goal of increasing traffic to your organization’s website, for example, you would want to set a specific goal in terms of unique visitors or page views. Specific goals are not only easier to measure but they provide specific criteria that individuals and teams can aim for. Vague goals can create uncertainty and stress.

Is your goal measurable? Make sure you can monitor your progress and ultimately measure whether you have accomplished what you set out to. Goals that aren’t measurable can be difficult to assess.

Is your goal achievable? You don’t want to create goals that are too easy to reach but you don’t want to set yourself up for failure by making goals exceedingly difficult or impossible to reach, either. Creating goals that are somewhere in between is a great way to go.

Is your goal relevant? If you accomplish your goal, will it further your organization’s objectives or mission? Is the goal important to the organization?

Does your goal have a timeline? Having a deadline can be motivating and give you an exact date in the future to work toward. Otherwise, you might not feel the urgency to put in the required effort.

Try using these guidelines to create quality goals for the new year and beyond. How many goals should you have at one time? Some business leaders believe you should focus on one over-arching goal at a time, with several smaller goals that support that overall goal. Others say a handful of unrelated goals are fine too. It all depends on your personality, time commitments and unique circumstances.

At UASD, we’re dedicated to advocating and strengthening special districts by providing services and support to our members. The UASD is the only statewide association representing all types of districts. We provide a variety of training opportunities to our members. See our website for more information!