Smart Goal Setting – The Performer's Guide

Having “talent” isn’t enough to make a living, you must also work diligently towards a goal. Developing concrete goals is critical to managing your own performance career.

S.M.A.R.T. Goals are:

Outcome focused: Once you understand your WHY (and it’s an enthusiastic WHY) you’re 90% there!
In line with your values: The more a goal aligns with your inner or core values – the EASIER it will be to achieve. NOTE: We can achieve goals that don’t align with our values but it’s harder to do and less satisfying.
Stated in the positive: ie. “I want healthy fingernails” rather than “I want to stop biting my nails”

A S.M.A.R.T. goal is:

✅ Specific
✅ Measurable
✅ Achievable
✅ Results-focused
✅ Time-bound

Specific: Goals should be simplistically written and clearly define what you are going to do. Specific is the What, Why, and How of the S.M.A.R.T. model.
Measurable: Goals should be measurable so that you have tangible evidence that you have accomplished the goal. The entire goal statement is a measure for the project, but there are usually several short-term or smaller measurements built into the goal.
Achievable: Goals should be achievable; they should stretch you slightly so you feel challenged, but defined well enough so that you can achieve them. You must have the correct knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to achieve the goal.
Results-focused: Goals should measure outcomes, not activities. Don’t get too specific during goal setting,
Time-bound: Goals should be linked to a timeframe that creates a practical sense of urgency, or results in tension between the current reality and the vision of the goal. Without such tension, the goal is unlikely to produce a relevant outcome.

⚠️ GOALS are there to INSPIRE YOU not to intimidate yourself with!!

Make Your Goal Specific.

Making a goal more specific can help you focus your efforts and increase your chances of achieving it. Here are a few tips for making a goal more specific:

✅ Define the outcome: Clearly define what you want to achieve with your goal. Instead of setting a vague goal like “improve my health,” set a specific goal like “lose 20 pounds” or “run a 5K.”
✅ Break the goal down into smaller steps: If your goal feels overwhelming, try breaking it down into smaller, more manageable steps. For example, if your goal is to “run a 5K,” you might set smaller goals like “start a running program,” “run a mile without stopping,” and “sign up for a 5K race.”

Goal Sizing:

I⁉️ s your goal the right size to be working on?
⁉️ Is your goal too big? Break it down into smaller goals.
⁉️ Is your goal too small? Create a larger goal.

Fit into a larger goal:

⁉️ What would the MINIMUM/Super-Easy level of the goal be for you to achieve?
⁉️ What would be your TARGET level of the goal to achieve?
⁉️ What would be your EXTRAORDINARY level of the goal to achieve?

Resources – get moving:

⁉️ What RESOURCES do you already have to help you achieve your goal? Make a list! (eg. things, support from people, contacts, personal qualities, knowledge, skills, money, time etc).
⁉️ What RESOURCES do you NEED to help you achieve your goal? Make a list!

Make Your Goal Measurable

Your goal needs to be something that can be quantified. How will you measure whether or not the goal has been reached? Make the goal measurable: Measurable indicators that you could use to track progress towards a goal are:

✅ Quantity: How much of something do you want to achieve? For example, “write one blog post per week” or “make 10 sales per month.”
✅ Quality: How good or effective do you want your output to be? For example, “achieve a customer satisfaction score of at least 90%,” or “improve my typing speed by 25 words per minute.”
✅ Time: How long do you want to take to achieve your goal? For example, “complete a project within two weeks,” or “write a 10-page paper in four hours.”
✅ Cost: How much do you want to spend to achieve your goal? For example, “reduce expenses by 10%,” or “increase revenue by $1,000 per month.”
✅ Frequency: How often do you want to achieve your goal? For example, “exercise three times per week,” or “attend all team meetings.”
✅ Percentage: How much of something do you want to achieve? For example, “increase website traffic by 20%,” or “improve test scores

List at least two measurable indicators Quantity: How much of something do you want to achieve? For example, “write one blog post per week” or “make 10 sales per month.”

⁉️ Quality:
⁉️ Time:
⁉️ Cost:
⁉️ Frequency:
⁉️ Percentage:

Make the Goal Attainable:

Make the goal attainable: While it’s important to challenge yourself, make sure your goal is attainable. If a goal feels too difficult or unrealistic, you may lose motivation and give up

Here are some tips to help you make your goals more attainable:

✅ Start small: It’s important to set realistic goals that you can actually achieve. If your goal is too big or too difficult, you may become discouraged and give up. Start by setting small, achievable goals that you can work towards.
✅ Make a plan: Break your goal down into smaller, more manageable steps. This will help you stay focused and on track, and it will also give you a sense of accomplishment as you complete each step.
✅ Keep track of your progress: It’s important to track your progress so you can see how far you’ve come. This will help you stay motivated and see the progress you’re making towards your goal.
✅ Stay focused: It’s easy to get sidetracked or lose motivation, but it’s important to stay focused on your goal. Try to eliminate distractions and stay on track.
✅ Be flexible: It’s okay to change your goal or adjust your plan if you find that it’s not working for you. The important thing is to stay focused on what you want to achieve and be open to making changes to your plan as needed

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help make your goal more attainable:

⁉️ Is your goal realistic? Is it something that you can realistically achieve given your current resources and constraints?
⁉️ Have I broken my goal down into smaller, more manageable steps? Having a clear plan of action can help you stay focused and make progress towards your goal.
⁉️ Do I have the necessary skills or knowledge to achieve my goal? If not, what can I do to acquire them?
⁉️ What obstacles or challenges might I face, and how can I overcome them?
⁉️ Who can help me achieve my goal? Can I enlist the help of friends, family, or coworkers to support me in my efforts?
⁉️ How will I measure my progress towards my goal? Keeping track of your progress can help you stay motivated and see the progress you’re making

Make Your Goal Relevant:

Make the goal relevant: Make sure your goal is relevant to your overall objectives and priorities. This can help you stay motivated and focused on what’s important. To make your goal relevant to your needs, consider the following:

✅ Consider how achieving this goal will help you meet your larger goals or values. For example, if one of your values is to be financially secure, setting a goal to save a certain amount of money each month might be relevant to your needs.
✅ Think about how achieving this goal will benefit you. Will it improve your quality of life? Will it help you achieve a personal or professional goal?
✅ Consider your current resources and constraints. Make sure the goal is realistic and achievable given your current situation

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help make your goal more relevant

⁉️ What are your long-term goals or values?
⁉️ How does this goal fit into your larger vision for your life?
⁉️ Why do you want to achieve this goal?
⁉️ What is it about this goal that is important to you?
⁉️ How will achieving this goal benefit you?
⁉️ Will it improve your quality of life?
⁉️ Will it help you achieve a personal or professional goal?
⁉️ Are you confident that you have the necessary skills/esources to achieve this goal?
⁉️ If not, what can you do to acquire them?
⁉️ What obstacles or challenges might you face in trying to achieve this goal,
⁉️ and how will you overcome them

Make Your Goal Time-Bound

Set a timeline: Establish a timeline for when you want to achieve your goal. This can help you create a sense of urgency and give you a benchmark to work towards. To make a goal time-bound, you’ll need to set a specific deadline for when you want to achieve it. This will help you stay focused and motivated, because you’ll know that you have a limited amount of time to work towards your goal. Here are some tips for making your goal time-bound:

✅ Set a specific deadline: Choose a date or time frame for when you want to achieve your goal. Make sure it’s realistic, but also challenging enough to motivate you to take action.
✅ Break your goal down into smaller steps: Divide your goal into smaller, more manageable tasks that you can work on over time. This will help you make progress towards your goal and stay on track.
✅ Make a schedule: Create a schedule that outlines the specific tasks you need to complete in order to achieve your goal. This will help you stay organized and ensure that you’re making progress towards your goal.
✅ Track your progress: Keep track of your progress as you work towards your goal. This will help you stay motivated and see the progress you’re making.
✅ Celebrate your achievements: As you complete each step or milestone towards your goal, take time to celebrate your achievements. This will help you stay motivated and encourage you to keep going

Here are some questions you can ask someone to help them set time-bound goals:

⁉️ What is your deadline for achieving this goal? Make sure the deadline is realistic, but also challenging enough to motivate you to take action.
⁉️ How will you break your goal down into smaller, more manageable steps? Dividing your goal into smaller tasks can help you make progress and stay on track.
⁉️ How will you track your progress towards your goal? Keeping track of your progress can help you stay motivated and see the progress you’re making.
⁉️ What obstacles or challenges might you face in trying to achieve this goal, and how will you overcome them?
⁉️ How will you celebrate your achievements as you complete each step or milestone towards your goal? Taking time to celebrate your achievements can help you stay motivated and encourage you to keep going

Revize Your Goal: Write your new S.M.A.R.T. Goal in one concise sentence.

Aligning with your Values:

⁉️ Is this goal in line with your life vision/overall life-plan? (Don’t know? what does your gut tell you?)
⁉️ Is this goal in line with your values? (Unsure? Ask yourself what’s REALLY important to you in life – will this goal help you achieve more of that?)
⁉️ Are the goals something YOU truly want, or are they something you think you SHOULD have or SHOULD be doing? (Tip: If it is a SHOULD, it may be someone else’s dream…)
⁉️ When you think about your goal does it give you a sense of deep contentment or ‘rightness’, happiness and/or excitement? (If so, these are good signs that it’s a healthy goal.)
⁉️ If you could have the goal RIGHT NOW – would you take it? (If not, why not? What issues are there?)
⁉️ How does this goal fit into your life/lifestyle? (Time, effort, commitments,)
⁉️Who else might be impacted by your goal?

Identifying Obstacles:

⁉️ Can YOU start & maintain this goal/outcome? (ie. Do you have complete control over achieving it?)
⁉️ How will making this change affect other aspects of your life? (ie. What else might you need to deal with?)
⁉️ What’s good about your CURRENT SITUATION? (ie. What’s the benefit of staying right where you are?)
⁉️ Then ask, how can I keep those good aspects while STILL making this change?
⁉️WHAT might you have to give up/stop doing to achieve this goal? (Essentially, what’s the price of making this change – and are you willing to pay it?)
⁉️If there was something important around achieving this goal (to help you succeed, or that could get in the way) that you haven’t mentioned yet, what would it be?
⁉️WHO will you have to BE to achieve this goal?